April 26th, 2009

My schedule has really slowed down but it hasn’t necessarily been a bad thing. After being taken off the major league roster after pitching just one inning (biting my tongue) I have had the opportunity to spend time with some new teammates and some players who are rehabbing injuries.

Playing in a foreign country where you don’t speak the language can make it difficult to talk with teammates and to really get to know them. The one common denominator is baseball and with a little effort you can find a way to both share your thoughts on pitching and get theirs as well. I have been on both ends of this over the past couple of weeks and have enjoyed it.

A couple of the Korean pitchers ask me about certain pitches I throw, how I hold them, use them, etc. I am glad to share with them things I have learned over my career and tips I have gotten to help me improve my game. Over the past 15 years I’ve played with some great players and have had some great coaches. I’m glad to pass along any information that some of the Korean players may find helpful. It’s rewarding to talk (mostly play charades) to them about a pitch or mechanics, see them try it and be able to execute it.

It has worked both ways. There are a lot of side-arm throwers in Asia. Dropping down or throwing side arm, whatever you want to call it, is something I have tried sporadically since 2000. Since last July I have made more of a commitment to it and have been studying successful side-armers. I was preparing to pitch in the States this year as a full time side-arm lefty reliever before the opportunity to start Korea presented itself.

We have one of Korea’s all time best on our team and although he is right handed the idea is the same. I am interested in what has worked for him and what hasn’t. Having pitched in over 800 games here brings credibility to what he has to say and the fact the he speaks decent enough English is a big help. He has been great about helping me and with some practice I am hoping to incorporate things he has showed me into my own pitching.

As boring as things are for me right now this has been a good way to pass the time.


source: cjbaseball.com