Look Down on the Ball

[Cannonball]

Prior to the Cardinals/Brewers game today, Coach Mike Matheny made several interesting comments. First, he has asked his hitters to "look down on the ball." When asked what he meant, he said most hitters, as a part of the plan at the plate look for a ball in a certain spot for that first pitch. However, Mathney said that for the most part, they look for an area belt to thigh and so take some good balls to drive. His idea is that that area can be expanded some and so, the cue he uses is to,"look down on the ball." I guess that is opposed to look up at the ball. He also like for his players to look opposite. Unlike what most of us think, often look opposite for the Cardinals has resulted in a ball pulled. This wasn't a call in show but I would have liked to ask him if "look opposite" was the approach that Moline used in his homerun yesterday. I think Matheny coaches from a catcher's viewpoint and so, I am looking forward to more of his observations this year.