Thanks, Zach

Sometimes a writer's job is not just to tell you what happened, but explain what happened.  Or, in this case of Zachary Levine writing about Astros pitcher Brett Myers for the Houston Chronicle's blog. explain what was said:

“I just think I pitched a little bit more, used my head a little bit better,” Myers said, using “pitched” as a contrast to simply throwing.

Thank you, Zach. Without your help, I would have been confused something awful.  Why would throwing more pitches, which I would have thought he meant by "pitched a little bit more," help someone?  I thought they wanted to be efficient, to pitch less.  I am still confused, however, as to how he did it with his head.  Did he throw it with his head?  Or just use his head for other things, like stopping the ball after it was hit?  Help me, Zach!

Minor Miracle

Some players are blessed with the pure athletic ability that allows them to get to the Majors on Stuff, and then their eyes are opened.  Some, like St. Lucie Mets (A) pitcher Scott Moviel need to see the light a little lower down the ladder, as he told TCPalm.com reporter Laurel Pfahler:

I'm pitching now, not just throwing, and it's starting to come along well for me.

With an attitude like that, we'll see Moviel in Sheati Park soon enough!  Of course, the way the Mets are pitching, we might see me pitching for them soon.

Getting It

Cody Kukuk, Lawrence (KS) Free State High senior pitcher, knows what it takes to be successful on the mound.  I mean REALLY knows, as he told Dean Backes of MaxPreps.com:

This year I've done a better job of not being a thrower, but a pitcher. Pitching is more than just throwing as hard as you can.

He has pitching, not throwing, down in every format of the cliche.  Watch this kid - great future ahead of him.

Madness!

Shawn Armstrong started the CUSA tourney opener for East Carolina against Houston.  According to Kevin Travis, of the Sun-Journal in New Bern, NC, Armstrong has "lifted his game the the right time."  To what did Armstrong attribute this game lifting?

"I've been working on my delivery and really just going out there and not worrying about pitching," said Armstrong, who went 3-1 with a 3.89 ERA during the regular season. "I'm just going out there throwing the baseball like I have my whole life.

"I'm really going out there and not even thinking; just throwing the ball."

"Just throwing the ball."  Wow, we must have found the anti-cliche, the guy who doesn't even need to "worry about pitching."

Armstrong gave up 3 runs in 3 1/3 innings in an ECU loss.

Never mind.

A Cliche is Born

I thought I had heard them all.  Pitch, don't throw.  Throw, don't aim.  Yet, much like baseball itself, the well of baseball cliches is deeper than we ever imagined.  Xavier Candela, a pitcher for Cathedral Prep in Erie, PA, told Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times News:

I just tried to throw and not think

Unfortunately, Xavier did not make clear if he was just skipping "aiming" and going right to "throwing" on his way to the Holy Grail, "pitching," or if thinking comes between aiming and throwing, and he had already stopped aiming and started thinking.  We'll be sure to let you know if we get any updates.

 

Aiming, not Throwing - The Forgotten Cliche

Sometimes we get so caught up in pitching, not throwing, that we forget there's something WORSE than throwing: aiming.  *shudder*  Nick Anderson of St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, MN knows this, as reported by Andy Rennecke in the St. Cloud Times:

I’m just trying to command it and not aim the ball. Just [go] out there and throw it. 

We have hope for Nick, though: at least he's not trying to go straight to pitching.  For those keeping score at home, it's aiming, THEN throwing, then, eventually, if you're lucky and good, pitching.

HERESY!

"I'm a thrower, not a pitcher," Zolk said.

What?  WHAT!?!?  You can't say that!  That's like admitting you wish failure on yourself and your team!  Why not just say you hate your mom!

Oh, wait...he's not a pitcher...he's Mike Zolk, a 2nd baseman for Neumann-Goretti high school outside Philadelphia who had to serve time on the mound due to a lack of arms on the team.  OK...the Baseball Cliche Police will let uo go this time, Zolk...but watch it!

Starting 'Em Young

Whether or not Matt Lawson, senior pitcher for Glen Rock (NJ), goes on to a successful career in the majors is not something on which I will speculate.  I will, say, however, that he is ready for the bigs right now, interview-wise.  When NorthJersey.com wanted to talk about his stellar control, Lawson went right to his pro stuff:

Baseball, pitching, is so much more than just going out there and throwing.

Darn tooting, Matt.

Mystery Cliche

What happened here?  After he threw a no-hitter against Southern Academy, did Pickens Academy (AL) senior Chase Davidson switch into auto-pilot and go to the cliche well when interviewed by Adam Minichino of The Dispatch?  Or did Davidson give a long, in-depth answer to a question, about how he has worked on really understanding his craft, which Minichino lazily boiled down to the bane of my existence?  We'll never know, thanks to this implied, but not directly attributed quote:

He said he now feels more like a pitcher and not a thrower.

I'm giving the kid the benefit of the doubt. This one's on you, Minichino.