(01-26-2015 08:25 PM)Rover Wrote: [ -> ]I think the easy fix is for every team to work on bunting in spring. And every time you shift the 3B to short RF you just bunt the ball to 3B. Eventually it will work enough to stop people from doing that.
Part of the reason teams shift now is that players have drifted away from solid fundamental baseball.
This is true to some degree, but not entirely. Bunting is a difficult skill, it's not something you can just 'get' by working at. See, e.g., 100 years of baseball where there were 'good' and 'bad' bunters.
But yes, beating the shift with your bat, either by hitting the holes or bunting into them, is how you should be shutting a shift up. If you can't, you lose, the same as a traditionally spread hitter loses when he hits to a defender.
Padres land James Shields
Gonna get to go to a Cards spring training game in Tampa next month. Pretty stoked. Always wanted to go to their spring training facility.
Josh Hamilton faces cocaine suspension
I was reading about this last night....when a reporter asked a MLB insider if he was in trouble for PED's, the insider said, "worse". Pretty sad stuff for a guy who has a 125 mil contract.
cocaine is worse than PEDs? I mean cocaine warrants a suspension but at least it is not cheating - I would consider acts detrimental to the game are worse than a junkie relapsing.
There has to be balanced compassion for him. He's human and struggling, not trying to scam the game.
If his suspension is on par with PED use or worse, it would be a travesty.
I don't care what he's on, just hit the damn ball.
Word has it, he's out for 25 games. So yeah, it wasn't worse than PED's, unless the league source meant for him personally?