Tuesday's Frosty Mug

Isn’t that too many asterisks? I just hope grammar isn’t one of Kendall’s pet peeves.

If you don’t need the year-old analysis.

The article said he was diagnosed as being “slightly nearsighted” which means he has more trouble seeing things far away.

Would seem to come into play much more in the OF than something closer like the spin on a baseball from 60 feet away when he’s at the plate.

I understand that making the adjustment would have been challenging and frustrating.

We’re still talking about contacts, right? Not learning to hit left-handed or replacing one of his hands with a hook or something?

last spring and that he probably wouldn’t keep them (too lazy to find a link, but I think TH covered it). He said seeing things behind the ball became dristracting. I don’t know if that’s a load of BS, but I also don’t have his eyes and can’t prove it didn’t hurt his batting.

If the corrected vision was the answer to his improvement, it would mean that the problem was solved. Since that wasn’t the case, then it raises some concern regarding whether he might regress.

Particularly since vision problems rarely ever go away by themselves over time… in fact, they’re more likely to get worse as he gets older.

I think only the freaks like a Tony Gwynn (Sr.) ever actually read the spin on the ball. I think most players just have experience regarding what pitches they expect to see and can judge from the release, release point and trajectory of the ball what kind of pitch is coming their way. Hart can still pick most of that up assuming his vision isn’t all that bad.

Hitting is so much about confidence rather than physical ability at the major league level and vision correction hasn’t been proven by any stretch to improve performance at the plate for every player. If Hart is comfortable hitting without contacts, that’s probably more important than seeing a little more clearly with the contacts.

I think you might have a great point about his work in the outfield, though. 60 ft and 270 ft would be completely different for someone with 20/40 vision. I wonder if he would be willing to wear goggles in the field, but not at the plate. It might get too disorienting to change corrective vision so often during the game and I doubt it would ever happen, but it might also serve as the best of both worlds.

Or how it affects him when he plays, or how much of an adjustment it is for him to use contacts/glasses when he’s never had them before, or how well he can see the spin on the ball right now, and a million other things about how Corey Hart’s brain works when he plays baseball.

I agree with you in principle – if you can improve something do it, but its different for every player and every person.

I thought your reaction of calling his hits “flukes” was a bit reactionary, and that’s why I made the OV comment.

despite his earlier embargo of guacamole at chipotle due to the price increase, has he resumed purchase of said guaco due to acceptance of that’s the way it is now and dammit, he likes his guacamole? In other words, I want to know if he’s caved to the man yet.

We just haven’t made it socially acceptable to be honest about those feelings.

/therapist’d
//nobutseriously

Fielder has done nothing to suggest that he’ll sign for anything less than the maximum money/years he can get as a FA after the season – from his choice in Boras as an agent to public comments, to the non-desire to negotiate a contract in the offseason.

If nothing has changed his mind in his 5+ years with the team, I don’t think adding a couple new pitchers is going to do anything.

Ain’t he cute?

Eat THAT, Ru …

Oh. Wait. HEY.

I think this falls on the responsibility of the general manager to know his players and based on that who will be the best manager for them. Melvin failed with Macha. Hopefully he’s right with Roenicke

seeing as they’re “hitters,” and the pitching coach gets control of the bullpen.