02-22-2020, 07:24 AM
I was at an in season baseball camp run by the Reds coaches shortly before I moved to Alaska in 1976. It was on an off day and Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Dave Concepcion, Cesar Geronimo and Bill Plummer were there for short little bits along with some other players that I didn't know at the time. They were there for the coaches to show you "How a Big Leaguer does it". Most just did what the coaches told them to do and said nothing but I remember Joe Morgan and Bill Plummer teaching groups as if we were their students. They were constantly teaching and explaining while they were there, most were there for about 20-30 minutes of the four hour camp. I was never grouped with Pete Rose but he did walk by our set and stopped and interacted with a couple of kids as he slowly moved by our group that was waiting for the next stage.
We were waiting for some supposed hot shot minor leaguer because his translator was finishing up with either Geronimo or Concepcion. They must be impressed with him to bring him up from the minor leagues just to speak through a translator at a Reds camp for kids. That was the day that a soon to be 9 year old vinyl spinner learned how to throw a circle change from Mario Soto through a translator. It took me three years of practicing to find the release point until I could consistently throw it for a strike, but it is simply an awesome pitch. It's the closest thing that I've ever had to a screwball and it's a natural looking pitch that has movement with a change of speed, which is great the second and third times through the lineup. I was almost always strictly fastball and curveball/slider the first time through the lineup and I stayed in that pitch sequence the second time through the lineup until I got into a jam. I saved the circle change for when I needed a strikeout or weak contact.
That's kind of the root of when I ragged on Castillo in the past for being a chicken shit pitcher. He takes himself out of games by constantly throwing his change up out of the strike zone. He runs up his pitch count and his walks because he nibbles too much when he would probably still fool them if he threw it for a strike.
Dude.
Luis.
La Peidra.
You have the best change up in baseball. You don't need to make them chase EVERY pitch. Throw it for a strike more often . . . especially when the batter has a 3-1, 3-2 count and you'll see more 7th and 8th innings of ball games.
We were waiting for some supposed hot shot minor leaguer because his translator was finishing up with either Geronimo or Concepcion. They must be impressed with him to bring him up from the minor leagues just to speak through a translator at a Reds camp for kids. That was the day that a soon to be 9 year old vinyl spinner learned how to throw a circle change from Mario Soto through a translator. It took me three years of practicing to find the release point until I could consistently throw it for a strike, but it is simply an awesome pitch. It's the closest thing that I've ever had to a screwball and it's a natural looking pitch that has movement with a change of speed, which is great the second and third times through the lineup. I was almost always strictly fastball and curveball/slider the first time through the lineup and I stayed in that pitch sequence the second time through the lineup until I got into a jam. I saved the circle change for when I needed a strikeout or weak contact.
That's kind of the root of when I ragged on Castillo in the past for being a chicken shit pitcher. He takes himself out of games by constantly throwing his change up out of the strike zone. He runs up his pitch count and his walks because he nibbles too much when he would probably still fool them if he threw it for a strike.
Dude.
Luis.
La Peidra.
You have the best change up in baseball. You don't need to make them chase EVERY pitch. Throw it for a strike more often . . . especially when the batter has a 3-1, 3-2 count and you'll see more 7th and 8th innings of ball games.
Only users lose drugs.
:-)-~~~
:-)-~~~
