Yasiel Puig: Physical Perfection, Yet Batter – Imperfect!

Dodger rookie outfield sensation, Yasiel Puig, is Baseball’s newest physical “Phenom”. But will he be the next legitimate “Super-Star”? Not unless he gains an understanding of the Principle of Hitting that underlies maximum success in a professional ball-player’s quest to be a “Master-Batsman”. Puig possesses all the physical attributes that afford him the greatest accolades from scouts and fans alike. He’s big and strong! He has the highest rated throwing arm, and runs as fast as the fastest in the game. And plays defense as good as the best in professional baseball. He has a good swing, and to the untrained eye looks as if he could be one of the best hitters in baseball. What is it about his batting approach that prevents him from becoming one of the best hitters in baseball, even though he has the “potential” of being the best?

Of the three most illustrious young players in the Major Leagues who are predicted to be Baseball’s next “Super-Stars” (Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and Yasiel Puig), only Mike Trout’s batting consistency has proven itself  worthy of that superlative ranking, so far. Although all 3 embody the physical attributes that warrant the prophetic gesture of Stardom, it is hard to tell “at the moment” who will eventually hold the highest ranking. Trout seems to hold the edge in batting, with a more consistent application of proper mechanics. Both Puig and Harper have better throwing arms than Trout. And Puig and Trout are faster runners than Harper. They all have the statuesque bodies that indicate an innate desire to strive to be the best they can be. But the question to be considered more than any other is, who will best display the mental attitude to foster a determination to reach beyond the merely physical dimension of artistic talent and incorporate the metaphysically scientific dimension that establishes the complete ball-player’s batting prowess?

Most astute baseball observers recognize that “batting a baseball” proficiently can be esteemed as an artistic display of uncommon physical prowess. Those who demonstrate a high degree of talent in any of the various art forms could easily be described as “artists”. There is adequate evidence to indicate that many or most good artists (of which Baseball’s Bats-men are included) have a “natural” propensity toward the artisanship in which they are engaged. But their optimal level of proficiency is most often derived from the degree to which they accumulate enhanced understanding by means of scientific examination of all aspects of their chosen profession. Therefore, hitting a baseball most effectively would have to elicit from the batter’s technique a scientific component to complement his otherwise unfulfilled artistic yet phenomenal talent.

Yasiel Puig falls into that spectacular category of player designated as a “Phenom”. Within that Phenomena Dimension is the manifestation of what appears to be a natural propensity of a physical entity to perform to his/her highest degree of physical competency without the use of supplemental mental facilitation, and indicative of a most primitive, single dimensional, fastball-hitting mentality. “Power versus Power,” exhibits in a batter a need to gain a forward momentum in order to counteract the otherwise debilitating effect of a pitcher’s blazing fastball.  Adapting to “off-speed” pitches entails a dimension of thought that includes a scientific component. A batter, incapable of adapting to any such circumstance, becomes easy prey to the pitcher who can throw a curveball for a strike. Thus, the sudden or gradual decline in promise of the physical “phenom”!

The scientific approach that Ted Williams brought to “Hitting” certainly superseded the “no-brainer” application that the “natural-artisans” expressed through their mere adherence to sense testimony. Such scientific revelation should have continued to override the equally reprehensible technique endorsed by those pseudo-scientific proponents of the “downward swing”, which followed. Any batter whose notion of proper hitting technique includes the idea that a downward swinging bat can effectively strike a downward moving ball with the least margin of error does not understand the statistical improbability of such folly.

By knowing that a pitched ball is always traveling downward into the strike-zone, the intelligent batter will devise a technique that will ensure that the bat will strike the ball on a line as close to 180 degrees as is possible. To be 100% accurate with his guidance of the bat-to-ball is most improbable. But if the swinging bat is on the same parallel line as the in-coming ball, then the probability of solid contact will be strong, and the result most often will be a desirable ascending “line-drive.”

The “Ultimate Batting Principle” is based on the perfect application and integration of following components:

1. Balance and stability of the stance.

2. Security for undisturbed visual acuity.

3. Self-contained power source.

4. Balance and stability from start to finish of swing.

A low center of gravity can be established by spreading the feet to the length of one’s normal stride, and bending the knees as low as can accommodate comfort and quickness. This strong base affords the batter the fastest possible reaction time for a twisting body to respond to any variation of pitched balls. One of the most prominent features of a low stance is the obvious advantage the batter has with the establishment of a smaller strike zone.

With the low-wide stance, the batter is in an “ultra-stationary” position, from which to view the pitched ball with a minimum of distortion. As a tennis player, receiving serve, is bent over and down as low as he can, to see the speeding ball on as close to a parallel level to the eyes as possible, so the batter, in a low stance, views the pitched ball with most clarity.

With the body already in a stable and powerful position, from which to initiate the action of the swing, the only preliminary movement needed by the batter, as the pitcher is delivering the ball, is to brace himself (or “gather”). From there he awaits the arrival of the ball into the striking “zone.” The gathering simply implies that the body is twisting or coiling slightly in the direction toward the catcher, bringing the hands to a position just beyond the back shoulder, making ready to spring forward as the ball comes to the plate. The “coiling” is initiated by the front knee turning inwardly off a pivoting big toe whose foot is point at a 45 degree angle to the pitcher. While the back foot is anchored flat, the weight of the body is centered from the upper abdomen to the ground directly between both knees. The hips and shoulders follow the backward rotation of the twisting torso (the body never leaning backward with any concentration of weight on the back leg-the “buttocks” looks to be sitting on a high stool). The entire action of the backward twisting and subsequent forward explosion (without  a stride) in the opposite direction, as the swing takes place (after the front foot plants firmly into the ground), occurs while the head remains stationary and the eyes still, focusing on the ball.

The first metaphysical component to the perfect swing of a baseball bat is the ability to inhibit one’s personal proclivity to attack the oncoming pitched ball with direct linear force. The psychological tendency to meet an attacker head-on, with equal force, in order to counteract an over-powering momentum, most often imposes an obliteration effect that can prove unproductive in either direction.

The batter, when encountering the power of a 90 to 100 mph fastball, does not want to be intimidated by what could be an overwhelming force of speed. So he seems magnetically drawn in the direction from which the ball is coming, to offset somewhat the intent of the oncoming projectile. Figuratively, attacking the ball is attacking the opponent (pitcher) who threw it. The linear movement in the direction from which the ball is coming can give only an illusory sense of contrived confidence and facilitation to deploy a resourceful counterattack. Since the first incidence of an actual counterattack cannot proceed until the front foot plants itself to the ground, the airborne foot only creates a factor of vulnerability to the batter whose visual acuity is already substantially distorted by any movement of the head and eyes that automatically occurs as the body lunges forward.

