Teach and be taught...

After losing on Sunday, my boy Tulo, said "Things have got to change..." referring to the hitting, especially with runners in scoring position (0 for 5 on Sunday alone!). Thank you Captain Obvious! (and remember, I like Tulo!) This is the third season of Tulo's career and the for the second year in a row, he has had an abysmal April! I am quite sure that he is putting too much pressure on himself, in fact I know he is. He is too tense at the plate. He is striking out, he is pounding the ball into the ground, all signs of being too tight. I have a feeling that my favorite manager (that was meant to be sarcastic) Hurdle is not helping. He threatens to "rest" Tulo (translated--start producing or your benched), he more than likely is sicking the new hitting coach, Don Baylor, on him (yeah, that's worked out nicely) and just not letting him work things out.
I say what Tulo needs to do is this...he needs to take some time teaching some under privileged kids the art of hitting. Let him take some kids from the area to the batting cages, just him, no Baylor, no Hurdle, no other coaches. Maybe he can have Hawpe, or Atkins, or even Smith, but definitely no coaches. Have him work with these kids on their swings, on watching the ball on...having fun at the plate. Then have Smith video Tulo instructing these kids. Then Tulo needs to watch that instruction himself.
This idea, while seeming out there, has worked! Just ask Seth Smith. He has done just this. In the off season, he is a hitting instructor at one of the batting cages where he lives in the winter. Earlier this season, when he was starting to struggle, he sat down with one of the tapes of his instructions and took his own advise to heart. He is now hitting above .300 (.324 at the time I wrote this).
The best way to learn something is to teach it your self!

Until next time...
The Lockedawg