RMJ 151 July 16

WEDNESDAY, JULY 16 ● Houston, vs San Francisco   

Judy has really been agonizing over Ryan’s baseball experience this summer. He has been unable to pitch since April because of a sore shoulder, and the coaches haven’t played him much in the outfield or at first base.

I have no way to know if he should be playing, but I do know that I wouldn’t drive him back and forth to practice three times a week, 30 miles each way, if he was not playing.

The tough thing about it is that Ryan has made a lot of friends on the team, and he wants to stick with it.

What really got to Judy is that she traveled all the way to Austin to see him play, and he only pitched two innings. They blew a team out in the last game, and he still didn’t play.

“There are five coaches, and their sons play every inning of every game,” Judy said. “It’s not fair.”

“Well, they told us they were going to play to win,” I said. “If he wants to play, he has to get better. If he’s good enough, they’ll play him.”

“How are they going to know if he’s good if they don’t play him?” she asked.

“It’ll show up in practice,” I said. “He’s just going to have to force himself into the lineup. I’ve already noticed a great improvement in his fielding. I don’t think he’s too far away from being a pretty good hitter. But if you don’t want to drive him all over town, I understand. Maybe he can get on a team that practices around here.”

“I’m just afraid he won’t get better without playing in the games. I want him to be able to move up with the other kids and play in high school.  He seems to have a better chance in baseball than basketball or football. But a lot of these kids practice all the time. Their dads work with them constantly, and they get private instruction from professional coaches.”

“Judy,” I said, “listen: If he’s good enough, he’ll play. No matter how much instruction you get, it will come down to ability.

“You know about Darryl Kile. He didn’t even make his high-school team. These things take a while to sort themselves out.

“Sure, he’ll be better now if he practices more and plays in more games. But his future as a hitter is unclear, no matter what. When he gets his growth and his strength, he may blow by some of these kids that seem better now. Then again, maybe he won’t.

“But I can just about guarantee you that he will be a good-enough pitcher to play high-school ball, if he wants to work at it. I can put him on a program to build his arm up. He already throws as hard as all but a few kids. And he’s lefthanded.

“He’s beginning to listen to me now. I’ll get him ready.”

This seemed to encourage her. She asked me to write down the plan, and I did.

I have a mound in the yard, and I plan to have him throw three sets of 21 pitches every day. The first set will be 7 fastballs, 7 curves, and 7 changeups at half speed. The second set will be the same pitches at three-quarter speed. The third set will be the same thing from the stretch position.

I took him outside with a bucket of balls, and we went through the drill.

“If you don’t throw too hard, you can do this every day.” I said. “Even if you have a practice in the afternoon, you can do it in the morning. If you have a game and you’re going to pitch, don’t do it.

“When I’m home, I’ll catch you a couple of times a week, and you can throw full speed. The important thing is that you do it every day. That way you will gain control and build arm strength.”

I went over it with Judy after we threw, and she seemed to understand. The main thing is to get him to do it in the morning. It’s getting so hot that he won’t want to do it in the afternoon.

 

This homestand is a joke. We play tonight and then tomorrow afternoon, and then fly all the way to Montreal.

These schedules must be devised by a sadist, or by someone who does not shit. I have the feeling it is the latter. My computer has done some strange things, but it has not done that. If it does, I’ll go back to pen-and-paper.

 

Tonight’s game was a beauty. We finally went over .500 as Mike Hampton mastered the Giants with ease. He tossed a four-hitter and won 8-1. He didn’t walk a single batter, and he struck out six.

Our top four guys did most of the damage. Bagwell had three more RBI, and Biggio scored two more runs. What a combination!