Cliff Notes and watching baseball

Be honest … how many of you used Cliff Notes instead of reading the entire book in high school English class?  I did.  In my eyes, being forced to read about a big whale or some old guy and the sea were clearly examples of cruel and unusual punishment.  I’d rather take some swings outside.

Thankfully, that changed.  I’m now a big reader.  I read constantly.  I even read Hemingway’s The old man

and the sea before a trip to Key West, FL.  When I did, I was amazed at all the things I missed having just read the Cliff Notes on the book 30 years ago.

When it comes to baseball, some players are content with watching the highlights of games on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight or on the MLB Channel.  They don’t really like to watch the pitch by pitch action of a nine inning game in it’s entirety.   Too boring.

See where I’m going with this?

Watching highlights is fine but they can be like Cliff Notes if that’s all you watch.  To learn all the important little things about the game, you really have to watch the pitch by pitch action.  A big home run in the 9th may have won the game and made everyone’s highlight reel but most of the gems of why the game was won or lost are things highlights don’t show. The good first-to-third base running in the 4th inning that led to a run.  The second inning 12 pitch at-bat that resulted in moving a runner over to 3rd base and helped to get the starter out of the game in the 6th inning.  The two-out diving stop by the shortstop that didn’t get anyone out but prevented the runner on second base from scoring.  The ball hit down the left field line that was fielded and thrown to second base correctly that kept the batter on first base.  The catcher that blocked 5 balls in the dirt correctly that kept base runners from moving up a base.

Players may not have time to watch every pitch of every game on TV but when they do, they will find that there is plenty to see beyond the highlights.  Doing so will help them understand the game more and turn them into a more knowledgeable player when they step onto the field.

Tomorrow’s post:  Pyramids don’t tip over