Great athletes seem to have the ability to make certain physical adaptations that allow them to counteract visual distortions, some of the time, to maintain a respectable productivity. But, if all hitters would recognize that they are not sacrificing power with eliminating the “stride” and keeping the head still, their current batting performances would improve. The “ultimate-hitting” Principle can now assert a more pronounced effectiveness against the statistical dominance of the “Premier Pitcher Principle”– (which is merely an illusion). The missing link in applying the hitting principle has always been the inconsistent visual acuity of the batter in accurately detecting the speed of the fast-ball, as well as the direction and varying speeds of “breaking” and other off-speed pitches. All this, of course, was due to excessive movement of the head, the primary culprits being the tall stance, high bat, and batter’s stride. Although the pitcher’s arsenal of distracting and illusory forces will still wreak their havoc on unsuspecting “head-gliders,” a new era of batting prominence will set the standard for hitting elegance.

Puig’s primary margins for error are his high stance, his stride, and the side-ways position of his front foot. If he croutched down, with feet spread to the length of his normal stride, and pointed his front foot at a 45 degree angle to the pitcher, and took no stride, then he would be able to have maximum balance (at the beginning and end of swing), see the ball most clearly, and wait longer before exploding onto the pitched ball.

Thus the process is simple and the results are sure if the Science is understood.

Good Morning Sports Fans:

As promised, the following is an essay describing the sudden tribulations of one of Baseball’s best Hitters, and the promising resolution to his new-found flaws.

Josh Hamilton – A Favorite Player, But!

Josh Hamilton is one of my favorite players, not only because of his tremendous physical skill-set and ultimate potential as a Hall-of-Fame candidate, but because of his life changing story that brought him back from the depths of moral degradation to become an exemplary figure and spokesperson for Mans’ incredible capacity for self-improvement and regeneration. A movie about his life-story has Hollywood on hold for the time-being because, for some inexplicable reason, his talent as a baseball player (more specifically, as a proficient Batsman) has suddenly diminished to the point that he has quickly become one of Big League Pitching’s easiest outs.

In the middle of the 2012 season, there was hardly a ballplayer in the American League who didn’t consider Josh Hamilton as “a god”, as he would address the field of defenders in his batting stance, exuding an irrepressible attitude of confidence and a nearly impeccable capacity to deliver on his purposeful intent. But by the end of that season the high hopes of repeating the acclaim given him the previous year as the Most Valuable Player had receded to a point that even his own Texas Rangers had hesitated in resigning him for the Big Bucks his potential seemed to warrant in the upcoming “free-agent” bidding.

We all know what happened next! Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno quickly took advantage of a questionable opportunity and signed Josh to a 125 million dollar (5 year) contract. Arte, no doubt, anticipated Hamilton’s resurgence  as one of the League’s premier hitters. And so the previous season’s acquisition of “premier” slugger Albert Pujols, along with Hamilton, presented their American League foes with a highly formidable adversary in the new, better, and financially endowed Angel Organization. However, the “brain-trust” of organizational standards of mechanical efficiency failed to take stock in the “corruption” that subtly had been taking place within the physical and mental framework of its newly acquired “super-stars”. Pujols’ first season with the “Halos” was unspectacular at best. And as this potentially “dynamic-duo” was failing to fulfill the 2013 hopes of both the fans and the Angel organization, all pundits of baseball expertise expounded on the travesty and waste of 1/3 Billion dollars.

With the deplorable showing of both Pujols and Hamilton, the Angels didn’t stand a chance in League play, even with the sound managerial effort of Mike Scioscia, and the remarkable talent of a crew of young super-stars in the making. Did Mr. Moreno make a gigantic mistake in signing these former super-stars, especially for such a sizable amount of “cash”? To the common skeptic the answer would be a resounding yes, because there is no tangible evidence to show that these former “masters-of-the-Bat” will ever regain their former illustrious status in the renowned hierarchy of Major-League hitters. Detractors will point to Pujols’ age, and predict the rapid deterioration of his body and new susceptibility to injury (which has already projected its debilitating face). While Hamilton seems to be in perfect health and the apparent embodiment of a statuesque god, the query becomes even more startling, since he still possesses race-horse speed and a cannon-arm as he garnishes high accolades for his defensive prowess.

When an Organization dishes out $375,000,000.00 for two players, those 2 individuals are expected to be Offensive Weaponry that produces positive results at least 30 percent of the time, and in situations where runs are produced consistently. To perform in that manner both have to attain a mechanical efficiency with the least margin for error possible when facing pitchers of high to moderate levels of proficiency. With their little margins of error, these batters should be capable of hitting the pitcher’s best pitch, and not merely wait to hit a pitcher’s mistake. In their ‘Prime” proficiency times, both Pujols and Hamilton projected both power and precision due to their mechanical advantage over pitchers of high to moderate levels of proficiency. But as happens in seemingly unexplainable “slumps” batters lose track of the very Principle that established the confidence that produced their own high proficiency ratings.

The remainder of this article will focus on the problem of Josh Hamilton’s batting inefficiency and the good possibility for its solution and his resurgence into the ranks of Baseball’s elite sluggers. (Albert Pujols’ mending process will be discussed at a later time.)

Please go to “What’s Wrong with His Swing” to detail the problems of Josh’s swing and resolution thereof.

When classifying the “Greatest Home-Runs” in Baseball history, the closest that Kirk Gibson’s 1988 World Series “Bomb” ranks to the top of the analysts’ charts, even by MLB Productions, is 2^nd or 3^rd, behind Bill Mazeroski’s 1960 “Walk-off”, and/or Bobby Thompson’s 1951 “Shot Heard Round the World,” that gave the Giants the pennant.

Of course the main criteria for evaluating these enduring historical footnotes are still the reminiscence of “that” notorious City-Team rivalry and a purely “Under-Dog” sentimentality (Giants’ 15 games deficit before tying the Dodgers, then winning the pennant; and Pirates’ monstrous negative run differential with the overwhelmingly favorite Yankees).

Now, if that criterion cannot be upgraded eventually by Time and Logistics, then a new category must be conceived in order to pay proper respect for what Kirk Gibson did in 1988 when single-handedly, but surreptitiously, leading the Dodgers to the World Series Title. (Space in this category would also have to be reserved for NFL Football’s 1972 “Immaculate- Reception”, which would probably rank 2^nd as the “penultimate” contributor to those “Amazing” performances.)

In order to hit a single home run, so many aspects of a batter’s swing must be aligned to satisfy the anatomical, physiological, and psychological constituencies composing each player, as afforded haphazardly by the “gods of Baseball”. Most athletes, professional and amateur alike, who have legitimately tasted both the “thrill and agony” of most majors sports activities will usually attest to the validity of Ted Williams’ famous yet arguable statement that, “hitting a baseball is the single-most difficult skill to master in all of Sports”.

In an essay I wrote entitled, “Einstein and the Home-Run Principle,” Einstein supersedes the Williams’ statement when he parenthetically observes, “Hitting a Home-run is the most difficult thing to do in all of Sports.” To hit a home run, a batter has to be almost perfect in his application of the “the laws of physics” with regard to the mechanics of swinging a baseball bat with precision and power. To be a consistent home-run hitter the batter must also have an understanding of all the elements that are included in the dynamics of hitting a baseball effectively. Theoretically, it is possible to hit a home run every time a batter swings at a baseball. However, Einstein and others have found through Quantum Mechanics, when trying to establish the essence of matter, that “at the fundamental levels, causation is a matter of statistical probabilities, not certainties.”Therefore, with all the elements and combinations of variables with which a batter has to deal, from within and from without himself, the “uncertainty principle” gives compelling testimony that mastering the “rubik’s cube” of hitting a home-run every time is highly improbable. However, the knowledge itself, of such feasibility, enhances the statistical probability of success.

