So somebody asked: "What's your two-strike approach?Albert's answer surprised me.
He said: "I think fastball inside and hit it back through the middle." That was it. No complicated mechanics. No secret formula.
Just: Fastball inside. Back through the middle. I remember sitting there thinking:
"Why would you think fastball inside with two strikes?" So somebody asked him. And Albert said something I'll never forget.
He said: "If I can hit a fastball inside back through the middle..." "I can hit the fastball away." "I can stay on the changeup." "I can stay on the slider."
"I can stay on the curveball." Then he paused. And said: "The ball gets deeper." That's when it clicked for me. He wasn't trying to pull the inside fastball.
He was using one thought to cover everything. The more I thought about it... The more it made sense. So I started trying it.
And it changed the way I thought about hitting with two strikes. Instead of worrying about every pitch...
I focused on one. Fastball inside. Back through the middle. See it DEEP. If you're struggling with two strikes, here's what I'd do tonight:
Round 1: Short Box
(Set the distance somewhere between front toss and batting practice.)
Have a coach throw only fastballs inside. Your only thought: "Fastball inside." Drive the ball back through the middle. 10 swings.
Round 2: Mix Speeds
Now the coach mixes:
- Fastballs
- Changeups
- Breaking balls
- Sliders
But your thought never changes. You're still looking: "Fastball inside." 10 swings.
Round 3: Two-Strike BP
Every pitch starts 0-2. Compete. Battle. Use the same approach.
"Fastball inside." Back through the middle. 10 swings.
That's it. 30 focused swings. One thought. One approach.
One goal. Drive the baseball back through the middle.
One thing I've learned: Most hitters get worse with two strikes because they add thoughts.
Albert got better because he removed them. With two strikes, simplicity is a weapon.
Jermaine Curtis
Todays NWC Tiger home game versus the Blaine Borderites has been rained-out and rescheduled for tomorrow Wed March 18th with a 4:00 start time at Tiger Field, weather permitting.
Lou Brock said this one time in spring training. Lefties will always lift up their big toe on a pick and stays grounded when he goes home. Here is an example.
Prep Baseball
Burlington-Edison 16,
Squalicum 0
The Tigers opened up their season with a blowout victory over the Storm in a shortened 5 inning game, collecting 10 hits and 15 walks.
Wyatt Jacobs @ (2-3, triple, double, 5RBI, R, 2BB) led the way offensively for the Tigers. Cash Cullop, Hudson Baker, and Zak Fleshman each had multiple hits on the night.
Fleshman @zflesh_23 earned the win on the mound. The Senior righty pitched four shutout innings, allowing 2 hits while striking out 8 batters.
Burlington-Edison @BEHSbaseball (1-0) will play Mount Vernon Christian next on Thursday at the Skagit Valley College Dream Field.
"Nobody was more loyal, generous, courageous, more respected than Ted Williams.
He sacrificed his life and career for his country.
But he became what he always wanted to be , the greatest hitter ever."
Yogi Berra on Ted Williams.
"For my money, Ted Williams is the greatest hitter of all-time.
I'd take him over Babe Ruth, I'd take him over Ty Cobb.
I'd take him over Cobb because of the combination of power and average.
I'd take him over Ruth because with Ruth, you can only speculate about what he would have done in the modern era.
Ted Williams hit .388 at the age of 39 in 1957.
Ted was what few of us ever become; he was exactly what he set out to be.
He said he wanted to be able to walk down the street some day and have people say "There goes the greatest hitter who ever lived".
And if they don't say that, it's only because they don't know what they're talking about."
Bob Costas.
Wayne Gretzky shares the advice he gives to every young athlete.
"The commitment and the work ethic is worth it."
"My dad was a big believer that the harder you work as a kid, the more fun you're going to have as an adult. And the more fun you have as a kid, the harder you're going to work as an adult."
Read that again.
It's one of the truest things ever said about success.
Work now, play later. Or play now and work forever.
"The commitment and the passion for what you're doing is so worth it at the end of the day. Just believe each and every day - it's really, really worth it."
Commitment is a choice. It's choosing long-term growth over short-term comfort.
"I wouldn't trade my life in for anything in the world."
Outcomes and rewards require sacrifice.
The key question is: what price am I willing to pay?
(🎥 Be Better Off Show)
Tigers Varsity with a big come from behind win yesterday over Squalicum 7-6! Trevor Wall and Tyler Henry both 2-3 on the day. Home game today vs East Valley(Yakima), first pitch 4:30pm.