Every once in a while, when either motivation or guilt sets in, I take a deep breath and begin to dig through the surprisingly ample piles of fan mail that still makes its way to me. My favorite pieces of such mail, by the way, are the ones delivered by carrier pigeon. This always blows my mind. I mean, a pigeon ?!!? Delivering mail ! To me !!! Wild.
So, as I sit here amid the envelopes, I reason that this blog entry will serve as a Q and A, if you will, providing me a venue in which I can answer some pertinent inquiries. And, no, by pertinent here I do NOT refer to any of the random marriage proposals I receive, nor am I alluding to those mailings dealing with any extortion efforts. So, here goes:
Q: Big E, I am a high school pitcher, and I just have started to get recruiting letters from college coaches. I know certain college baseball programs look for certain types of pitchers. Which major leaguer do you think I should try to copy? --- Tyler, 16, Sugarland, TX
A: Tyler, congratulations on your recruitment. I know you must be excited that your hard work up until this point is beginning to pay off. That written, please do me a big favor, and do not make major and drastic changes to your pitching delivery in an attempt to merely emulate a big leaguer. Why? In short, everyone is different physically, and consequently, every pitcher’s delivery is solely his own. If you try to mimic Dontrelle Willis, for example, you are libel to break yourself in half. What would happen to your quest for a scholarship then, Tyler?
My point is this: you have done well enough at a young age to attract the attention of collegiate (and perhaps professional) baseball programs / teams. And, you have done this doing what comes naturally to you. So, your own athletic ability is working for you just fine right now. Rely mostly on it at this point. Even Greg Maddux has gone on record saying that when all else fails for him, when he is struggling in a game, he reminds himself to just rely on his natural pitching ability to carry him through.
I do, though, encourage you to watch successful big leaguers on TV. Watch how they keep their respective mechanics consistent with each delivery. You can indeed learn from this. But don’t be a true copy cat. Perhaps you can simply compromise by finding a pitcher whose delivery is very similar to yours, and study primarily on how he uses said delivery to get big league hitters out. Here, you can receive a wonderful lesson on pitch selection.
Q: My son is coming off knee surgery. Just had it about 6 months ago. His doctors told him the recovery time would be 9- 12 months. I think he is rehabbing too aggressively. I tell him to slow down, follow doctor’s orders, but he is obsessed with being healthy so he can get recruited. What should I do to get him to listen and calm down? --- Diane, Pikesville, MD
A: Diane, you are correct in your concern. Your son needs to follow the rehab protocol set forth by his doctor / surgeon…verbatim. As smart as your son may think he is, and as well as he may think he knows his own knee, guess what? That’s right, his doctor / surgeon knows a heckuva lot more. Tell your boy to think big picture. Ask him if a few extra months of rehab will do anything but help in the long run. Tell him, “this too shall pass.” Whatever. Just get him to follow protocol…period. Finally share this Big E experience with him:
After retiring from professional baseball, I threw myself back into martial arts, a practice I had devoted my adolescence and early adulthood to. After quickly reintroducing myself to it and attaining my second-degree black belt, I then injured myself a number of times attempting to attain my third-degree black belt. I always seemed to do well on the tests for this belt, up until I would try to split a concrete block with my forehead. This is a necessary task for said belt, and unfortunately, this is where I would have issues. The last two times I’ve tried this feat, I’ve knocked myself unconscious. Currently, my vision is still a bit fuzzy, and I sometimes see everything in threes. Right now, in fact, I am having to remind myself to just type on the middle keyboard. Anyway, had I listened to my neurologist upon first knocking myself unconscious, when he told me to rest for 4 months before attacking another cinder block, I would still have my short-term memory fully intact. So, anyway, had I listened to my neurologist upon first knocking myself unconscious, when he told me to rest for 4 months, I would still have my short-term memory fully intact. So, anyway, had I listened to my neurologist upon first knocking myself unconscious, when he told me to rest for 4 months, I would still have my short-term memory fully intact. So, anyway, had I listened to my neurologist upon first knocking myself unconscious, when he told me to rest for 4 months, I would still have my short-term memory fully intact.
Q: Hey, Big E, you ever spend time in prison? Will you come to my parole hearing? --- Jose “Tiny” Paredes, Correctional Facility of Northern Ohio, serving 4-7 years for failure to yield
A: Jose, thanks for the letter….again. I’ll add it to the pile of the others you’ve sent. As for whether I’ve been in prison, the answer is no…technically. When I was a minor leaguer, we were, however, forced to stay in a dormitory during each and every spring training. I remember my first nights in the dorm. After 10:00pm lockdown, I would often sit in my bunk bed and just listen to the sounds that would ultimately haunt me. In the room next to mine, a player would cry for his mother, while across the hall, a more seasoned player, one who had already spent many nights in the dorm over the years, would call him names and tell him how bad a bunter he was. A few doors down, a guy would play “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on his harmonica, and somewhere far off in Single-A block, I could often hear someone breaking in a new glove with a baseball. The pounding was rhythmic, but God, what a lonely sound. The thought of it still gives me chills. I once even attempted to escape the dorm by hacking through a bolted door with a Nutty Buddy (www.nuttybuddy.com), but was, alas, captured by the security guard / team mascot / cook.
And as for whether I will attend your upcoming parole hearing, my answer to you is a resounding No Way, Jose !!!
DISCLAIMER: While it is certifiable truth that Big E has ascended American Peak (13,727 feet) several times, it is complete myth that he has lost and / or eaten sherpas during said ascensions.