Chance Veazey Will Always Remember That Pitch.

Fastball. Low and inside. He'll always remember what it felt like, too, when his bat connected with the ball. "The best feeling in the world," he said. Veazey looked up to see the ball soaring high over the right-field fence, slamming off the top of the scoreboard with a most satisfying thud. It was only a practice game at the University of Georgia, the chance to get in some fall swings before the season began in the spring, but the rush of hitting one out of the park still surged through his body. "That's the way you want to go out," Veazey said, his face revealing both sadness and satisfaction.

Two days later, he was paralyzed from the waist down when his scooter slammed into the side of a car. In all likelihood, he'll never walk again, much less return to the sport that was such a big part of his life. Here was a scrappy 19-year-old who seemingly had it all. A scholarship to Georgia, one of the country's top college baseball programs. A starting job waiting for him at second base in his freshman season. The dream of someday making it to the big leagues. It was snatched away before he got a chance to play his first college game.

After recovering from surgery to stabilize his shattered vertebrae, Veazey was transferred to the Shepherd Center to prepare for this new, unexpected phase of his life. Despite losing more than 20 pounds, he took on rehab with the same determination he showed on the baseball field. He learned everything from dressing himself, to driving with only his hands, to maneuvering his wheelchair over curbs.

Take nothing for granted. Our lives could change in a moment.

SEC Tourney Will Try Pitch Clock

The Birmingham (Ala.) News has some exciting developments for those who wish to see the pace of play pick up in college baseball. The Southeastern Conference Tournament will experiment with a clock between pitches and between innings in 2010. The SEC will adopt clocks similar to those used in the early 1990s by the Missouri Valley Conference: 20 seconds between pitches, 90 seconds between innings. In addition, there will be no infield practice, cutting the time between games down to 30 minutes from 45-50 minutes. And the early-round games will start at 9:30 a.m. instead of 10.

The SEC projects the changes to save about two hours on days with four games. Last year, the first two days of the tournament ended at 1:54 a.m. and 1:09 a.m.

"It wasn’t just when the games ended. We weren’t hitting any of our pub­lished game times all day," SEC associate commis­sioner Charles Bloom told the News. "The clock also lends itself to a bigger issue, and that’s making college baseball more manageable to televi­sion."

This will be something to keep an eye on.

St. Thomas baseball coach Dennis Denning retires

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP)—St. Thomas baseball coach Dennis Denning is retiring.

Denning announced his decision Tuesday, effective Feb. 1 after 15 seasons coaching at the school. The 65-year-old led the Tommies to two Division III national titles and a pair of runner-up finishes. St. Thomas won the NCAA championship this past season, giving Denning a 522-157 career record, best among Division III coaches during that span.

Denning previously coached for 17 seasons at Cretin-Derham Hall High School in St. Paul, where future NFL quarterbacks Steve Walsh and Chris Weinke were two of his players.

Denning also had Twins star Joe Mauer in his youth camps and coached baseball Hall of Famer Paul Molitor in elementary school.

Defining Moments

Defining moments, we've all had them - specific, powerful moments in our lives that can forever reshape, impact, and change our direction in life. It is not just another point on the daily measure of time; rather, it is a moment from which all future time is forever changed. An epiphany, if you will.

I can still remember the point in my life when I decided that teaching and coaching was what I wanted to do, and even the set of criteria involved in that decision. Today, after 34 years in teaching/coaching, my greatest defining moments are not found in victories/titles, but in seeing the athletes I've coached/taught, go into our profession because of something I did or said.

We (coaches) have a tremendous responsibility beyond the game and ourselves, as our words and actions go far beyond the defining moments on the athletic field. Take some time before your season starts and ask yourself, how you are impacting, shaping or even changing the direction of your players lives?

Remember, not every player will make a living in this game - But every player will make a living at something - Be there for every player.

The Workout vs. Training

Developing an optimal training plan takes more than a desire to make an athlete work so hard that they throw up. It means knowing your athletes, understanding their goals, and taking the time to carefully evaluate how you can help get them where they want to be athletically.

I have witnessed over my many years of coaching, that one workout cannot make an athlete or a team but one workout can break an athlete or a team. Coaches need to get away from the idea that because a workout is hard and you end up barfing, it is a good workout. Believe me, it is easy to bury someone, much harder to train someone. Each workout should have specific objectives that are measurable and observable.

Anyone can work hard, but effective training is hard work with a specific goal. John Wooden used to spend up to two hours a day planning his practices. Roy Williams plans each of his practices to the minute. Training is a long term proposition. It is about continual adaptation leading to optimal performance in the competitive arena.....which can not be accomplished in one workout.

