Perception: Baseball Ever since I was a child, baseball has been a passion and love of mine. I would watch the Mets play every night on TV. with my family ever since I could remember. On the hot summer days, we would bring the TV. outside and watch the games until the stars were shinning over us. Playing baseball was also something I did almost every day too, whether it is in my back yard with my older cousins or parents or on the baseball field during a game. When I was young I loved the game and played more for the love of the game but as I grew older, I began to understand the game and pay close attention t hw my teammates played and my opponents as well. Baseball has now turned into somewhat of a class now for me. I try and correct my mistakes to better myself and I watch others to see what they do in certain situations or to see what they do that allows them to overpower their opponents. My perception of baseball is now focused on pitchers in the major leagues. I try to learn what the great ones do to excel because watching and studying the best will only benefit me down the road. After watching baseball for practically 15 years, I have learned that all pitchers have their own styles, deliveries and philosophies but the mechanics of most pitchers are the same. Many pitchers believe in the same types of mechanics. Some examples would be to keep your shoulders level while in your motion or driving off the rubber with your back leg to generate their maximum power from their legs to their finger tips which are gripping the ball and then releasing it towards home plate. Another thing that I pay attention for is what the pitchers throw in certain situations or to certain batters. The general rule of thumb is to always keep the ball low in the zone but there are occasions when one would elevate the ball up in the hitter’s eye level. An example would be a 0-2 count when the pitcher is looking for the hitter to chase a pitch out of the zone or when a batter has his hands low while in his stance. If the hitter’s hands are below the ball, a fly out is almost a guarantee. Another situation is if the pitcher is staring down at a power hitter that likes to extend his arms, a good inside fastball or a 2 seam with good tailing action on it is probably the way to pitch to him. A pitch over the plate or outside will allow the hitter to wreak havoc on the pitcher because a strong solid swing with extended arms is asking for trouble almost all the time. While watching a game I look to see when the pitchers landing foot lands and where the pitcher is in his delivery. The common rule of thumb is when the foot lands, the throwing hand should be out of the glove and ready to fire. Many watch the game of baseball because their team is on the TV but I watch to observe the pitchers. No matter who is throwing, they know what they are doing and they are good at it because if they weren’t, they wouldn’t be playing in the bigs. What most do not realize about pitching is that it is all timing. Each pitcher has their own groove. Pitchers have a certain flow throughout their delivery that ensures they are going through their motion smoothly and are getting the most out of every pitch they throw. If a pitcher opens his hips too early, his arm will be lagging behind him and will not get through causing the ball be thrown wildly. If it’s a righty on the bump, the ball will be inside to a righty and outside to a lefty. If the pitcher keeps his hips closed for too long, his upper body is going swing around them causing the ball to be outside to a righty or inside to a lefty if thrown by a righty. Along with all this, I watch for what pitchers do when the ball is hit or bunted. When nobody is on base and the ball is hit to the right side of the infield, it is a general rule that the pitcher breaks for first base. This is because if the ball is hit to the first baseman, he is there to cover the bag and make the out. Also, when the ball is hit and there are men on base, the pitcher should always be moving whether it is to back up third base or home plate. The pitcher is always the most involved player throughout the game. After, taking a look at just some of the few things I really look at while watching someone pitch and what pitchers do while they are on the mound, It is safe to say that being a pitcher is more than just “having a catch” with the catcher. Of course while watching the game of baseball on TV or in person, I will pay attention to someone else whether it is a favorite player of mine or a big time slugger but usually I watch the pitcher to try and learn as much as I can. I was always told by my father that if you are going to do something, always is sure to have learned something when you are done doing whatever it is you are doing. I always try and walk away from the TV having learned something and feeling like I have just learned another tad bit of information from baseballs huge textbook. Baseball is one of the most difficult games to play and learn but it is also the best because no matter what the score is, no time is on the clock and a team cannot waste plays or hold on to the ball to win. They must pitch the ball and earn the win.