As college hoops begin some baseball tips that will help

College basketball season officially tips off tonight in the midwest because top ranked Kansas plays their first regular season game at home against Hofstra.  It should mark an easy win for the Jayhawks even though the Pride have won 20 games in four of the last five years.

But before we take off on the hardcourt action, my mind is still wandering back to baseball.  A few weeks ago I was speaking with longtime major league catcher Brent Mayne on a program I was hosting on www.sportsradiokc.com.  Mayne and I have known each other for around 15 years and I’ve always enjoyed his approach to the game and his blunt analyzation of himself and other players.

At the time he was ranting about the clear inability of many major league baseball players at knowing what to do on the base paths.  To quote Mayne, “For the love of God, freeze on a line drive.”  It’s amazing how some of the basics of the game become glaring weaknesses when you reach the playoffs and World Series, because players are  rarely asked to do the things that are needed in those key situations in championship events.

Bunting is another example.  Former major leaguer David Howard said the other day you can count the number of good bunters in baseball on one hand.  They’re awful and when they’re asked to do it in the playoffs, they flat out can’t.  It’s a basic skill but one that’s never taught anymore.

That brings me back to the now infamous Johnny Damon double steal.  Clearly it was a game changing event in the World Series, but as Mayne pointed out, it didn’t occur because of just an instinctive reaction by Damon.  It happened because Johnny Damon had already visualized the play happening in his mind.

Damon told reporters after the game that they had discussed it during the season when teams had put the shift on Mark Teixeira.  He knew Pedro Feliz would cover second and  Brad Lidge should cover third, but he couldn’t make the move until he saw the events unfold they way they did.  He anticipated what would happen.

Mayne said great players make use of the in-between time during the game visualizing all the possibilities.  The players who seem to be in the right place at the right time (Jeter, Mauer, etc.) are there because they see the action in their mind before it happens.

Mayne said there are two things to learn from the Damon play.  

1. Anticipate action.

2. If you think you know it all and have seen it all in baseball, you’re full of crap.