Big Event Raises Funds

The effort to Save High School Sports in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District received its biggest community boost last Sunday at Newhall Park when over 2,000 people turned out for the inaugural 5K Run/Walk sponsored by United Mt. Diablo Athletic Foundation, the fundraising and support group headed by Clayton Valley High School athletic director and Clayton resident Pat Middendorf.

There were football jerseys galore along with shirts for cross country, water polo, basketball, wrestling, tennis, golf, volleyball, swimming, soccer, track and field, baseball, softball, lacrosse and sports medicine – all jeopardized by lack of funding. Last spring, the MDUSD board, facing the need to make severe budget cuts, took the extraordinary action of eliminating funding for these extracurricular activities that draw a participation of over 5000.

Based on the $20 entry fee and the amount of sponsor pledges turned in by high school students prior to race day, it’s likely the event fundraising exceeded $50,000 as the UMDAF continues one step at a time to reach its requirement of raising $1.2 million to ensure every high school sport takes place this school year.

Whether it's a hit-a-thorn, shoot-a-thon, golf-a-thon or run-a-thon, this age old idea still seems to work.

Mandate Sickle Cell Trait Testing?

The March 2008 death of University of Central Florida football player Ereck Plancher, who collapsed after a supervised workout and was pronounced dead at a hospital hours later, was the most recent wake-up call for the athletic world about the dangers of sickle cell trait. The trait, which Plancher had, increases the likelihood of exertional rhabdomyolysis and other health problems during hard workouts, especially in hot weather.

The NCAA Division I Legislative Council is currently considering a proposal that would make a sickle cell solubility test (SST) a required part of pre-participation physicals. If passed, it would apply to D-I athletes in all sports, including incoming freshmen who participate in voluntary summer workouts on campus. Proposed jointly by Conference USA and the Southwestern Athletic Conference, the new rule would take effect in August 2010.

The NATA's position statement on sickle cell trait (PDF) indicates that it is one of the top three causes of non-traumatic sports deaths among high school and college athletes. Those who test positive don't need to give up sports--in fact, some NFL players have sickle cell trait, and the NFL Players Association sponsors a campaign to raise funds and awareness of the condition. But special precautions should be taken with athletes who have the trait, including a more careful approach to acclimatization and gradual increases in workload, diligent monitoring, and using caution when exercising at high altitudes.

This new screening rule seems like a no-brainer: Is there any compelling reason not to test? It's hard to imagine a better use for $5, especially when compared to the potential cost of not knowing an athlete has the sickle cell trait.

Phillies Win Again

Dodger Pitching Takes a Walk in NLCS

In game #1, Carlos Ruiz hit a three-run home run to left field against the Dodgers left-hander, Clayton Kershaw following two BB. Later, Raul Ibanez hit a three-run home run to right field in the eighth inning against Dodgers left-hander George Sherrill following two BB. Dodgers Lost 8-6.

In game #3, Hiroki Kuroda was charged with six runs in 1 1/3 innings for an ERA of 40.50, following a month in rehab and a AAA outing. This gave the Dodgers in their worst postseason loss in 50 years, an 11-0 rout as the Phils took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series.

In game #4, Jimmy Rollins hit a two-run walk-off double with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning for a stunning 5-4 victory, turning what appeared to be a deadlocked series into a commanding 3-1 Phillies lead in the best-of-seven National League Championship Series, following a BB and a hit batter.

During game #5, Jason Werth hit a two-run home run with two outs in the first, following two BB. In the Philly 4th, the Dodger pitching gave up one BB and hit two batters in a row with two outs, to give Philadelphia a 6-2 lead. In the Philly 6th, Shane Victorino hit a two run home run with two outs after Clayton Kershaw hit Jimmy Rollins, giving Philadelphia an 8-3 lead. Finally, in the Philly 8th, Dodger relief pitcher Juan Bellisario with two outs and runners on 2nd and 3rd threw a wild pitch to complete the Dodger pitching melt down. Dodgers lost the game 10-4 and the series 4-1.

Walks will lead to disaster……Just ask Joe Torrie……

Defense Sets The Table

When two teams with equal talent battle for a championship, before it is all said and done, "Defense" will play a major role in the outcome. Let's look at the recent MLB Playoffs from both the American and National leagues.

The Angles recently tied a club record for errors in a postseason game with three, then went on to loose game #1 of the AL Championship Series to the Yankees 4-1. In game #2, Maicer Izturis, the Angels second baseman, fielded Melky Cabrera's one-out grounder (in the hole to his left in the 13th) and, instead of routinely flipping it to first, turned and threw wildly to second in an attempt to get the lead runner on a force play, allowing the winning run to score.

