I think that major leaguers practiced right and developed good habits. If Griffey would have practiced a Johnny Damon swing he might not have made it. If his coach told him to shorten his swing and keep his weight back, he wouldn't be the great 501 home run hitter he is. But I don't think Major Leaguers were all born prodigies wiht a built swing chip in their head or a 90MPH fastball chip in their arm.
I think it takes practice. I think practice is about finding out how to do things to get the best results, like opening up you stance more like Phelps did. And he crushed a grand slam in the upper deck the other day, and has been ripping the ball ever since. Then I think practice is about staying consistent with the good habits you developed.
"Practice makes the bad ball player better, the average ball player above average, the above average player a team leader, and a superstar even better!"
Larry: would it make sense for the average ballplayer to do twice as much practice as the aboveaverage player to become a teamleader?
I'm still curious as to how much practice a typical Major Leaguer like Randy Winn, or Milton Bradley did while growing up. Did they just practice once or twice a weak with their HS team? Or did they do tee work at home after practice and during days when their HS didn't practice. Ted Williams says he use to swing until the blisters bled. I think that's overdoing it, which is probably why he's a legend.
