Good start yesterday for my fav. team the San Francisco Giants. Solid win with a 3 run Homer at the top of the 9th to get a 6-3 lead and win 6-4 in the end. Finished my documentary of Ken Burns' Baseball Documentary the other day that I watch every year before the season starts.
Been a fan since I was a little kid going to Candlestick Park and eventually now Oracle Park. Watching guys like Will Clark, Matt Williams, Barry Bonds, Rob Nenn, Buster Posey, Madison Baumgartner and others.
Some of the training those guys go through can be unique from typical weight training to oddities for helping them hit, pitch & run. Some guys even back in the day didn't train much at all or did things in the offseason. Guys like Mickey Mantle & Hank Aaron didn't lift weights but did labor work, Rickey Henderson was famously known for doing Push-ups, Sit-Ups, Sprints (And Ice Cream) and guys in the minor leagues would do things like Step Ups & other calisthenics since salaries are much lower so they would do what's possible with coaches that they have.
Branch Rickey who was a former player himself and then turned to management helped establish the Farm System that developed the Minors to work with players and give them opportunities to reach their potential beyond just talent and skill. However, one coach for a college team helped build his squad to go 14-1 one season while using Indian Clubs as part of their training. Coach Judson Hyames had his boys work the clubs as part of extensive training before their season (Were undefeated for two years prior). It gave his players great Wrist Strength/Mobility along with Suppleness & Flexibility.
This guy was like the John Wooden of his time, his career record as a coach is 166-62-2 which is pretty damn impressive and makes you wonder what he could've done with guys in the majors. That college is now known as Western Michigan University and the field there now is named after him. Taking something that came from India and reached the training ideals for the Baseball Diamond goes to show that with great word of mouth, many styles of training can make it to championship sports teams and athletes.
If Clubs can build a championship squad, what else could they do? It's one of the reasons I love training with clubs because they're great for joint health, complex but awesome for keeping the body healthy, builds brain power because of the patterns used in the swings and works with motor skills. Be amazingly awesome and grab a pair of clubs to train with and help carry on the tradition that has been going on for centuries.
2 comments:
I go back a generation before listening to the Giant's baseball games on a radio at my grandmother's house with announcers Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons doing the play by play and brought to you by Armor Hot Dogs.
Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie McCovey, Tom Haller, Juan Marichal, and the Alou Brothers (Felipe, Matty and Jesus) come to mind with Alvin Dark being the Manager.
I remember freezing my butt off at Candlestick Park night games, sneaking in a half-pint of apricot brandy to swig on and help stay warm. The Giants fans were rowdier than the A's fans across the Bay.
Also remember going to the Giants' games in Army uniform when I was in the Army because we got in free if we wore our uniform.
I'm retired as a baseball fan. It was easier in the olden days, less teams, no designated hitters, no relief pitchers. If a pitcher was losing, too bad, he had to hang in there.
Pleasant memories for sure, thanks for jogging them with your blog post.
Going to games with my dad was always fun, we would also listen to them on the radio when I was young in the 90s or watching them at home. Got to see a multiple homer game by Matt Williams once at candlestick.
Know first hand where the seats were warm and where you froze your ass off sitting next to the bay lol. Dad would tell me stories of Mays and McCovey. He got to see them play in the playoffs in 1962 when he was almost 13 at the time. Got to see them again in 2010 when they played the Phillies and I got to sit with him watching the game.
One of the most bizarre games I ever witnessed was at Pac Bell/ATT&T before it became Oracle Park where the Giants allowed 7 runs in the first inning and then scored 8 unanswered runs throughout the game and the only homerun was from one of the Cardinals they faced that night.
Got to see one of Barry's 73 hrs live early in that 2001 season. The game has its issues now but they're still a favorite till the day I die.
For my dad's 70th, I got him a jersey of Number 24 but with our last name instead of Mays. Threw it on the moment he saw it. In our family, if something like that happens or you made a member cry with joy, you got bragging rights for gifting called the Brass Ring.
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