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Baseball Instruction/Questions
| Subject | Date Asked | Expert |
| Double play | 2/10/2012 | Andrew Senger |
| Q: Senger, Consider the following situation: one runner on 1st base and one runner on 3rd base ... A: Mike, The run would not score. Using Official Baseball Rules, Rule 4.09(a) states: "One run shall ... | ||
| Winning/Losing Pitcher | 2/10/2012 | Andrew Mullins |
| Q: This is a high school baseball game going into the 7th and final inning tied 1-1. Pitcher A starts ... A: Good Day...What a great question but it carries a very simple answer....The losing pitcher is simply ... | ||
| FPSB | 12/17/2011 | Martin Hoover |
| Q: Out or not??? Batter up, runners on 1st and 3rd. Batter hits fair and ball gets intercepted by SS ... A: Tricia; As long as the release of the ball was "deliberate and intentional" then the out should ... | ||
| Pitching Instructions in AZ | 12/12/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: I play baseball for an NAIA school in northern California. I am a sophomore and RHP there. After ... A: John: Thank you for your question. I can highly recommend two sources in the Phoenix area to ... | ||
| intentionak walks | 10/25/2011 | Andrew Senger |
| Q: It seems to me that until recently (if at all), it was not possible to issue an intentional walk (or ... A: Charlie, Intentional walks are nothing more than four balls thrown to a batter, only the pitches ... | ||
| Umpire interference | 10/24/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: Is there such a thing as umpire interference? At one of my son's recent pony league games, a home ... A: Mickey, There is no such thing as umpire interference. They are considered part of the field of ... | ||
| Players | 10/20/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: I know that he is getting old but what are his chances for next season on becoming the new shortstop ... A: Andrew, Nice question. His odds of being the shortstop for the St. Louis are low. The Cardinals ... | ||
| switch hitting | 10/15/2011 | Steve Nicollerat |
| Q: Mr. Nicollerat, My son is a natural right hander does every thing right handed. He is 9. Last year ... A: Find a team that will allow him to hit from both sides. To find a kid that works this hard and wants ... | ||
| retreating back to first to avoid pickoff | 10/5/2011 | Steve Nicollerat |
| Q: 14U playing Dizzy Dean rules. While retreating back to first during a pick off attempt the runner ... A: I am not an expert on Dizzy Dean rules. However, when the ball is in fielder's glove and the player ... | ||
| Making the Team | 10/3/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: Hey Rick, It's Chris sorry. it wouldn't let me ask a follow up question so I just hit ask a new ... A: Get yourself a tennis ball, carry it with you everywhere you go, squeeze it. Alternate hands. Work ... | ||
| Making the team | 9/20/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: I train very hard 3 hours a day with my brother and go to 6 weeks of baseball camp in the summer! ... A: Christopher: Thank you for your question! I see you are from New York, is that New York City, or a ... | ||
| practice setup/program | 9/19/2011 | John McInnis |
| Q: Coach, I am coaching a younger group of 7-9 year olds with many younger players. I think I need to ... A: sounds like you already have a good notion of how to run your practices. At this age, the ... | ||
| Fair or foul | 9/16/2011 | Andrew Mullins |
| Q: In the game ending play of the Cubs game today 9/16/11 a ball was hit down the third base line. It ... A: I did not actually see the play in question, however, if a ball goes inside or OVER the base prior ... | ||
| Fix a hitch in a swing | 9/16/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: Rick, my 13 year old son doesn't keep his left shoulder in when swinging (he bats right handed). ... A: Brook: Thank you for your question. A common problem indeed! What your son is experiencing can be ... | ||
| fielding strategy | 8/23/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: I manage a pony league team. Generally, I understand fielding strategy in the sense that when I ... A: Chuck: Thank you for your question. I wouldn't say that there is concise guidance on situations, ... | ||
| Ground rule doubles | 8/20/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: In a couple of ballparks of my experience, balls hit to dead center filed which, had they been ... A: Ned, It is all about the rules that have been set for that particular ballpark. There are no ... | ||
| ESPN streak for the cash | 8/16/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: Is a ground rule double classified as an extra base hit? I lost my streak on SFTC because they ... A: Jeff, Clearly, a ground rule double is scored as a double and is an extra base hit. Not sure how ... | ||
| interference | 8/15/2011 | Andrew Mullins |
| Q: One out and a runner on third the batter pops up in foul ground. The runner looks up at the ball ... A: All foul balls are strikes, but not all strikes are foul balls!!!!! So that was correct. All ... | ||
| interferance | 8/12/2011 | Andrew Mullins |
| Q: One out and a runner on third the batter pops up in foul ground. The runner looks up at the ball ... A: ...The defense always has to be given the opportunity to make a play or catch a fly ball....If it's ... | ||
| sacrifice | 8/11/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: should the visting team in the top of the seventh inning, leading by two runs, no outs, man on ... A: Lou: Thank you for your question. While there is no set, right or wrong answer to this situation, ... | ||
| switch hitting | 8/10/2011 | Steve Nicollerat |
| Q: My son has recently started switch hitting at the age of 12. He is a natural righty. I actually have ... A: Keep him switch hitting. That is great. He might have better mechanics from the left side than ... | ||
