Meeting Moyer

I've gone on and on in this blog about how much I admire Jamie Moyer.

Well, I finally got to meet him.

It was great.  We hung out and chatted about Ken Roll (my physical therapist and the PT for the Mariners for years), Tommy John surgery and pitching.  It was awesome. I was so thrilled.  It was really one of the best baseball experiences I've ever had.

So, here's the rundown:
-They always called Ken "The Claw" because Ken has gigantic paw like hands.
-Jamie is ready to pitch this year if anyone calls.  Unfortunately, my Padres aren't interested due to the "youth movement" which, as Jamie put it, "Always works so well."
-I told him how much I admired him and looked up to him especially being able to come back from surgery like he did.  He appreciated it.
-Jamie took no painkillers after surgery.
-We shared stories of having to sleep in the weird positions with that crazy half cast
-We both agreed that the big wrap/cast thing was the worst part of the surgery.
-He only wore the brace for a few weeks.  Said he couldn't stand it and just gave up.  Meanwhile, I told him that I would look at it wrong out of the brace and it would hurt like hell.
-He was lifting boxes 6 weeks out of surgery.
-He signed a ball and a couple of cards for me.

This was just such a neat experience for me I can't even explain. I have a whole new respect for Jamie.  I mean, he is an iron man. He truly is a wonder.  How he can come back strong from that surgery at his age is amazing.  I admire him more now than I did before.

He's great.  He's just a fantastic person and I'm thrilled to have met him.

New Glove

I got a new glove when I was down in California.

My dad, nephew and I were headed back to the house after a glorious burger at In N Out when dad wanted to stop at Dick's Sporting Goods on the way back.  He wanted to get a glove so he could play catch with my youngest nephew Josh.  He thought when Josh was then old enough, he could give him the glove.

Makes sense.  Josh is super into baseball and football.  He's really into sports of all kinds and it turns out he's pretty good!  I think he's more football than baseball, but baseball has a pretty good place in his heart.  Here's a picture:

He's a good dude.  Anyway, dad loves playing catch with him.

Dad told me at Dick's that he would really love to buy me a great glove.  I had told him a few months ago that my old Mizuno outfield glove was one strong line drive away from tearing through the pocket. It's almost 10  years old and has seen heavy use so I suppose that's probably about right.

I spent a pretty strong 45 minutes picking out the right glove.  It's a Rawlings for the first time. I've always used Mizunos, but the Rawlings felt really good this time around.

Anyway, when we got back to the house, we both loosened up the laces a bit and then did something we hadn't done in ages.  We went out back and played catch on the patio...for probably about 20 minutes.

That was the patio that I used to throw on when I was a kid.  I would spend as much time as I could pitching to my dad.  I would toe up at the edge of the iceplant and deliver to the now-enclosed dining room (formerly outdoor deck).  Dad would dutifully catch me as often as he could.

If dad wasn't around, I would throw a tennis ball against the side of the house as often as I could.  I figured I would work on throwing hard and then fielding as well.  That was back when I could actually field a ground ball.

At any rate, that day brought me solidly back to my childhood and my love of baseball that I've had as long as I can remember.

It's one of those things that I'll always look back on and remember really fondly.  I just thought I'd mention this.  I know it's not TJ related really, but it was special to me.

Bullpen and BP on Saturday

As I've mentioned, we've been holding some BP and bullpen sessions on Saturdays down at Newport High School.

By the way, Newport is another crazy good secret spot.  The cages are always unlocked. They're undercover.  They are lit. There are L-Screens already there.  They even have the nice sturdy wooden mounds. This is a great place that's centrally located and always available. 

They also maintain this place.  They don't let it rot like Lake Washington does. Plus, the janitor guy is there every Saturday morning and he's always painting.  I don't know how many more coats of paint the interior needs, but apparently it's a lot.  We think he likes his quiet Saturdays working in the office upstairs and uses "painting" to get away from his family.  

Had another good session hitting the ball.  I think having no pain is a gigantic deal. You don't realize how lousy you feel until you don't feel it.

Throwing wasn't as successful.  I didn't feel great and I couldn't figure out what it was.  I'm guessing it was something with my mechanics, but I had no idea what.  It was frustrating either way. My targeting was mediocre and velocity was way down.  

It's a bummer and probably a case of "Don't worry about it, you'll get there." However when you're trying to throw the heat and it's just not there...that's a mighty odd feeling.

Throwing from the flats

Well, alrighty!

Even though I'm throwing further and further every day, Ken has cleared me to throw once a week from flat ground at 60 feet.  No mound and "fastballs" only, but it's a start.  I feel ready to roll this way in a lot of ways.  I'm excited to get the velocity, accuracy and movement back.

I'm still being encouraged to work my way up to 150 feet which is basically a bit further than across the diamond.  I'm at 120 now and confident and can let it fly pretty good from then.

This brings up the question I always get asked about pitching.  What's the difference between pitching and throwing.

Throwing is where you hit an area form a longer ways away.  Not difficult, but not as easy as you might thing.  Pitching is determining where your throw will go within an inch and with repeatable mechanics.  My mechanics could be way off during a throw in from the outfield and I'll still make it whereas when I pitch...well, not the same case.

