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Coach Mike's Personal Training
A Sports Blog

Those Pesky Rules

3/29/2010

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I’m sitting here at my computer, I don’t really use the ancient typewriter to pen my posts and next to me is a copy of The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White. This is the authoritative book on rules of usage, principles of composition, and various other valuable reference points. It is considered by many professional writers, Stephen King to name just one to be a “must read” companion. It has occurred to me that perhaps someone should put together a book similar to this for say, the rules of golf. This would alleviate any further issues for poor Michelle Wei. Oh, wait. There is such a book; 2010-2011 Rules of Golf, yes that probably would cover the need.

Hmm, I wonder why a LPGA golfer like Ms. Wei wouldn’t own this book. It seems for a mere $5.95 online at http://www.golfgalaxy.com plus tax and shipping she would save herself some woe. I believe she could even read the rules online at http://www.usga.org/Rules if the cost of the actual book seemed out of line to her. But once again Ms. Wei has issue with a rule; she incurred a two stroke penalty for grounding her club in a hazard, this time at the 11th hole in Sunday’s Kia Classic at La Costa. It ended up costing her about $91,000 as the penalty dropped her to sixth instead of her being tied for second place. And unfortunately her pleading afterwards was caught on camera. 

As anyone familiar with her career knows, she was disqualified in 2005 for signing an incorrect scorecard when she didn’t add a penalty for an illegal drop; in 2006 by hitting a piece of moss in her backswing in a bunker, she incurred a two stroke penalty and later claimed she knew the rule, but apparently knew it wrong; then in 2008 she was disqualified after the third round when it was found she had failed to sign her second round scorecard. These along with the grounding rule may be silly, may not be needed, nor even interpreted correctly, but they are there to be adhered to by professionals and even by duffers like me.

I openly admit Michelle Wei would outclass me on any course. She would smoke me by 30 strokes I’m sure. But please, somebody, anybody, supply this women a copy of the rules and then sit with her to ensure she actually reads and understands them. She is a media darling for her play, looks and young age. The same reasons she is considered one of the LPGA’s biggest draws, and I’m sure those attributes helped her received the exemptions to play in PGA events; it helps with ratings. But with her game, she doesn’t need the drama.

​~ Coach Mike
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Vintage Base Ball – My Start

3/23/2010

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In the fall of 2006 I was contemplating “retiring” from baseball. I had been playing some kind of baseball or another for 43 straight seasons, the last nine in a 30 and over baseball league in Woodridge, Illinois. The team wasn’t overly successful, but that wasn’t the reason for my thoughts, it was more the fact that several of the players on the team just seemed to go through the motions, didn’t take it seriously and worse yet, felt they were entitled to “special rules”. (In some future column I may discuss that new attitude of not taking responsibility for anything that is so prevalent in today’s athletes, pro and otherwise, but not here.) As someone who is definitely of the “old school” (or as it was said in the Chicago Tribune of Bill Wirtz, the deceased owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, ‘the dirt the old school was built upon’) the prevailing attitude kept me from enjoying myself. I realized the issue was with my enjoyment, that I couldn’t accept this way of playing from my teammates. My gut told me it was time, that my feelings for the sport, that my approach was from a bygone era.
 
Then while paging through an old issue of Sports Illustrated I saw a couple of paragraphs concerning Jim Bouton discussing something called Vintage Base Ball and his desire to put a federation of the teams together. I vaguely remembered an old teammate of mine, Marc Maznaritz telling me of “an old-timers game” at a county fair a few years back where they played with a leather ball, but no gloves and wooden bats. Well, it was a quick internet search later and I was pouring through more information about the “movement” that I thought possible. Within a couple days I was speaking with a gentleman named Gary “The Professor” Schiappacasse who had a least as much love for the game as I have. By spring 2007 I was playing 1858 Rules Base Ball in my 44th year of playing the game. I was playing on a team called the Chicago Salmon with men whom felt the same way that I do. We played other teams of men (and a couple women) in the Midwest with communities supporting the original ideals of the game. Playing to win; but more, just playing for love of the game.
 
See this space for more on the joys of Vintage Base Ball in future issues. For now, check out these links for more information: www.chicagosalmon.org and www.wiki.vbba.org
 
www.chicagotribune.com/sports/

​~ Coach Mike
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SPRING

3/19/2010

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With apologies to Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall”: Ah Spring, when a young man’s fancy turns to baseball! As with the love of a woman in Tennyson’s verse, baseball too brings the same hopes and dreams, the same expectations of enduring happiness, the same joy to my heart.

Spring is in the air; well at least it is in the southern and western states, but Illinois is getting a small taste of it. Major League Baseball’s training camps are in session. Players have been toiling under the warm sun of Florida and the high skies of Arizona. Hopes abound, both for the young men with a dream and the fans of all the franchises that didn’t quite win it all last year. That is the concept of spring training; everyone has a chance at this point, it’s a new beginning. Every young arm is under consideration, everyone has the potential to be a star hitter, or a defensive standout.

Of course reality is by March 20th, the Vernal Equinox arrives; the calendar start of spring when the managers will determine which if not most of the arms they want to take north, the position players will almost be set and the true hitters will have emerged. The dreaded words, “Optioned to” and “Released” begin appearing in print, sometimes with a familiar name, but most often with the name of a hopeful which didn’t quite make it this year. Approximately two weeks later Opening Day will divide the teams into undefeated and winless teams, with the rest of the season lying ahead. And that is the same with this blog, we have a taste of what will be and more will come. It is a new beginning!

Sit back and cheer for your team. Live and die with their victories and defeats. And join me right here for a glimpse into the way I see sports, not only baseball but much more.

​~ Coach Mike

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Welcome

3/9/2010

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Welcome to “Comments From Coach Mike”. Several years ago I wrote a monthly commentary column under the same name for the now defunct WISN – Worldwide Internet Sports Network.

It was a pleasure working for Brian Myre and WISN in those days and I have missed the opportunity to share my thoughts, experiences and views on sports (mainly, my passion for baseball) as well as the interaction that was encouraged with the readers of my column. I regularly received feedback on my “comments” and took full advantage of developing correspondence relationships with many folks around the country. Opinions and loyalties tied to teams / athletes can spark good natured “debate” which opens fans to new ideas. On a selfish front, a creative outlet has been missing in my life since those days; a void which I hope this venue will fill.

With these thoughts in mind I will begin publishing posts containing “commentary” very similar in content to my old “Comments” columns, calendar events of interest both local to the Chicago-land area and nationally when feasible, tips, quips, quotes, reviews, some “shameless plugs”, as well as news and views of my new love 1858 Rules Vintage Base Ball.

Please feel free to comment and join in the fun!

~ Coach Mike
​
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    A 60+ avid sports fan. Baseball is my first love. 
    ​Just starting up an old Blog.

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