Not even Albert Einstein and all the renowned physicists of his time, and “saber-metricians” of this modern-era, could have approximated the statistical improbability of what Gibson did on October 15, 1988. The resounding joy that New Yorkers experienced in 1951 and preserved for decades was not altogether incalculable, since Bobby Thompson had not more than 3 days earlier lit up Ralph Branca with a Home Run that presented as an ominous note a precursor of what was to come. And Bill Mazeroski’s feat that ended the 1960 World Series, although dramatic, cannot have been totally unexpected. Pinch hitter, Hal Smith, had earlier hit a 3-run homer to stake the Pirates to a 2-run lead until the Yankees tied the game in the top of the ninth, thus extending the heart-pounding “see-saw” battle. “Maz” was 1 for 3 as he led off the bottom of the ninth. Yankee pitcher, Ralph Terry, made the huge mistake of getting the pitch up to the short but powerfully built Pirate second base-man, who took advantage and slugged the ball over the brick wall 408 feet from Home Plate. It was truly a magnificent and endearing moment for the Pittsburgh community and all Baseball fans outside of the Bronx – worthy indeed of memorial status.

All that being said, encomiums to those two distinct episodes in Baseball lore should pale in comparison to the near “mythical” grandeur that highlighted the glorified instant of Gibson’s exalted “blast”, as well as propagated the ecstatic drama that preceded his culminating heroics. Kirk’s advent into professional baseball is as mysterious as that of the legendary “Roy Hobbs”, without the tragic prelude. Upon completing a successful College football career, it was suggested that he not waste his athletic talent in the “off-season” and play “a little” baseball for his Spartan baseball team at Michigan State University. In that first and only year of College baseball, he played so well (.390 B.A., 16 HRs. 52 RBIs. in 48 games) as to warrant being picked in the first round of the 1978 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He was with the Tigers for 9 years, and was a key figure in attaining a World Series title in 1984. After being determined as one of the ballplayers being “black-balled” by MLB Franchises in the notorious “Collusion Scandal” of 1987, he left the A.L. Tigers and in January  joined the Hapless Dodgers of the National League, whose dismal ‘87 season needed something of a “Hobbsian” spark to generate new life into a ball-club in disarray.

At Spring Training a few opportunities presented themselves early in Camp to set the stage for an immediate change of direction in Team attitude and focus that would eventually lead the march to a much improved status and uncontested standing in the National League West to win the Division by 7 games.  Frivolity and practical jokes took a back seat to Kirk’s ultra-professional and business-like mentality, and the team flourished from beginning ‘till the season ended. His season ending stats earned him National League MVP honors while helping the Dodgers win 21 more games than the season before. But it was his uncommon “personal-leadership” and otherwise intangible, undaunted presence that invoked the “mythical hero” image his teammates and adversaries had learned to admire and would attempt to emulate. In the NLCS, although injured, Kirk still performed heroically in clutch situations, and his timely home runs in the 4^th and 5^th games clinched the National League Pennant, and advanced the Dodgers into an improbable World Series entitlement.

Kirk purportedly had done all he could to get the Dodgers to that World Series, but “they” were presumably going to have to get to the “Promised Land” without him, for the injuries he incurred along the way were too severe for any “mortal” to overcome and give a last ditch effort. All the world would have accredited the Dodgers with a valiant effort for just making it to the “Final” Series because everyone knew that even with Gibson, there was slim if any chance for them to beat the powerful  Oakland Athletics, whose superior arsenal of player personnel had amassed an incredible record of 104 wins to 58 losses. And even with Kirk’s Premier status with the “baseball gods,” the “Arrogant- As” knew that “one player does not a team make”.

With Gibson being an “absolute” scratch from the line-up (he wasn’t even at the pre-game introductions ceremony), the first game of the Series began unexpectedly with a first inning 2-run homer by Dodger, Mickey Hatcher. The “As” came back with 4 runs in the top of the 2^nd,  and held a 2 run lead until the Dodgers scored again in the 6^th. The game remained at 4 to 3, Oakland leading in the bottom of the 9^th.

Throughout the game, there were brief TV glimpses of Kirk Gibson hobbling around in the dug-out as he was traversing the distance from the training room and back, trying to massage and loosen his painful joints and hamstrings. Ever-optimistic, Tommy Lasorda seemed to be coaxing his beleaguered star, to see if any type of “miracle” was in the offing. Vince Scully repeatedly commented that there was “absolutely” no chance of Gibson making an official appearance. With T.V. and radio broadcasts coming into the locker room, Gibson heard one of Scully’s commentaries as if providence were beckoning for him to consider an alternative thought. In sudden contemplation of all that was transpiring before him, Kirk realized an inexplicable surge of unwarranted confidence streaming through his consciousness. As in a biblical reference to Jacob wrestling with the “man” inside, Kirk’s vision of Princely accommodation could not be suppressed. The decision was made; his mind was determined; “the die was cast”; but only the portentous action itself was forestalled. “Will I look like and be a fool? What in hell could I possibly do? I can’t even walk! What or Who do I think I am?” would have been the common queries instigated by mortal fear that must be wrested away from that mind intent on fulfilling a noble purpose.

After Dodger pitching blanked the Athletics in the top of the ninth, the otherwise stalwart performance of Oakland Pitcher, Dave Steward, ended when statistically prudent “As” manager, Tony LaRussa replaced his Starter with the League’s Premier “closer”, Dennis Eckersley. It looked like a sure win for Oakland, since “Eck” was destined to face the bottom of the Dodger line-up (though somewhat of an ominous sign, in hind-sight). Eckersley got the first two outs in rapid succession, and was about to face a formidable, former teammate who was set to pinch-hit for the 8^th batter in the line-up.

Meanwhile, in the Dodger dug-out, Lasorda learned that Gibson had begun a personalized mental and physical rehabilitation process, which immediately spurred Tommy’s ever-percolating mind to envision a preemptive scenario of his own. After appointing Mike Davis to pinch hit for Alfredo Griffin, he surreptitiously placed Dave Anderson in the on-deck circle, to make Eckersley and LaRussa think that they could afford to be a little cautious with Davis (a potential threat) and contemplate the “end” by pitching to the very weak-hitting Anderson.

