Choosing The Right Practice Batting Cage

Many parents, coaches, amateur adult players and pros wonder what the best dimensions are when they are looking to buy a practice batting cage. Most good batting cages are a minimum of 70 feet in length, 12 feet in height and 14 feet in width. This allows both left-handed and right-handed batters to use the cage in comfort without having to move the plate around. Players also don’t have to worry about injury on the back-swing or about damaging the net during practice.

When you want to choose the right size for mostly personal and family use, measure the distance between the plate and the mound for the different people who will be using it. You don’t have to make this a complicated process either. If you start to feel overwhelmed, just ask your customer care agent for recommendations. Pro mound to plate distances are often as small as six inches. For amateurs, you might want a bit more distance, like anywhere from 38 inches to 60 inches.

For baseball and softball batting cages, 70 feet is a good length. This will give you room at the pitcher’s end, where you can store equipment like ball carts, machines and … Read more at FryingPanSports

A memory of my Dad

Dad being awarded his Military Hall of Fame metal

My Dad being awarded his Military Hall of Fame metal.

As many of my regular listeners know, my Dad passed away on this date a couple of years ago.  One of my thousands of fond memories of him revolved around my birthday and the baseball All Star game.

 

Every year from the time I was 10 until I graduated high school at 17 Dad and I would go to a Cubs-Reds double header that was always around my birthday and just before the All Star break.  I was the only one in a Cubs cap.  The Reds were always better and beat the Cubs with ease.  In part that is what prepared me to be a Cleveland Sports fan.  Somehow I always cheer for the losers.

 

After the games we would go to a restaurant and have a good meal.  While we were always very close, this time together during a work day seemed to be special to me.

 

While this post may seem a bit self-serving, I ask your indulgence.  My point here is that we never know as parents what will sick in the minds of our children.  It is also that when a parent … Read more at FryingPanSports

4 Ways to Enhance Your Spring Training Baseball Experience

It’s that time of year again! It might still be snowing in some parts of the country, but residents in Arizona and Florida are pulling out their short sleeves and flip flops for another round of Spring Training baseball. The regular season won’t start until the end of March, but in the meantime, players and fans alike are warming up in the Cactus and Grapefruit Leagues.

If you’re planning a trip to either of these locations to take in a game or two, here’s some tips to maximize your experience:

Pick a team. Sure, it can be argued that a baseball game is largely about the experience and not so much about the slow-moving game in front of you. But even if that’s true, it’s more fun when you’re invested in one of the teams playing. If you’re stuck in Florida and your team is in Arizona, go ahead and pick a second favorite for the time being! Unless you’re feeling antagonistic, your best bet is to pick the team of the stadium you’ll be attending — wouldn’t want to cause any of the stalwart fans to get feisty!

Buy some gear. Whether you just picked a team to root … Read more at FryingPanSports

Bissell Pro-Cycling Team Taking on the Amgen Tour Again

Bissell Pro-Cycling Team Taking on the Amgen Tour AgainIt’s cycling season again in many countries and it’s the time of year where cyclists are training and gearing up for the Amgen Tour of California. The tour is set to include the fairly new Bissell pro-cycling team that was formed in 2008. This year the team are preparing to compete in the annual race.

Bissell Pro-Cycling Team

The entire team is currently based in Santa Rosa for training. It’s an extremely exciting event that annually takes place in the breathtaking Santa Rosa location, which also known for its perfect racing and training terrain. The Bissell team have entered this event every year since the crew formed and they’ve proved to be serious contenders on the cycling circuit. They won the best continental team of 2011 and scooped the NRC team standings. It seems that the Bissell team have a reputation as being a very ambitious team that often wins thanks to their aggressive tenacity.

Amgen Tour

The Bissell pro-cycling team will be challenging some serious terrain in the 2012 Amgen Tour. Tour designers have said that this year may prove to be the hardest thus far. There are seven stages that are guaranteed to take anyone’s breath away. Even … Read more at FryingPanSports

The Top 10 Iconic Sportsmen of the 20th Century

 

  1. Michael Schumacher (Motor Racing)

Forget the collisions and the controversies; it is without doubt that this seven time Formula One champion has to make it into the list. Considered one of or the best driver in History – the man who manage to turn round the formula one fortunes of Ferrari and the only driver to go an entire season with a podium finish at every race in the year 2002

  1. Michael Jordan (Basketball)

Basketball player turned Baseball turned Actor – Michael Jordan may have not been all that great at the latter occupations but he was one hell of a Basketball player. The 6ft 6” giant dominated the sport and led his team the Chicago bulls to three Championships. Didn’t do too well at the Baseball thing but we all admired him for his Talent and the fact that he was in Space Jam.

  1. Babe Ruth (Baseball)

Babe Ruth – the most famous Baseball player that has ever lived could in some people’s eyes be one of the most iconic sportsmen. With a career that spanned from 1914 – 1935 and hitting 60 home runs in a season a record that stood for 35 years, this American … Read more at FryingPanSports

MLB Games Tryouts

Where is the scout?

This is the question that many parents and young aspiring baseball players ask during spring season as they get ready to go to the ballpark with dreams of having multi-million dollar bonuses in their heads. What many of them fail to realize is that the interest of these scouts is not merely a game of waiting, not is it something to be ignored. The jocks who throw great pitching during their high school practices can just sit around in their basements and play video games and still the scouts may find them. As for a lot of people, you need to go after them and practice hard. This is where the trout for Major League Baseball will come in.

Tryout is a word that often proves to be misleading because it implies the fact that the scouts choose specific players that they want, sign them, and then put them into the system of the minor league. However, from the standpoint of MLB Games tryouts, these are just opportunities for them to check out the young players who will be joining the selection for the player drafts. Most organizations make use of tryouts in the hopes that … Read more at FryingPanSports