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played division 1 at oral robert university under former major leaguer jim brewer, the lefty reliever for the dodgers who was also the pitching coach for the montreal expos. we were ranked 2nd in the country in 1983 by collegiate baseball for a while but could not beat oklahoma state in the playoffs when it mattered.
pitched in high school (5 no hitters) but played the outfield in college. could not hit leftys well enough to make it and just flat wasn’t good enough. should have remained a lefty pitcher but you can’t tell a left hander anything.
spent 10 years as a business partner with vern ruhle, major leaguer on the staff with nolan ryan at houston and 6 year major league veteran pitching coach. we invented a pitching machine attachment. he showed me many things he did not share with everyone. he died last year.
been a youth league elite level coach for 6 years. average between 80 and 110 games per year for the last 5 years.
teams won 2 national superseries championships, 2nd in aabc world series in puerto rico, 5th at usssa elite 24, and dizzy dean world series champions last year at 14.
my son was the mvp at the dizzy dean tournament, 2 time superseries all-american, winning pitcher in the 2004 title game, and as a 15, threw a complete game 7 inning shutout against a 17u team at the woodbat underclassmen world series in ft. myers this fall. he currently pitches for the dallas yankees, an elite 15u team that won the triple crown world series this year and are rated 9th in the world by travelball select. he tops out at 85, pitches at 82, walks .5 per game, and averages 7 strikeouts per 7in. very good change and curveball he can throw when behind in the count. will throw at you if needed.
we use the throwing program developed for him by vern ruhle. has not had a sore are or missed a start in 5 years. had his first bout with tendonitis after throwing 21 innings in 10 days this fall (i know it’s stupid but when you’re trying to make the varsity high school rotation as a freshman and play for a team that spends $20k per player, per year in the summer, you do some crazy things). we learned our lesson and had to shut down for 6 weeks. want everyone else to take care of themselves. there are limits and if your pass those limits, you will pay.
do strength/conditioning/flexibility training with the personal trainer of matt holliday of the colorado rockies. the strength training is making a world of difference. you cannot believe what holliday had been doing since he was 15. it is a baseball specific workout and every person who has tried it has thrown up at one time or another.
i have a ph.d. in educational research and am a published author in effective teaching practice. undergraduate degree in physical education including kinesiology and exercise physiology. my passion is baseball and i read between 5000 and 10,000 pages per year on the game with am emphasis on arm strength training and pitching. can usually spot someone who does not know what they are talking about very quickly but will never embarrass anyone and i have been wrong. if you have a genuine question and are looking to get better i am more than happy to help you. i love baseball and like helping others who have a passion for the game unless they are rude or already know everything they need to know.
it is good that you ask. i don’t post this unless asked because it makes me a little uncomfortable posting it. but you need to know who you are talking to and is giving you advice. most guys who made the pony league all-star rec league team will tell you how to pitch if you give them a crayon and hold their beer. be careful who you listen to.
pitch less, throw more, train even more. overprepare for battle without fatigue, there is a fine line.
i hope this didn’t come off as bragging, i don’t mean it to if it did. there are lots of folks who know more about this game than i do. i won’t give advice unless i have checked it out. i wouldn’t recommend anything to you that i wouldn’t do with my son.