All potentially constructive Dodger strategy lay in the proposition that Gibson regain a semblance of his former self. Yet, even if he could overcome the acute pain and obvious debility, what could he hope to achieve in this debilitative condition?  Bob Costas would later remark that while he was in the stairwell of the Dodger dug-out, he could hear the groaning, anguishing strokes of a batter  desperately trying to ready himself for one last at-bat, even “one last-swing”, while teammate Orel Hershiser was feeding baseballs onto the tee for Gibson’s convenience. Although most of his teammates must have sensed the futility of Kirk’s somewhat contrived heroism, they probably also could not have expected anything less from “the man” who had proven himself so many times before. They all must have thought the “good-prospect” all but possible, however their past experience would at least warrant a “statistically” derived- at chance of success. “YOU’VE GOT TO BELIEVE” would have been the genuine inspirational sentiment pouring into the ears of the players from the mouth and heart of Tommy Lasorda and the Great Dodger in the Sky.

Kirk is now sitting at the end of the dugout bench, fully dressed, and armed with helmet and “hickory”, speculating the purview the situation has presented. “I have inspiration and commitment to do something, but what, and how far can my own determination carry me? Will Davis get on base to set up my ‘grand entrance’, and what emotion will the fans exude? And will it give me that final burst of adrenaline to be propelled to heights previously unknown?”

Gibson was afforded no additional time to mentally peruse the circumstances of the present situation, for Eckersley just walked Mike Davis. Taking a deep yet unstrained breath, Kirk’s electrifying and confident image popped onto the top step, then out of the dugout to the thunderous roar of the now ecstatic and frenzied crowd.

“That’s what I wanted to hear”, thought Gibson, as he must have restrained the urge to shed at least a tributary tear of ineffable joy he and his patrons could feel in this present moment of triumphal hope.  Lasorda’s unending chants of “new promise” inspired his Team and the Dodger Faithful to loftier heights of exaltation, as Kirk finished his preliminary swings. His slow, deliberate, but majestic walk to the plate must have been a nerve-wrenching ordeal for the Oakland pitcher, even though he exuded a confidence rather than impatience to get the game over.

One could only speculate as to what order of thoughts must have been aligning themselves in Gibson’s mind as his footsteps proceeded into that rarefied cubicle of variable distinction. Before assuming his characteristically “Spartan” batting-stance, his back cleat scratched the hardened dirt for a foothold to secure a base from which his afflicted body might launch its purposeful attack. He was finally ready, and none too soon for the exasperated Eckersley, who let his arm commence with the business at hand, firing a blazing, side-arm, tailing fastball, for which Gibson must have felt a tad unprepared. All observers couldn’t help but notice the constrained, oblique wrenching, late response Gibson’s off-balanced body and bat conveyed as it almost completely missed the ball. The second pitch gave the same explicit message, and the fans as well as Eckersley himself must have sensed that “the Gibber” was no match for the “Eck”. Kirk was behind 0 and 2 in what seemed like a “heart-beat”, and Dennis was determined to finish him off on the next pitch.

Eckersley’s disdain for Gibson’s futile attempts was obvious as he was about to throw another fast ball, same speed, to the same spot (away). The fact that Kirk looked bad, but progressively better on each swing did not escape Eckersley discerning eye. Gibson knew that his body needed only a short quick turn, but even that was too slow to get his arms activated. On that third fast-ball, Kirk was prepared to shorten the turn and throw his arms and hands more quickly. The result was a swing with little power, as his arms and hands were too far out in front and his wrists rolled over way too soon. He was grateful that he even made contact for an otherwise worthless dribbler that forced him to run toward first before the ball fortuitously struck the edge of the infield grass and abruptly darted foul, thus extending his at-bat. (That had to hurt!)

After his first pitch to Gibson, it became obvious to Eckersley, as well as the “brain-trusts” in both dugouts, that Kirk was not the optimum threat for which everyone fancifully hoped or cautiously suspected. But he was quickly portending to be a formidable adversary, even in his seemingly “powerless” condition. “Eck” recognized that with all the pitches Gibson was subtly calculating, making superficial contact with every one, it might only be a matter of time before he can put one in play, perhaps to the detriment of Oakland. Therefore, he can’t let Davis steal second base. Before his second and third pitches he made 3 throws to keep Davis close. With 2 strikes on Gibson, the Dodgers might be desperate. His 4^th pitch was a ball outside, going a little farther to see if Kirk would bite beyond the fringe. He didn’t. Since “Eck” didn’t throw over before the 4^th pitch, Davis attempted a steal on the 5^th. Gibson had his best swing yet, but fouled it back. Eckersley didn’t think Davis would steal on consecutive pitches, and he was correct, but threw “Ball 2” in the process.  Before his 7^th pitch, he threw to first base again. But on the pitch to Gibson, the ball was further outside, and Davis successfully stole second base, much to the consternation of LaRussa, Eckersley, and the “As” dugout as the count rose to 3 and 2.

The situation had not developed the way Eckersley intended. Gibson’s impotent yet “frisky” at-bat posed a conundrum whose immediate solution never materialized. So there was only one direction in which to go! As Dennis Eckersley was truly an adroit “student of the game”, he, like the many who had come before him, usually observed Masterful Warren Spawn’s advice when administering to their trade: “It is the batter’s duty to have good timing and rhythm to perform effectively, while it is the pitcher’s duty to off-set that rhythm and timing with variable speeds and placement of pitches.”

As for Gibson the batter, he had neither rhythm nor timing when he came to the plate. But through the course of his gauntlet-like “trial-by-pitch” he had developed both to a rather insignificant level. Now, it was thought by “Eck”, to end this dilemma. He knew what he had to do. He’d done it before, with great success. And he will do it, NOW! The Game wasn’t necessarily on the line, if his strategy failed. Gibson would walk, and the Dodgers would still have a runner in scoring position, presenting merely a secondary condition that would quickly be dismissed. But “Eck” was confident, he could not fail. “This is absolutely the ‘last hand’.”

All the “Cards” being dealt, Eckersley landed (in Poker parlance) a 4^th Ace, while Kirk had a pair of Jacks and the 7, 8, 9 of Clubs. Kirk could have kept the pair and thrown the other 3 away, but instead threw the Jack of Hearts. The statistical probability for Eckersley’s success was astronomical! Kirk Gibson seemed to have been abandoned by the “gods” and his mythological legend was about to become irreparable.  The most he could hope for was simply a mimesis of that “Luis Gonzalez” swing, and flare a base hit that might tie the game. But in Eckersley’s mind, a game-ending out is all Gibson’s “gunna” get!

There’s the tying run on second base. Eckersley is in his “stretch”. The count is 3 and 2. “Eck” is about to deliver the most potent pitch in his repertoire. The Dodger dugout is ecstatic. Now, with the fleet-footed Davis in scoring position, a base-hit would tie the game, and that is all and the best they could expect from their forlorn hero. But Eckersley had other plans! And, what was Gibson himself thinking?

Just before Eckersley was to deliver his “secret” pitch, Kirk abruptly stepped out of the batter’s box, as if to regain his composure in this momentous circumstance. But, in that instant, a higher source seemed to beckon him to recall an otherwise innocuous fact that Kirk had read on a report prepared by an astute and meticulous “scout” before the playoffs began. After pondering the present situation, all statistical possibilities seemed to be aligned in a favorable position. And the curtain was about to fall with a dramatic conclusion, on one of these conquering heroes, each with his own weapon of invincibility in hand (Reminiscent of the final poker-hand in the movie, “The Cincinnati Kid”). But which will project the image of “The Man”?