Mechanics in pitching are much tougher to correct.  You can't simply correct on the fly or count on your partner to adjust enough to make it effective. When playing the outfield, the cutoff player can adjust and react appropriately.

At any rate, I'm all about building arm strength now.  I'm continuing the conditioning program every day as well as progressing in the throwing program.

The goal is to be back and throwing from the mound in April.  I have about 6-8 weeks of flat ground training ahead and then it's really back to the mound for bullpens. I'm projecting being able to throw out of the 'pen for the first part of the year and then re-evaluate after July.

Phew! There is still a lot of work ahead, but there is so much behind me too.  It's a huge relief!

Pardon the pun.

Faith

This morning I was doing my throws and was feeling great.  That made me reflect a little bit on where I had come from and what it took just to get here.

I think the simplest answer is faith.

I had faith when I walked into Overlake that day that I would pitch again.  I had that same faith when I walked out with my arm in a heavy wrap and a sling.

I had faith in my surgeon that he did what was necessary to fix the problem. Much to Katy's dismay, she didn't need faith as he showed her pictures.

I had/have faith in Ken Roll to bring me back and work his craft like only he can.

I have faith in myself to be dedicated to the process of healing, rehabbing, and coming back to the mound.

It's honestly not always easy to keep the faith when it comes to this sort of thing. However, every time you get into your car or go on a hike, you have faith that you'll get where you're going.

I will be back on the mound in April or May.  I have that faith.

The Sock Trick

I wanted to share with you something that Jorge Reyes of the Padres shared with me over Twitter. Like me, Jorge lives in the Northwest where it's often too cold to go throw outside..especially right now where the lows are dipping near freezing. Also like me, Jorge occasionally has issues finding people to throw with him.

He posted one day saying he couldn't find anyone to throw with so "I guess the sock trick will have to do today."  I asked him what that was all about.  So, he explained it and sent me this picture 

To do this, you'll need a long baseball sock, a baseball, and either some really good athletic tape or a basketball shooting sleeve.  I simply used the shooting sleeve that I had from surgery to cover up my incisions....anything that'll hold the sock on works.  If you throw some gas, tie a knot in the end of the sock so the seam doesn't blow out on you.

Anyway, grab the baseball in your throwing hand and shove your hand and ball down the sock most of the way.  You can see that Jorge left a little room at the end of his. This allows the baseball to travel a little way.  Then, either put the sleeve on or use the athletic tape to secure the sock to your forearm.  Don't do it so hard that you're going to cut off circulation or anything, but it's gotta be really secure. 

That's it.  Grab the baseball in the sock and get your grip.  Then go through your throwing motion and let the ball go as if you were throwing to a partner.  That's the sock trick.

It's been a real saving grace for me lately.  I have only really been able to throw my distance on Saturdays at practice but this lets me throw anytime anywhere.   I estimate distance based on the velocity and my arm angle.  You have a pretty good idea of what you need to do to throw 60 feet, 75 feet, and 105 feet.  You just replicate that indoors.  

You can also practice your grips if you're a pitcher.  I'll usually alternate between my fastball and change up grips just for variety.  

Click Here for a video of how to set it up:   Fast forward to about 3:35 and you'll see exactly how I utilize this every other day.

This has helped me immensely in my rehab.  It's incredibly important after Tommy John to stay on schedule and get your throws in.  Not only do you need to get everything "back" but your mechanics are likely to be pretty screwy.  This will help.

My fiance is pretty thankful for this.  Her hand hurt pretty bad after the last session.  I felt awful for her because she was trying to be supportive and wonderful.  I'm lucky to have her.  I'm also lucky to have great teammates who are really supportive of my recovery and are always willing to help out.

Even in 38 degree weather....under covered cages...in the Northwest.

Pitching Coach?

It's always great to see Ken. He's a pretty entertaining guy especially while MLB's winter meetings are going on.  I think when you've worked for an organization for the better part of 20 years, you can have an opinion on what the Mariners do.

I can tell you that he isn't happy about the Jason Bay signing.  As much as he likes Raul, he's convinced the M's are pursuing him only because he's moving here and they're hoping for the hometown discount.  Sounds a lot like the Padres.  Let's see who nobody else wants and then sign them.

Except Jason Marquis.  I like him a lot and I thought he was a great signing.  Well done Padres!

At any rate, Ken suggested that I get a pitching coach at some point.  Coming off of not throwing for over a year will tend to wreck your mechanics.  And it does. My release point takes about 30 tosses to hone in on now.  It's hard man.

I don't think it would be a bad idea at all actually. I think it'd probably be a good idea.  I need my mechanics to be good when I get ready to get going.

Luckily, the Mariners are auctioning off a pitching lesson from Carl Willits their pitching coach.  It'll be at Safeco and everything, but I'd actually want to be there for the pitching lesson more than the experience.  So, here's the auction: http://auction.mlb.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prrfnbr=198645539&prmenbr=33072944&aunbr=198992249

At any rate, I'm definitely not opposed to getting some coaching.  We'll see.

On a side note, I'm cleared to start really throwing from flat ground at full distance in January. :)