Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Blog Kiosk: 11/11/2014 - Dodger Links - New Dodger Personnel and Kapler's View on Endurance Training


Here is a group photo from yesterday's Frank Robinson Celebrity Golf Invitational at Wilshire Country Club to benefit the Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy in Compton.   (Photo Credit: Robert Binder/MLB)

In the photo are Frank Robinson, Reggie Jackson, Joe Morgan, Albert Pujols, Chris Dickerson of the Indians, Don Buford, Eric Davis, Kenny Lofton, Gary Matthews, Jr., Bo Porter, Bret Saberhagen,  Dmitri Young, Basketball Hall of Famer Bill Russell, Jerry West, James Worthy, Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown, Boxing Legend Sugar Ray Leonard, actors Carlos Bernard, Benjamin Bratt and Anderson Davis.

Below are some links to check out:
  • Does anybody know who this Dodger is?  Bob Lemke shares a bunch of vintage photos featuring ballplayers in Native-American garb; including one pic of a 1950's Dodger prospect named 'Bing' Martin - Bob can't find any information on him.  Check it out here.
  • I firmly believe all the 'rumors' about Russell Martin coming to the Dodgers to be a bunch of bunk.  You should not believe a word of it.  His agent is using the Dodger name to drive up the price.  From what I understand, he is seeking a 5-year deal worth $75Mil to $80Mil.  That alone would take us out of the running.  A cost/benefit analysis tells me that signing him would not be worth it.
  • Via Mike Oz at Big League Stew, "Tommy Lasorda doesn't think Clayton Kershaw should win NL MVP."
  • Via Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo on twitter, we have added a couple more folks to the scouting staff:

ESPN reporter Mark Saxon throws in another new name to be added to the Dodgers:


While my mentor was correct that strengthening the heart muscle is good for us as human beings, he was off with his assessment that the training makes sense for baseball players. The longest distance we will ever run on a baseball field is 360 feet, perhaps a few more if we factor in angles on the rare inside the park home run. As an outfielder, if I’m manning center field and run from gap to gap, north or south or a combo of the two, my distance will never be longer than 100 feet in any direction. If I was a cross country runner training for a 5 mile race, would I train by sprinting 35 yard blasts? Of course not. So, as baseball players, why do we seek out training that’s actually breaking us down?
Endurance training has also been shown to decrease muscle fiber size, muscle strength, and muscle power, all of which are detrimental to a baseball athlete (4).
Instead, we should be optimizing for speed and power in short bursts.
Now, a word about No. 1. It came down to two people—Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson—who ascended above everyone else for reasons about which you soon will read. But choosing between them for the top spot was an excruciating decision, extending beyond baseball to the United States at large. In fact, it was only after recognizing the breadth of the argument that we finally chose Ruth.

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    * Dodgers Blue Heaven home page *

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