Kirk looked toward the mound, then stepped into the “Box”, knowing he had all the information he needed (his final card was dealt). But is his faith in his belief strong enough; and will his mind’s commitment to act unflinchingly, in spite of his apparent bodily condition, enable his warrior-heart? 55,000 spectators are about to find out as well.

Neither antagonist is smiling but each exudes an indefinable confidence, even while knowing well that “one will die today”. Eckersley takes his stretch and prepares his “Load” for delivery. Gibson makes a final but ominous mental query designating his unquestioning tact as “the die is cast” once more, “Sure as I’m standing here, partner,  you’re going to throw me that “back-door” slider, aren’t you?”

As the pitch leaves his hand, Eckersley recognizes the ball’s trajectory to be perfect, right where he wanted it. With all the pitches he had thrown, he knew Gibson would see the ball moving directly toward the outside. He also thought Gibson’s quick sense would assume that since his side-armed fast ball “tails”, the pitch’s destination would obviously move farther outside for a ball. He was expecting Kirk to momentarily relax, and not have enough time to respond to the pitch’s abrupt deviation of speed and direction, until it was too late – The “Aces” were “face-up”!

“Sure enough”, realized Kirk, upon first glance! His “absolute faith”, and patience allow him to wait. He’s not yet lifted his front foot as he did previously while expecting Eckersley’s fast ball. An extra nanosecond of Time is in his favor. “Now, all I have to do is get my timing right, to be able to explode at the precise moment!” In his extremely “closed-stance”, as he discerned the ball’s outside trajectory, he waited until he could detect its subtle and abrupt turn toward him. Then his front foot exaggerated its deliberate stride toward third base, as his body was “gathering” its forces to uncoil as his foot would plant into the ground.

Eckersley couldn’t help but notice that Gibson’s physical demeanor was uncommonly composed as he unobtrusively glided in the direction from which the ball was finally descending (as if he knew what was coming). “Eck” saw Kirk’s foot plant, his body uncoil, his arms extend, and in a final explosive lunge of shoulders, hands and wrists observed the bat contact the ball with an uncanny perfect synergy that launched the round projectile with improbable force in the opposite direction from which it came.

With all spectators and both dugouts watching in apparent disbelief, the ball kept rising and carrying farther and farther in its ellipticity until it finally disappeared over the right-field wall, as Kirk’s final card resoundingly struck the table as a 10 of Clubs – and a “Straight Flush”. Throughout the day not a hint of joy was expressive of the face of Kirk Gibson, only a stoic facade hiding pain, disappointment, resentment, and disdain for his helpless and impotent condition. As the follow-through of his celestial swing of bat was complete, and he cautiously embarked on an unrehearsed, and as yet undefined, trek, an observer could detect a gradual change in facial disposition. The remorseful look of indifference was suddenly transforming into a heavily distinguishable canvas of ecstatic jubilation. And in a moment of triumphant glory he pumped his bent right arm in successive punches along the side of his beleaguered body after the subjugated leather-bound projectile did indeed traverse the height of the outfield fence for an uncontested, historic “masterstroke” (Tour De Force) of amazing ramifications, the conclusion of which would be directly revealed.

The instant of evidentiary proof of Gibson’s success immediately transformed the hopeful yet solemnly-cautious dispositions of Dodger fans and Teammates (who hadn’t really believed in “Santa Clause”) into genuinely faith-filled followers who, at that “holy instant,” probably could have moved a mountain or two. The dug-out Dodgers were streaming out onto the field, arms flaying and voices shouting “Hallelujah” (from the roof-tops) to their “resurrected “messiah” as he buoyantly circumnavigated the bases in all but reconstructed, glorified form.

His amazing feat did provide a Home Run of incomparable distinction. And it did win that First Game of the “Series”, in abrupt and miraculous fashion. But the intangible essence of that single act of unfathomable “Heroism” also unlocked a momentarily imprisoned spirit of Team unity that suddenly “empowered” the Dodgers to claim the 1988 World Series Title, even without Kirk playing another moment of any of the remaining 4 games. Kirk Gibson’s Home Run was truly the “single-most amazing performance piece in Sports history.”

Postscript:

As unlikely as Kirk Gibson’s conquest was, at that momentous October event, what more climactic expression of exaltation could be spontaneously delivered than that spoken by Baseball’s “immortal bard”, Vin Scully, when he exclaimed, as Kirk was rounding the bases, “In a year that has been so ‘improbable’, the ‘Impossible’ has occurred.” Truer words were never spoken. No one in the world could have expected Gibson’s humble yet triumphal salute, “I came; I saw; I conquered!” And for the last 25 years, legions of followers have echoed the words of another prominent and renowned sportscaster (Joe Buck) as he commented repeatedly, in breathless exuberance, “I DON’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW! I DON’T BELIEVE… WHAT I JUST SAW”! Nothing in Sports History can equate to Kirk Gibson’s “improbable” and “impossible” act of courage and accomplishment. The only historical event that would have shared in equipollence would have been “The Battle of Thermopylae”, if the Spartan warriors had defeated the Persians.

Good Morning Sports Fans,

If you weren’t around 25 years ago in Los Angeles, and didn’t see or hear about the “Single-most Amazing Performance Piece in Sports History”, tune into my Home Page tomorrow morning and read about Kirk Gibson’s Historic Home Run in the 1988 World Series. If you’ve only heard about it, and were somewhat captivated by what a few described inaccurately as a “modest” blend of dramatic and heroic achievement, then join those who will be privy to a detailed account of what I’m sure you will all agree is the “Single-most Amazing Performance Piece in Sports HIstory.   

If a baseball player wants to be the best batter that he can possibly be, what can he realistically expect from his absolute, best efforts? The best possible batting average is 1.000. Is it realistic for anyone to think he can sustain a 1.000 batting average over the course of a season, or a career? “Only in one’s dreams,” might be an appropriate reaction to such an improbable quest! Or, maybe a player had participated in a single game (perhaps the last game of a season) and by some good fortune was able to go 1 for 1, 2 for 2, or 3 for 3, etc., and then by some other less fortuitous circumstance had his baseball career terminated inexplicably. But that set of circumstances would not qualify even the most illustrious of natural prospects to embody the emblem of “Perfection.”

Since hitting a baseball effectively is indeed the most difficult task in all sporting activities, it is most unlikely (more like “impossible”) that any human being would be so proficient as to make flawless contact with his bat to the ball every time he took a swing. If it is possible for an extraordinarily proficient basketball “free-throw” shooter to shoot a thousand “free-throws” in a row, why is it not possible for a batter to go through a whole season (500 or 600 at-bats) without making an “Out”?

It is even unlikely (with the “law of averages” governing human events) that any batter could play an entire season without getting a hit; but it is at least 3 ½ times easier to accomplish that ignominious feat than to go without an out. If a batter deliberately tried to miss the ball, he could easily attain a 1.000-proficiency rating. Why? Because there would be less margin for error to be eliminated in accomplishing that feat!

