RANCH REVIEW THE
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
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IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
One of the most common songs for the holiday season is “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” originally sung by Andy Williams. Of course, opinions vary on what actually constitutes the most wonderful time in the year. Some people love the deep colors and crisp weather of the fall. Others prefer the pastels and fragrance of the spring. But the most wonderful time of the year is not debatable at Texas Baseball Ranch®: It starts with the camps in Riccione, Italy, around Halloween and runs until the MLK Elite Pitchers Boot Camp (EPBC). It is pure craziness. As proof, here is a list of what has gone on in the space of just 12 weeks.
• “Prolific Thrower” Clinics — Basic and Advanced (Italy)
• European Baseball Coaches Association Convention (Budapest)
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Thanksgiving EPBC (Montgomery)
• Ultimate Pitching Coaches Boot Camp (Montgomery)
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Elite Catchers Boot Camp (Montgomery)
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Durathro™ Members Week (Montgomery)
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Christmas EPBC (Montgomery)
• American Baseball Coaches Association Convention (Nashville)
• Alumni/Advanced Pitchers Boot Camp (Montgomery)
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MLK EPBC (Montgomery)
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Minnesota Blizzard EPBC (Minneapolis)
Here are just a few snapshots of those events.
We’ve got some exciting things in the works for 2020, and we look forward to seeing you sometime during the year!
–Coach Wolforth
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‘THE ARMS RACE’
The Secrets to Successful Pitching Development
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BRENT STROM of the Houston Astros
This new book from our own Coach Wolforth provides a rare opportunity for baseball pitchers, parents, and coaches alike to learn from a “who’s who” of experts when it comes to pitching better and staying healthy while you do it.
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JERRY WEINSTEIN of the Colorado Rockies
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ADAM BARTA of the Minnesota Blizzard
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ALEX CREEL of the Golden Spikes
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MIKE RYAN of Fastball USA
The thought leaders in this book have worked with pitchers at all playing
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RANDY SULLIVAN of Florida Baseball Ranch
levels, including the major leagues. Their accomplishments include World Series titles, prestigious coaching awards, and the earned respect of many baseball Hall of Famers.
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JIM WAGNER of ThrowZone Academy
And of course, RON WOLFORTH , founder of Ron Wolforth’s Texas Baseball Ranch® in Montgomery, Texas. Wolforth is considered a master teacher, and he’s known as “America’s go-to guy” on pitching. He has a practical and innovative approach to performance issues that produces results unlike any other. You can order your copy of “The Arms Race” by visiting TheArmsRaceBook.com. You’ll receive over $90 worth of BONUS material when you purchase. So don’t wait! Dive into this book and learn how to start pitching better.
Here are some of the experts we’re referring to:
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DEREK JOHNSON of the Cincinnati Reds
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WES JOHNSON of the Minnesota Twins
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DEWEY ROBINSON of the Tampa Bay Rays
YOUR DIET’S HIGH-TECH HELPER
Unique Food Tracking Apps to Check Out in 2020
Reviewers rave about the app’s flexible goal-setting feature, which allows for intermittent fasting, calorie/carbohydrate cycling, and meal plans that include 6–8 meals per day. ATE Ate bills itself as a “visual, mindful, and non-judgmental” food tracking app. Unlike most options on the market, Ate focuses on feelings rather than numbers. Instead of counting calories, its users snap photos of their meals and input why they ate — whether they were hungry, stressed, or socializing — and how the meal made them feel. It’s an ideal strategy for those worried that too much data could trigger an obsession or disordered eating. Once you find a food tracking app you like, try pairing it with other tools that can help you meet your goals. Whether you need help shopping for healthier foods, making smart choices when eating out, or finding nutritious recipes with ingredients you have at home, there’s an app for that. Just pull up your phone’s app store and start searching!
If you’re the type to make New Year’s resolutions, then there’s a good chance health and fitness goals are among your targets for 2020. According to the New York Post, more than 55% of News Year’s resolutions made by Americans in 2018 were health- related, covering topics like exercising more, losing weight, and eating more nutritious foods. It’s easy to set resolutions, but it’s much harder to keep them. Luckily, we live in an age where high-tech tools are at our fingertips. Having a diet and exercise assistant in your pocket (literally) in the form of a smartphone app can do wonders for staying on track, and these days your options go far beyond one- size-fits-all calorie counters like MyFitnessPal. Here are two apps to check out if you’re hoping to discover a new you this new year.
MY MACROS+ Developed by weightlifters, this app is tailor-made for
people who have serious fitness goals and want to track their macronutrients (macros) — carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. With more than 1.5 million food items to choose from, a weight- tracking component, and more, My Macros+ covers all your bases.
