So this isn't the first time.... but its the first time something dawned on me...
While I was waiting for another game, I was watching a Var baseball game the other day and I heard a coach talking to his pitcher, who had runners on 1st and 2nd w/one out... Aside from all the typical gripes, mechanical instruction and detailed corrective measures (all of which drive me nuts LOL, let the kid pitch), he kept saying to the pitcher "C'mon now, get a ground ball"... I thought... hmm, makes sense... ground ball, double play inning over... About an inning later I heard the same coach talking to his batter. It was the same situation (1st and 2nd and one out). The coach kept saying to the batter "C'mon now, hard ground ball".
I've heard this all before BUT for the first time ever (literally) it dawned on me, why would a coach instruct his pitcher to induce a ground ball with runners on 1st and 2nd with one out... Well, because it's good for the defense and bad for the offense.... So if its bad for the offense with runners on, why are you telling your batter to hit a ground ball?
Is there a philosophy/obsession (in HS baseball) that the game is made for the ground ball?