A baseball has a 9-inch circumference. A batter would have no difficulty deliberately swinging his bat into an area that would surely avoid striking any 2.86 inch diameter of the pitched ball. His margin for error would be miniscule, taking into consideration all the places he could swing the bat to avoid the ball (in or out of the strike zone). The batter would have only one factor to consider — swing as far away from the ball as possible. He would need no pre-eminent sense of flawless technique or principle to accomplish his goal of “not hitting the ball.” He could establish no recommended stability of stance or acute visual capacity. (However, he might take some minor precaution for preventing his body from being struck by an errant pitch.)

Ted Williams said it best for all of us who have ever played the game of Baseball, as well as participated in other forms of athletics, “hitting a baseball is the single-most difficult thing to do in all of sports.” No other individual sport-skill encompasses the variety of challenging variables that a batter has to “put in order” to be a proficient “hitter.” Physical strength, flexibility, quickness, and timing, as well as the mental attributes of courage, confidence, determination, fortitude, are characteristically ascribed to even the least skilled professional who “stands-in” against a 95 mph fastball, or 85+ slider. When you add in all the off-speed multiples, you wonder why the Defense Department doesn’t make “Batting 999” a pre-requisite for the highest combat-training courses.

In all walks of Life, from a professional baseball player to a rock musician, a respectable accomplishment cannot be ultimately gained until after the process of trial and error has been satisfactorily consummated by means of a finished high-quality product. Until that has happened, one can assume that, in all of these life-challenges, the margins of error that seem so naturally retardant to proper development have not been reduced sufficiently to produce a genuinely finished product.

The principle of Batting is the scientific application of body-mechanics, based on the understanding of factors that influence the effect of the ball that comes from the throw of the pitcher. The batter, in the batter’s box, is standing a little more than 60 feet from the pitcher, on a plane almost 1 foot below the level of the “pitching-rubber.”

An intelligent person must realize that any ball thrown from a height range of 5 to 7 feet would have to follow a descending line or arc, in order to enter the batter’s strike zone. Therefore, any batter whose notion of proper hitting technique includes the idea that a downward swinging bat can effectively strike a downward moving ball with the least margin of error does not understand the statistical improbability of such folly. Such is the trademark of the .250 or under hitter.

Since “hitting a baseball is the single-most difficult thing to do in all of Sports,” as proclaimed by Mister Ted Williams, a most credible artisan of professional bats-man-ship, (and a fact fully attested to by countless other athletes, whose superiority in their own realms of athletic endeavor validate this otherwise presumptuous claim), it stands to reason that optimal batting proficiency should be afforded to no less than a dedicated student of the “art”. Art is the visible nature of things, the outward expression whose essence is comprehended by thought, not sense.

.  The “Art” of hitting a baseball should be more than a physical exercise, by a well-conditioned athlete, to demonstrate quick reflexes in a random response to the various stimuli presented by a pitcher and a speeding round projectile. Rather, it is a calculated artistic display of functional expediency, by a dedicated aspirant to highest achievement, which incorporates the physical, mental, and spiritual components of human endeavor into a masterful exhibition of batting excellence.

The conscious coordinated effort of mind and body to provide maximum power and efficiency to propel the 5 ounce, 9 inch “spheroid” in a straight line in the general direction from which it was delivered (within a hitting range of 90 degrees) could verify a scientific component to masterful batting. Science is the invisible structure underlying the nature of things, whose harmony is determined by the precision of its Principle.

Batting proficiency could be defined further in the context of describing the ideal hitter —“he is one whose bat most consistently contacts the ball in a manner that facilitates a straight and ascending “line-drive” (To hit the ball in any other manner would be to miss-hit it, and therefore denigrate any artistic and scientific confluence).

There is adequate evidence to indicate that many or most good artists (of which athletes are included) have a “natural” propensity toward the artisanship in which they are engaged. But their optimal level of proficiency is most often derived from the degree to which they accumulate enhanced understanding by means of scientific examination of all aspects of their chosen profession. (Both Leonardo Da Vinci and Michaelangelo established their masterful artisanship by such practice.) Therefore, hitting a baseball most effectively would have to be construed as both an Art and a Science.

In professional Baseball, to be the best hitter you can be, you must apply science to your natural artistry or you will never achieve mastery over the elements that have superimposed a phenomenal limitation upon the highest expectations of all erstwhile protagonists in our nation’s unique Life-enthralling pastime. Physical attributions alone are typically found wanting when those are matched against the mental components of the experienced technicians of overpowering or magical mounds-man-ship.

Those outstanding physical athletes who do make it to the “Show,” but languish in obscure mediocrity, are typically the very prospects who could become stellar bats-men if they would engage a scientific examination conducive to complementing their artistic predisposition. And they who are performing at the prevailing “high” standard of Major-League batting proficiency could be setting new and higher criteria, if a more pronounced attentiveness to scientific inquiry were investigated for their optimal development.

The following is a list of components to consider for optimal batting efficiency, as well as their corresponding, obvious faults to be eliminated or at least diminished:

1. Pitcher’s mound is about a foot above the level of home plate—swinging down at a ball moving downward is counter-productive (to say the least)
2. Make Pitcher work harder: create a small strike-zone—standing tall is to the batter’s disadvantage
3. A power base always starts with a low center of gravity, from which a stride is unnecessary—high stance, and stride reduce power and vision
4. Stationary head secures optimal viewing—stride moves head, eyes
   1. Rotary motion of hips and shoulders by proper functioning of legs supplies power and secures vision—pushing from back foot and leg creates problems
   2. Hips and shoulders power the bat to ball—not the arms and hands

There is enough practical evidence to preclude any possibility that someone could actually attain the status of Perfection in batting. However, is it not reasonable to assume that current standards for excellence, in the department of batting, could be significantly advanced, were it not for the arrogant or narrow-minded presumption that nothing more can be done by scientifically reducing or eliminating all margins for technical error?

Can any ball player be the best batter, or pitcher, without striving for perfection? It is very unlikely that one’s natural ability alone will entitle him to the position of a prominent Major League player. To attain the status of a “Big-Leaguer,” a naturally phenomenal athlete must refine what might be considered his undisciplined “artistic” talents, and nurture them under the auspices of an established tutelary principle. However, Professional Baseball hasn’t yet established such a principle by which aspiring young athletes (batters and pitchers) can easily transform their crude, individually designated operational mechanisms into the precisely fine-tuned generic machinery for which their consistent productivity would certainly be validated and universally appreciated. What is currently in practice is a trial and error forum that culminates in either pronounced enhancement or deterioration, according to the sensitive responsiveness of the applicant for development. “Many are called, but few are chosen!”

There is enough practical evidence to preclude the possibility that anyone could actually attain the status of Perfection, either on the mound or at-bat. However, is it not reasonable that the current standards for excellence, in the departments of pitching and batting, could be significantly advanced, were it not for the arrogant or narrow-minded presumption that nothing more can be done by scientifically reducing all margins for technical error?