| pitchers | 7/31/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: I am a Reds fan and have been my whole life. This season I have seen the Reds manager let the ... A: Jeff, I don't have the stats to back me up, but I suspect this is very unusual in modern baseball. ... | ||
| Interference | 7/28/2011 | Martin Hoover |
| Q: Okay so here's the situation. This is little league 9 year old baseball Bases are loaded 1 out. ... A: Heather, The first question we have to ask is whether the interference was intentional or not. If ... | ||
| Pitching Rules | 7/27/2011 | Andrew Mullins |
| Q: We play by High School Rules except we have a continuous batting order. Can a kid pitch the eighth ... A: ... In NFHS baseball rules any starting pitcher may return to the mound as many times as needed ... | ||
| base path | 7/25/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: man on first, attempting to steal second, throw from catcher is short, shortstop comes up and gets ... A: Tim: Thank you for your question. Once the runner started towards second base, he establishes his ... | ||
| Injury at plate during steal and batting out of order | 7/25/2011 | Andrew Mullins |
| Q: Two questions 1. The catcher took a hit to the knee and a runner was going to steal home and headed ... A: The runs do count & should not have come off the books. Once a batter has completed his bat & the ... | ||
| force play/double play | 7/19/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: It appears on a force play from first to second that the player catching the ball does not always ... A: Barbara, By rule, the fielder must touch the base while in possession of the ball. The umpires are ... | ||
| How would you rule? | 7/10/2011 | Martin Hoover |
| Q: Level of Play: Little League Majors (All-Star Tournament) The situation: Runners on first and second ... A: John, The umpires got the call correct. Seeing as the batter-runner needs to go somewhere (1st ... | ||
| 3rd baseman help? | 7/8/2011 | Willie Ansley Jr. |
| Q: I'm 16 and just started playing this year on a organized team. I've played before just not on a ... A: Sorry without seeing your swing or you giving me a little more info its hard to tell you what to do ... | ||
| Pitching limits | 7/6/2011 | Dennis Girardi |
| Q: I'm Hector, This upcoming year, I'll be the starting Varsity pitcher for Clute Brazoswood. Clute won ... A: Hey Hector, You are throwing way too much.. I would never recommend throwing more than 120 pitches ... | ||
| hit vs. error | 7/5/2011 | John McInnis |
| Q: A ground ball was hit to ss he field the ball cleanly. The ss had to hurry his throw due to a fast ... A: Scorekeeping rule 10(d) (1) An error shall be charged against any fielder whose wild throw permits a ... | ||
| Coach Pitch vs. Machine Pitch | 7/5/2011 | Steve Nicollerat |
| Q: My son has been playing coach pitch baseball for the last two years and just turned 8. I am ... A: Both are fine, depending on when you would use them. When the kids are real young, I like coach ... | ||
| baseball | 7/5/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: its eduar. i was askking you questiona before but it said i coudnt ask that many fallow ups... well ... A: Eduar: Good to hear you are starting. Smart ballplayer with good mechanics is a great foundation ... | ||
| Catchers Balk | 7/4/2011 | Andrew Mullins |
| Q: The following happened at a Juniors American Legion Baseball Game. Situation: Bottom of the 7th ... A: WOW....A huge congrats to that umpire!!!!!! He did it exactly correct. I made the same call in a ... | ||
| infield pop fly | 7/1/2011 | Martin Hoover |
| Q: There was a infield pop fly(little league) the pitcher was the closest and tried to catch the ... A: Nathan, If there are runners on first and second, or first, second and third with less than two ... | ||
| baseball | 6/30/2011 | Rick Bundy |
| Q: its eduar. i was askking you questiona before but it said i coudnt ask that many fallow ups... well ... A: Eduar: I would start with 200 per day, in 8 sets of 25. When those get easy, increase each set by ... | ||
| Slumps | 6/30/2011 | Willie Ansley Jr. |
| Q: I coach a 11U travel team. We have had many successes and failures over the last 2 years. With ... A: I would say more batting practice and practice hitting the ball to the opposite field. You may ha e ... | ||
| little league allstars | 6/28/2011 | Martin Hoover |
| Q: I would like to know, if my son is playing little league allstars is it still okay to play travel ... A: Norman, He can participate in both. HOWEVER, if the Board of Directors or the manager of the Little ... | ||
| Statistical Question | 6/26/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: In calculating ERA for a high school pitcher playing in seven-inning games I am assuming that earned ... A: Ken, I think pretty much everyone still uses nine innings. ERA using nine is so ingrained that I ... | ||
| Scoring Question | 6/26/2011 | Brian Flaspohler |
| Q: Runners at first and second and a single is hit to the left fielder who allows the ball to get by ... A: Ken, It depends on the scorer's judgement, but I think in most cases the runner at second would be ... | ||
Baseball Instruction
Answers by Expert:
Rick Bundy
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I can answer all questions relating to the fundamentals of baseball from t-ball to college, individual and team instruction, game strategy, drills, practice organizaton, coaching philosophies and, last, but not least, the mental game.
Experience
4 years little league
4 years high school baseball( 2 varsity)
2 years junior college baseball
1 summer, Central Illinois Collegiate League, Galesburg, Pioneers
2 years, four year college
Publications
I am the owner/builder of theoleballgame.com, a website for playing and coaching youth baseball.
Education/Credentials
Retired teacher 31 years (retired 4)
36 years high school baseball coaching/15 as a head coach/19 varsity asst, 2010 was the 36th.
I am in my 10th year as a coach for the Arizona Diamondbacks Training Centers, the official youth baseball and fast pitch softball camps of The Arizona Diamondbacks.
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