Author: Phil Buckley

by Phil Buckley

Should Your Team Be Shifting More?

Baseball teams have been shifting defensively forever. Most of us think of the modern idea of a defensive infield shift started with Lou Boudreau and what became known as the “William’s Shift” in 1946.

This photo diagram shows the positions of the Cleveland infield and outfield in the so-called “Cleveland Shift” defense against Ted Williams of the Boston Red Sox during the game in Boston. This photo was made after Williams had found a chink in the defense and slapped one to the left for a single.

The first time Williams came up against this shift, he hit the ball right to Boudreau himself, standing directly between first and second base.

From that moment on, teams shifted on Williams for the rest of his career. The shift was so common that Williams once estimated it lopped about 15 points off of his lifetime batting average, and he wasn’t far off: his career splits before and after that season showed a difference of 16 points.

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Andrew Benitendi's beautiful leaping 2018 world series catch
by Phil Buckley

Baseball Gloves

Your baseball glove is an extension of your baseball-self, you want to love it.

Carlos Correa makes a diving stop to rob Jean Segura, he needed to use every muscle in his body. He raced to the ball, dove, lifted his body up and tossed the ball from his glove to Marwin Gonzalez to turn a double play. 

The gloves we use today have evolved from no gloves at all in the 19th century. Some of the best defensive stars of their generation (or all-time) have become legends while using what we would now consider unusable.

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by Phil Buckley

Ash vs Maple vs Birch Wood Baseball Bats

Back in 1965, your choice for baseball bats was fairly straight-forward. Did you prefer the Louisville Slugger like Mickey Mantle used or the Adirondack like Willie Mays. Both were made from select ash.

At the turn of the 21st century, Barry Bonds home run exploits put the spotlight on the bat he was using, and it was made out of maple.

Birch, which is more flexible like ash and dense like maple, is starting to be picked up by a growing number of big leaguers. It recently passed ash as the number two type of bat in the MLB.

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by Phil Buckley

I worked out like Tom Brady at the TB12 Center

I have a butt problem.

Specifically, I sit on it too much and I don’t use the muscles packed into it as much as I should.

That’s one of the revelations I discovered during a visit to the TB12 Sports Therapy Center, the gym/treatment facility opened by Tom Brady and his body coach Alex Guerrero to give both future Hall of Famers and those who don’t play football for a living a chance to embrace what everyone around there calls “The Method.”

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by Phil Buckley

Avoiding Hamstring Injuries

One of the most common injuries in baseball occurs when a player running the bases suddenly pulls up short and starts limping. The cause: a pulled hamstring. It seems like they come out of nowhere, but they are caused by factors hidden beneath the skin.

The hamstrings play a critical role in sprinting, throwing and hitting. They are most frequently injured when athletes decelerate or try to control movement. Pitchers usually injure the hamstring on their plant leg, because it absorbs the explosive force from the throw.

Hamstring injuries are preventable if you take the correct action. You need to train your hamstrings eccentrically (i.e., during the lowering part of a movement), build glute strength and develop a strong core before the season starts.

Try incorporating two or three of the following exercises into your lower-body program. Switch them up each workout to continue challenging your hamstrings so you will be ready for the long baseball season.

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by Phil Buckley

Sanford Marlins Win 40+ Championship Series

The #1 seed 40+ Sanford Marlins knocked off the #2 seed 40+ Alamance Giants in the 40+ Central North Carolina MSBL Championship Game.

In the game, Doug Barefoot pitched six strong innings giving up only three runs on seven hits to earn the win for the Marlins.  Dan Thomsonrelieved Doug in the seventh and held the Giants scoreless for the rest of the game. The Marlins won 6-3, behind strong offensive efforts from Wayne Williamson (2 for 4), Skillz McFadden (2 for 4) and Darron Healey(2 for 4).

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