Although the most proficient pitchers and batters are they who strive to be the best that they can be, and espouse the most rigorous of physical regimens in order to sustain a productive readiness, if the principle to which they commit their efforts is not founded on an exact science, then the results of those efforts will be highly imperfect at best, and ultimately discouraging to earnest seekers for optimal accomplishment. If the practice of an imperfect principle is what diminishes the quality of their work as a batter or pitcher, would it not be conducive to their betterment to explore and find the principle that promotes the most consistent success?  Excellence can be achieved as a goal only if excellence is the starting point from which to proceed.

Aristotle pointed out, in his Nicomachean Ethics, that, in order to begin a study of anything that would lead to the highest understanding and demonstration of its universal verity, one must “behold” an example of a closest facsimile to the ideal estate, study its admirable characteristics, and extrapolate from its obvious functional proficiency a common entity by which a generic standard could be discerned, duplicated, and possibly expanded upon. Then Excellence in any field of human endeavor is achievable to anyone willing to devote a “heart and soul” effort toward mastering the definable concomitants to successful enterprise.

But what if a concrete example of definable perfection can not be found and emulated? If one searches unsuccessfully for a tangible reference point from which to exploit a specific enterprise, all is not lost if he rests his constructive hope in the ever-inexhaustible realm of mind (consciousness).

Surely, if one had the aptitude, he could glean some resolve from the intent of a famous quote, whose paraphrase would read as such: “Some people see the imperfect things of the world, and wonder why? But I envision the perfect things not present in the world, and wonder why not?”  When Michelangelo was asked how he could create such beautiful sculpture from a block of stone, he replied, “The sculpture’s beauty was always there. I merely chiseled away the debris from off its form”. He must have known the form of the image before it was made evident by his handiwork. 

An astutely perceptive mind could visualize those attributes closely aligned to the proper mechanics of the flawless expression of the perfect swing of the bat, and throw of the pitched ball. Mark the perfection in thought, and behold its expression in action: for the end result is beautiful efficiency. And the “Hope” of success is inspired from the confidence which issues forth from one’s understanding of the principle that expedites the most precisely scientific demonstration of function. Confidence, an intangible element, is acquired through an absolute faith in the principle from which a batter or pitcher bases his ability to produce the stroke or throw that can be applied consistently in any given situation, in the “box” or on the mound. Is there anything close to the “Perfect Principle” for achieving maximum success in batting and pitching?

Perfection on a human level is most improbable, as an axiom from a “Quantum” analysis has suitably implied, “at the fundamental levels of matter, causation is a matter of statistical probabilities, not certainties.” But when the margins for error are attenuated, the probability of success is proportionately increased. Taking Aristotle’s proposal into consideration, an astute batting and pitching analyst should certainly acknowledge the primary, near-perfect facilitators of excellence to be Barry Bonds (as well as Ted Williams) and Nolan Ryan (as well as Curt Schilling).

What is it that Barry Bonds does consistently right, that most, if not all, other batters do only sporadically? The answer is 5 separate things. They are the following:

1. He establishes a strong low center of gravity within his stance.

2. He limits the movement of his head and eyes as he strides.

3. He waits patiently for the ball to get to him, while he quietly “gathers his body and lowers his hands to begin an unobtrusive rhythm of his arms.

4. When the ball gets to his hitting zone, 4 things happen simultaneously:

     a. The front foot plants quickly and firmly – front leg straightens.

     b. Front shoulder shrugs upward, while back shoulder and elbow drive downward (hands, while staying behind back shoulder, present a flat bat as the body is turning to address the pitched ball).

      c. Back bent-knee drives forward and down, as hips turn rapidly.

      d. The shoulders follow the hips in rapid succession with arms extending through the contact of the ball.

5. From contact, through the straightening of arms, through the follow through, the shoulders are continuously flowing, until they (shoulders) have changed position (back to front and vice-versa).

Consistency in batting effectiveness (efficiency in striking a baseball) has never been more highly demonstrated than by Barry Bonds, in the 2001season, as well as in 2002 – 2004. Throughout his Major League career, accolades were heaped upon him for what seemed like a remarkable consistency for slugging the ball better than anyone else, at least in the 1990s and the first part of the new millenium.

The only area of his batting regimen, from which there is a conceivable margin of error, appears, to this observer, in what he did in the on-deck circle. It is there that he seemed to prep his back shoulder and arm to perform in a manner that did not come into play during his swing in a live situation. This malpractice of swinging his leaded bat downward while accentuating the roll of the back shoulder and wrists was probably the reason why he incurred any negligible slump for which he had no explanation. The “muscle-memory” he had unwittingly developed prevented him from avoiding the turn-over hands and wrists that created top-spin bouncing balls and looping line drives, or swinging over the ball, any time he was out in front of the pitch. This condition didn’t manifest itself often, but when did, he could be assured that it stemmed from his antics in the on-deck circle. If he reduced or eliminated this margin of error, what would it have meant to his already marvelously productive batting technique?

Nolan Ryan is at the top of list of outstanding pitchers in Baseball history because of the ultimate use of proper “mechanics” that not only fostered the most economically sound use of his body to control and propel the baseball with maximum intent, but also secured an unusually long career. The critical factor in his masterful mounds-man-ship was the simple fact that he never straightened his pitching-arm as he began and continued the action through the course of his delivery. It wasn’t until after the forward momentum of the turning backside of the body catapulted the shoulder, bent-arm, and ball toward the plate that the arm began to straighten. At that point, the arm straightened and extended forward with the follow-through. The leverage that the bent arm provided diminished the weight imposed on the shoulder and elbow, thus fortifying their strength to implement function with speed, control and optimal force. The lighter the weight, the faster the shoulder would rotate, and the faster and more accurately controlled would be the ball as it leaves the hand of the pitcher whose total body mechanics are intact.

The only fallible aspect of Nolan Ryan’s delivery was his high front-leg kick as he began his delivery. It was wasted motion and compromised his status when a runner was on base. Runners could steal more easily because of the wasted and time-consuming movement. The move was wasteful because the foot had to come down to a low position before the forward body-drive began (which was really initiated by the back bent-knee, driving forward).

Many pitchers think that the momentum in coming-down contributes to the power drive. Actually it does nothing except waste energy that could be conserved for more practical use. It is hard to believe that Nolan could have been even more effective than he was.

Wouldn’t it be nice if every Big League organization had at its disposal an insightful view of the potential of most (if not all) of its players, and the critical discernment to evaluate and rectify the flaws that would detract from perfect performance?  Once it is established that the secret to success (even in sports) is not predicated on the predisposed, abundant abilities of the so-called “natural-ballplayer,” but in learned and assimilated techniques derived from principle, administrative scrutiny would no longer have to cater to the egotistical whims of selfish non-compliant players. The organizational “Farm Systems” could then legitimately become the fountains from which the Major League teams gather their prominent performers, instead of through trades and exorbitant free-agent bidding and spending.