The Dodgers recently took advantage of an uncharacteristic throwing error by Philadelphia second baseman Chase Utley in their come-from-behind 2-1 victory Friday in Game #2 of the NL Championship Series, again proving you must play defense to win.

Defense sets the table for offensive and can fuel a turn around inning at any level. Therefore, setting a line-up strictly around offense, (as some do) is an accident waiting to happen. The game is more than hits and RBIS, it is also assists, putouts, fielding percentage and help from position players. Teaching young athletes to take as much pride in their defense as they do in their offense should be every coaches objective.

Consider this - in the playoffs so far we have seen; a routine pop-up fall for base hit, routine ground ball played off to the side for an error, errant throws, bobbled ground balls, wild pitches, poor choices; to say nothing of base running, bunt defense and managerial decisions.

If professionals can make this many defensive mistakes, how much more important should the emphasis on defense be at the amateur level?

NCAA Questionaire Signals A New Crackdown

The NCAA walks a fine line with baseball players selected in the draft. Players are free to seek guidance, but the NCAA distinguishes between agents and "advisers," and makes it clear that athletes who fail to recognize the difference put their eligibility at risk.

The line is hazy, and teams and agents routinely wink at practices that fall beyond the letter of the law. But as the money increases and the draft becomes a prime financial battleground, the signs are pointing toward an attempted NCAA crackdown.

The NCAA Eligibility Center recently distributed a questionnaire to college baseball players that suggests tighter oversight of advisers in the draft. Many agents questioned where the initiative will lead, only seven months after an Ohio judge upheld former Oklahoma State lefthander Andy Oliver's right to representation in the draft.

The NCAA has sporadically punished players who sought assistance in the draft. Oliver was declared ineligible for the 2008 Stillwater Regional amid the revelation that advisers Bob and Tim Baratta had sat in on negotiations with the Twins in 2006. After Oliver switched to Boras in March 2008, the Baratta brothers reportedly turned in Oliver to the NCAA.

Oliver filed a lawsuit against the NCAA and the Barattas and was reinstated at OSU when Tygh Tone, an Eric County (Ohio) common pleas judge, ruled that NCAA regulations limiting the role of attorneys in counseling student-athletes are impossible to enforce and allow for the exploitation of players.

Oliver re-entered the draft in June, with Boras as his adviser, and signed with the Tigers for a $1.495 million bonus as a second-round pick. He is seeking damages in a second phase of the lawsuit, with a jury trial scheduled to begin in October.

Major League Baseball, of course, has a huge stake in the economic ramifications of the draft. Rising bonus payouts have prompted commissioner Bud Selig to call for a hard slotting system with no exceptions. This year MLB recommended that teams reduce draft bonuses by 10 percent, but Baseball America reported that the total payout for the first five rounds stayed even between 2008 and 2009.

Righthander Stephen Strasburg, selected first overall by the Nationals out of San Diego State, set draft records with a $7.5 million bonus and a $15.1 million guaranteed payout while using Boras as his adviser.

The bottom line here is the NCAA's attempts to limit or crack down on advisers could: put draft picks at a distinct disadvantage in negotiations or punish players who seek assistance. So, what is a player to do? If your Stephen Strasburg it is a no brainer, but what of the inner city kid who can not afford the services of Boras? Who speaks for him? and What is he potentially giving up if he makes a mistake with either the NCAA or MLB?

Concussion Safety Programs

This year, educational concussion safety programs are making headlines. The Illinois Athletic Trainers Association and the Chicago Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroresearch have teamed up for a concussion safety awareness campaign in their state.

In the state of Maine, high schools are making a major effort in pushing for student-athlete safety when it comes to concussions and return-to-play decisions. William Heinz, MD, an orthopedist at Orthopaedic Associates in Portland, and Paul Berkner, DO, Medical Director of Health Services at Colby College, recently established the Maine Concussion Management Initiative. Its goal is to provide ImPact testing to all Maine public high schools for free.

"The (ImPact) test gives us a fingerprint of the brain, tells us how the brain is functioning from a cognitive sense," Heinz told the Portland Press Herald. "It's a very accurate way of monitoring concussions and trying to decide when kids are ready to go back to play. And that's the important thing."

To that end, a highly anticipated batting helmet from Rawlings, the S100, was tested by two All-American high school baseball teams in August, and the players gave it some pretty good reviews. With its extra padding and Polypropylene liner, the S100 is being touted as the safest batting helmet currently available.

With the American Association of Neurological Surgeons reporting almost 27,000 head injuries in amateur baseball in 2008 and the figures for 2009 still mounting, orders for the S100, which cost about $100, have increased.