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THE TRUTH ABOUT COLLEGE BASEBALL How to Select the Right Situation
The result is that most Division I coaches need players to be able to compete and contribute immediately upon arriving at school. They do not have the time for player development. This fact of life definitely skews college recruitment. Coaches are forced into choosing the athlete who will contribute first rather than the athlete who might be considerably better two years from now. As I have alluded to previously, my strong recommendation to parents of an elite baseball player is to choose the college situation in which he feels the most comfortable. First, have a genuine affinity for your coaches and teammates. They will be your family for 2–4 years. If you are lukewarm about them coming in, the chances are great that you will be miserable before the season is over.
It used to be that your very best teachers and developers could be found in the collegiate ranks. Today, the restrictions placed on time spent developing athletes at practice by the NCAA is so strict and severe that true, long-term development really no longer happens at the college level. Recruiting has now become the primary name of the game. As one might imagine, development takes time. In an effort to allow college student athletes more time to devote in the classroom toward academic pursuits, the NCAA began placing practice limitations on coaches in the early 1990s. True development occurs in the off- season. The NCAA has steadily gotten more restrictive since 1990 — not only in terms of hours per week but also in shortening the time available to be spent in the off-season.
Second, be able to play sooner than later. You don’t develop much sitting on the bench.
Third, have a genuine feeling that your coaches like you, believe in you, and are excited to have you. Baseball is a game of failure. If your coaches chose you simply to “round out the team” and not as an absolutely necessary cog in the machinery, chances are great that at the first signs of failure, you will get the hook and be placed on the shelf.
UPCOMING RANCH EVENTS RANCH ON THE ROAD: Feb. 7–9 Minnesota Blizzard camp with coaches clinic Feb. 6 ELITE PITCHERS BOOT CAMPS:
THIS MONTH IN BASEBALL HISTORY A Drastic Winter Meeting Move Annual winter meetings are perhaps professional baseball’s most important off-season event, where deals and negotiations of all types take place. San Diego is hosting the meetings this year, so let’s look back on the last time they hosted, in 2014, when the Los Angeles Dodgers shook things up with unexpected negotiations. In a mere 14-hour period during the 2014 winter meetings, the Dodgers made six major moves involving 19 players with four separate teams and one free agent. CEO Stan Kasten, President Andrew Friedman, and former general manager Farhan Zaidi notoriously revealed they had barely slept during the previous week as they scrambled to make trade plans after being criticized for not doing enough for their team. Within 24 hours, they were being criticized for doing too much. They traded away two of their most popular players at the time, outfielder Matt Kemp and second baseman Dee Gordon, in an effort to build a team they believed could make them World Series contenders. While the Dodgers did clinch their National League West division in 2015, they didn’t make it to the World Series. It seems some plans pay off, and some just don’t.
June 5–7 July 17–19 June 19–21 Aug. 7–9 July 3–5 Sept. 5–7
SUMMER PROGRAM: Session 1 begins June 1 Session 2 begins June 29 Session 3 begins Aug. 3
For more information, go to TexasBaseballRanch.com/events.
A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR OATES SPECIALTIES! EQUIPMENT PROVIDER,
www.OatesSpecialties. com/Durathro
3 Where You Can DREAM as BIG as Your Work Ethic Will Allow! PHONE (936) 588-6762
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(936) 588-6762 INSIDE THIS ISSUE
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year at TBR PAGE 1 Pitching Development Secrets From Thought Leaders PAGE 2 Unique Food Tracking Apps to Check Out in 2020 PAGE 2 College Baseball Pitfalls PAGE 3 A Memorable Winter Meeting PAGE 3
What’s Coming in 2020? TECH OF TOMORROW
right away. However, as access increases, 5G devices will become more common, paving the way for some very high-speed experiences in 2021 and beyond. EXTENDED REALITY Extended reality, or XR, is an umbrella term covering virtual reality headsets, Instagram filters, augmented reality devices, and more, and it is expected to become a household
Here we are in the future. We may not have flying cars yet, but 2020 promises to be an exciting year for multiple tech industries. Judging by predicted developments for this year, this new decade could see many of our sci-fi fantasies come to life. Here are a few of the most promising trends we have our eyes on. EXPANDED 5G ACCESS While the long-coveted 5G mobile network became a reality in 2019, it was by no means widespread. Now, with many cellphone companies upgrading their equipment at the beginning of this year, it’s likely the average American will soon have access to this latest generation of mobile internet. If it’s anything like the rollout of 4G, we may not see much of a difference in our connectivity
term this year. While price and hardware limitations have made this technology little more than a novelty until now, interest in XR is burgeoning in major industries like architecture and education. The line between digital and physical worlds may truly start to blur this year. MEDICAL IMPLANTS While devices like pacemakers and artificial hips have been around for decades, a new generation of implanted care devices has begun to emerge. For example, Stimwave’s micro-stimulators made a splash in the medical world last year when early tests showed they were an effective means of pain relief. As an alternative to drugs, these wireless implants block pain signals using an electrical field. This breakthrough alone may bring an end to the opioid epidemic. No one can say for certain what the future may hold, but with so many promising new technologies being implemented and improved upon today, the sky’s the limit for what we might see tomorrow.
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