Everyone would like to be perfect! Some individuals believe they are perfect! Others believe they can never be perfect. Yet others believe that perfection will come only in another (subsequent) life. But some occasionally become inspired to strive for the closest possible semblance of perfection — even though they instinctively assume that they will never attain its manifestation in their own human lifetime. Not everyone would like to go through the process of “becoming” perfect. What is it that would instigate the thought that perfection is indeed a possibility? What is it that would deprive anyone from contemplating the possibility of perfection? Was Jesus serious when he said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect” (Matt. 5: 48)?

Human pragmatists are convinced that mortal existence is the reality of life. Mortal existence consists of a chronology of BIRTH, GROWTH, DECLINE, and DEATH. Therefore, such a perspective of life would approach the concept of perfection on the relative basis of materialistic determination. Perfect beauty would then be at the discretion of the physical senses of the individual beholder. Any entity would intimate a life of its own, with varying degrees of personal competence and status. A self-made-man would be an imaginary product of substance-less arrogance! How can a perfect man emanate from a state of helplessness?

“There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding,” is a Bible verse from Job, 32: 8. If we can believe in a power greater than our own, and this power to be God, from whom we derive a semblance of His omnipotence, then we can begin to understand how it is possible for man to be perfect. But this perfection is not derived at from man’s sheer dependency on God. The man who, more than all other men, demonstrated his (and our) innate perfection, once made this statement: “I can of mine own self do nothing… I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father…”- (John 5:30)

Jesus reached a point, in what we call human existence, where his perfection was established in full view of imperfect humanity. Mortal eyes witnessed his extraordinary human capacity and accomplishments but were unable to fully understand the means by which he was able to master those tendencies that seem to hold a mastery over the ordinary man. He seemed immune from the vices everyone else only willfully denied themselves with reluctance and self-justification. And his obvious virtue was more pronounced than even the most pious could comprehend, even to the point of ignorant denunciation. But most indignant to the moral and civic conceit of the age was his blatant disregard for contemporary laws of religion and physics, healing indiscriminately both the “spiritually depraved” and “genetically impaired.” It was too unnatural for someone to be “So Perfect.” Without peer equality, nor the prospect of emulation, how could human nature resist the temptation to envy, hate, covet, and destroy such a societal aberration?

What the ignorant masses didn’t realize about Jesus’ unassuming lofty status was that his perfection was actually the means to recognizing their own perfection. His teachings and demonstrations of Truth were simply illustrated for their benefit, through his astonishing healings and thought-provoking parables. When he was informing Nicodemus about “heavenly” entitlement (John 3: 13), he said, “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” He cannot reach the kingdom of heaven unless he was first in the kingdom of heaven! When man attains the kingdom of heaven it will be after he realizes that he always was in the heavenly kingdom!

Those mortal inhabitants of earth who are personally enveloped within the “Adam Dream” are incarcerated by a consciousness of limited, finite capacity. That sounds a little like “Hell.” Mary Baker Eddy, the discoverer of Christian Science, refers to heaven and hell as not really physical localities, but rather states of consciousness. In her textbook, Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures, she explains, “Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind in which all the manifestations of Mind are harmonious and immortal, because sin is not there and man is found having no righteousness of his own, but in possession of the ‘mind of the Lord,’ as the Scripture says.” She defines hell as mortal belief. And on page 266 of Science and Health, she says, “The evil beliefs which originate in mortals are hell.”

Can a mortal, material man ever be perfect? No more than could a severed branch of a fruit tree exemplify its perfection in yielding an abundance of fruit! As the severed branch, by its separation from the source of its substance, will remain imperfect and ever-diminishing in its finite capacity, so will be any man whose mortal consciousness denies him of his infinite potential. Jesus’ illustrations of the “Vine and Branches” and “the Prodigal Son” define man’s true heritage and its eternal status of perfection.

Chapter15 of John’s Gospel elaborates on the essence of the Christ, and how it establishes an eternal connection for man to the substance of infinite Spirit—God. In the gospel of Luke, Chapter 11, Jesus’ message illustrates two aspects of man’s eternal perfection. In the parable of “Prodigal Son,” the younger of two sons separates himself from the cloistered environment of wealth and security. While he wanders aimlessly through the darkened corridors of materiality, he squanders “his substance with riotous living.” Before diminishing himself completely, he regains a consciousness of perfect being (with his father and family) and works his way back to where he originated (in perfection).

After the initial celebratory commencement, the older brother harbors some resentment about the reconciliation. But the father reminds him, “Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.” He implied that the faithful “homebody” didn’t miss out on anything substantial by abiding in perpetual state of harmony. So, why harbor resentment toward the brother whose separation from “the vine” only caused himself anguish.

Earth was not the original home of the itinerant younger son, nor is it for us! Perfection (harmony—heaven) was and is his/her home and heritage. We have to repent (rethink) our lustful mortal desire to be an independent entity. We have to recall our perfect state of being before we can return and experience it. These illustrations could shed new light on another of Jesus’ more perplexing statements: “The last shall be first, and the first, last,” – (Matt 20:16). The last is to the first, as the first is to the last. “That which is like unto itself is drawn.” – Law of Attraction, Abraham-Hicks

Most elementary Science teachers will begin their instruction on the study of inertia with the application of its principle along with a frame of reference relative to the Newtonian laws of motion. Simply stated, inertia is the tendency of a body at rest, or in motion, to remain in that state unless disturbed by an external force. The common imagery used by teachers is that of a bus colliding head-on with an immovable object. If the bus is travelling at a speed of 100 MPH, and the object hit is truly immoveable, then the entire contents (unless securely fastened) at the back of the bus will explode forward at the speed of 100 MPH. Newton’s third law of motion helps to enhance the imagery by understanding that, “every action has an opposite and equal reaction.”

Although the speed of a thrown ball is important at all positions on the field, we will place maximum attention on the pitcher. Except for situations when a runner is on base, the pitcher can take his time and build increasing momentum before coming to the point where his front foot will plant firmly into the ground to form “the immoveable” foundation, from which the entire back-side of his body will be catapulted forward with tremendous force. The extent to which that foot secures the ground while the strength and speed with which the quadriceps muscle of its upper thigh contracts to straighten the entire leg and brace the hip-joint around which the back-side rotates to a frontal position before catapulting forward, determines the initial surge of force from the lower body.

With regard to Hitting with power, the same principle is involved, the front-foot plant. But the big difference is in the manner in which the second surge of power is administered. During the first stage, the front foot secures the ground (foot pointed 120 degrees to the pitcher-to reduce ankle or knee sprain), with knee slightly bent. The back bent-leg and the front leg work synergistically at this point to induce a rapid turnstile hip-action that concludes with the front leg straightening forcefully as the back bent-knee provides the forward momentum of its backside by the contractual pulling of the groin and “butt” muscles.

Professional Baseball should become the kind of game that most people envision when the mere mention of its name conjures up childhood “backyard” or “sand-lot” memories of fast moving excitement, when the pitcher threw the ball, the batter hit the ball, and the fielders chased down and caught the ball, and threw the ball to any one of the four bases, to tag the slow or quick moving runner. There was no such thing as a walk! Baseball had a rapid pace to it.