Home Stretch

One of the great aspects of playing and watching baseball is that it is done outdoors - with the associated pluses and minuses.

It's hard to fathom - what with a layer of ice and snow still on the ground - that baseball will be in full swing in a couple of weeks. The Yankees and Mets will return from the Sunshine State while local college and high school teams will brave the elements to battle for seven innings or more.

I can't wait.

The first couple of weeks of the season can be challenging weather-wise, to say the least. Anyone who has ever tried to hit a fastball with chilled hands or - from a spectator point of view - struggled against the elements to take in an entire game when a warm, inviting car is just a few yards away in the parking lot can vouch for that. But we sit through it because we love the game and we know that before we know it the chill will give way to the cooling breeze that makes playing and watching such a delight. Soon after that, of course, we'll be playing and watching in the summer heat, but even that has a certain charm.

Then, of course, there is the chill of Fall Ball and the World Series - which does not seem officially the World Series if at least half the games are not played in The Bronx.

But we will have to weather a lot of challenges before we see that happen this year.

- Michael Watt

Proper Mechanics

One of the most intriguing aspects about baseball is the idea that the more you learn about the sport, the more you realize how much more there is to learn.

Like most baseball fans I have been actively involved with the sport since I was a Little Leaguer in the late 1960s. Nonetheless, whenever I take my sons - Alex, 16 and Max, 12 - to their various clinics and lessons I am amazed at how much there is to know about how to play the game properly. The details of pitching mechanics alone could - and have - filled volumes. Hitting, too, can be just as daunting - although I have always subscribed to the Yogi Berra theory that "you can't hit and think at the same time."

The problem with there being so much to know is that there is a lot of mis-information out there. Well-meaning Dads and Little League coaches who were taught improper techniques for playing the game often pass along that bad information to their sons or offer meaningless advice to pitchers like "throw strikes" when the pitcher is experiencing control problems.

That is why clinics and lessons offered by professionals - not necessarily former major leaguers but men who have enjoyed significant success playing the sport - are so important. Learning the proper fundamentals not only helps hone the skills of young players, it helps reduce the risk of injury - particularly with young pitchers - as well.

Fortunately, there are a dozen or academies on Long Island that offer excellent opportunties for young boys to learn the game of baseball properly. When you check out these places ask the names of ball players who have been through the academy and where they are now. Do not be shy about inquiring about the qualifications of the men giving the lessons, either. Most likely they are well qualified to teach your sons.

All the lessons in the world, however, can't replace the benefits of playing the game. Encourage your sons to play as much baseball as possible (and no, video games don't count).