April 4, 2017

Monday was a mixed bag. The good: passionate fans, great news on Cubs-Cards Sunday night TV ratings (ESPN's most watched MLB opening telecast ever), and young studs like Carlos Correa, Andrew Benintendi, and Rougned Odor mashing baseballs. The bad: the White Sox opener was rained out (with more rain in the forecast for today), Brewers ace Junior Guerra went to the DL after his first AB of the season, and the NCAA National Championship game sucked (fouls, bricks, and bad officiating).

Bill Pennington of the New York Times writes about kids who can hit 400-foot homers and throw 90 MPH but can't play catch. In the youth sports arena where showcases are so important, Pennington argues that young players are losing some of the fundamentals of the game. Typically I'd be somewhat skeptical of a piece like this, but it includes comments from one of the most respected college coaches in the industry, Vanderbilt's Tim Corbin:

  • "We're working on something as basic as throwing after fielding a slow roller in practice today. And these are 18- and 19-year-old college kids who are supposedly pretty good."
  • "You can get a stuffed animal at a street fair for throwing 90 miles an hour, but does it mean you have the ability to decelerate to pitch to get a big out? That's how the game is played."

Our Opening Day podcast dropped yesterday; we talked Vice President walk up songs, Seinfeld, catch probability, and 2017 predictions. Go give it a listen!