A Day Late, but Happy Left Hander's Day (non-BB)

[Gizzmonic]

On last night's broadcast, J.D. and Brownie mentioned that yesterday was Lefty's Day. 

Although we apparently don't live as long and suffer from more injuries, lefties have a special advantage in baseball.  The role of handedness in all facets of the game of baseball is unique to the sport, and part of what makes it so interesting.

Happy Left Hander's Day to Lance Berkman, Wandy Rodriguez and all Astro lefties past and present.  And thanks to Mom for those left-handed genes.

[ybbodeus]

I was impressed he referenced the whole Latin angle....Sinistra. 

My two-year old son is left handed; I make him throw me stuff every day.  I look at Trever Miller...and then at my son...and then at Trever again.....and I kinda see dollar signs.  I'm not greedy, but maybe I should look at somebody else; help the kid grow to be more ambitious than his old man.

Here's your ybbodeus ADD/Sybil moment:  Once more I got to laugh at (not with) myself, as I gave pause when reading Trever's baseball-reference.com numbers for '04 and '05, thinking how does one play for To Be Determined ?

Sorry, Ty; you, too, raystros....urrrrrrr, strosrays.

[Andyzipp]

I was impressed he referenced the whole Latin angle....Sinistra. 

My two-year old son is left handed; I make him throw me stuff every day.  I look at Trever Miller...and then at my son...and then at Trever again.....and I kinda see dollar signs.  I'm not greedy, but maybe I should look at somebody else; help the kid grow to be more ambitious than his old man.

Here's your ybbodeus ADD/Sybil moment:  Once more I got to laugh at (not with) myself, as I gave pause when reading Trever's baseball-reference.com numbers for '04 and '05, thinking how does one play for To Be Determined ?

Sorry, Ty; you, too, raystros.

I've got a select league travel team for 2-year olds. How much money do you have?  I can guarantee* a start in his High School Rotation.




*Guarantee is void in all 50 states, the European Union, and Haiti.

[ybbodeus]

I've got a select league travel team for 2-year olds. How much money do you have?  I can guarantee* a start in his High School Rotation.




*Guarantee is void in all 50 states, the European Union, and Haiti.

That's interesting, because I was considering buying Haiti.

[Limey]

Isn't Berkman a righty who learned to switch hit?

[NeilT]

On last night's broadcast, J.D. and Brownie mentioned that yesterday was Lefty's Day. 

Although we apparently don't live as long and suffer from more injuries, lefties have a special advantage in baseball.  The role of handedness in all facets of the game of baseball is unique to the sport, and part of what makes it so interesting.

Happy Left Hander's Day to Lance Berkman, Wandy Rodriguez and all Astro lefties past and present.  And thanks to Mom for those left-handed genes.

If there were more lefties than righties, first base would be at third.

[jaklewein]

I was impressed he referenced the whole Latin angle....Sinistra. 

My two-year old son is left handed; I make him throw me stuff every day.  I look at Trever Miller...and then at my son...and then at Trever again.....and I kinda see dollar signs.  I'm not greedy, but maybe I should look at somebody else; help the kid grow to be more ambitious than his old man.

Here's your ybbodeus ADD/Sybil moment:  Once more I got to laugh at (not with) myself, as I gave pause when reading Trever's baseball-reference.com numbers for '04 and '05, thinking how does one play for To Be Determined ?

Sorry, Ty; you, too, raystros....urrrrrrr, strosrays.

My wife and I are expecting our second child (a boy - 1st) within the next 3-4 weeks.  I've said for years (only half joking) that I'd be taping my kid's right arm behind his back shortly after delivery...forcing him to become a lefty...and for the very reason you state above.  Then a couple weeks ago it hit me... I'd be depriving the kid from playing damn near every infield position minus first.  Damn it man...what's a Dad to do?

[Gizzmonic]

I guess it depends on what you consider a lefty.  For example, I consider myself a lefty because I do stuff like write, eat, sweep, etc left-handed.  But when it comes to sports, shooting, throwing, I am right-handed.  Most lefties I know are not 100% left-handed, we usually can do some things right-handed.  Blame it on genetics, or the tyranny of living in a right-handed world (mousing right-handed while taking notes with the left hand is nice though). 

For those of you who want to try and force your child to be a left-handed thrower, don't do it.   I actually believed I was a left-handed thrower until I was 7 or 8, even though it felt wrong.  Needless to say, I totally sucked in Little League (spent most of my time in left field picking flowers) although I could hit okay from the left side (better from the right, though).

Isn't Berkman a righty who learned to switch hit?

[dirty steve]

i write, throw, kick using the left side.  everything except for deal cards left handed.  i'd consider myself a lefthander although i have aquiantances that the only thing they do is write with their left hand.

my 6 year old nephew is lefthanded too.  before a Texans game last year, we were tailgating and he tried to throw the ball lefthanded but from the right side of his body, because all he usually sees are righthanded people throwing.  i thought it was pretty funny until i showed him the right way.

[94CougarGrad]

I have two lefties, one age 9 and one 6. The 9 y/o is a true left-hander who would probably poke himself in the eye if he tried to pick up his bat with his right hand. The 6 y/o throws left and can bat left, but he's more comfortable (and is actually more effective) batting right.

The older one loves to play catcher and is just dying to play catcher when he starts in the minors this fall, but he's been told by a few coaches that little league coaches don't like to use left-handed catchers because the position in which they have to hold their mitts confuses the pitchers. He has not given up on the dream yet and practices at catcher every chance he gets. He did very well at catcher in Pee Wee fall ball last year, but didn't play it much this past spring as there was another boy on the team who was more reliable in that position.

The younger one likes to catch as well, but he's played three seasons of ball (one of them in tee ball) at this point, so he's still in the "I have fun no matter where on the field I play" mode.

[ybbodeus]

My wife and I are expecting our second child (a boy - 1st) within the next 3-4 weeks.  I've said for years (only half joking) that I'd be taping my kid's right arm behind his back shortly after delivery...forcing him to become a lefty...and for the very reason you state above.  Then a couple weeks ago it hit me... I'd be depriving the kid from playing damn near every infield position minus first.  Damn it man...what's a Dad to do?

Sounds like we need to go in together on that developmental league Zipp's talking about.  Maybe he'll give an OWA group discount or something.  Oh, you didn't happen to notice any unusual acronyms...for instance, NAMBLA...on his email did you? Just checkin'.

[JimR]

My wife and I are expecting our second child (a boy - 1st) within the next 3-4 weeks.  I've said for years (only half joking) that I'd be taping my kid's right arm behind his back shortly after delivery...forcing him to become a lefty...and for the very reason you state above.  Then a couple weeks ago it hit me... I'd be depriving the kid from playing damn near every infield position minus first.  Damn it man...what's a Dad to do?

perhaps you should lay in about 18 years' supply of valium and just sit back and watch him play.

[Duman]

I guess it depends on what you consider a lefty.  For example, I consider myself a lefty because I do stuff like write, eat, sweep, etc left-handed.  But when it comes to sports, shooting, throwing, I am right-handed.  Most lefties I know are not 100% left-handed, we usually can do some things right-handed.  Blame it on genetics, or the tyranny of living in a right-handed world (mousing right-handed while taking notes with the left hand is nice though). 

For those of you who want to try and force your child to be a left-handed thrower, don't do it.   I actually believed I was a left-handed thrower until I was 7 or 8, even though it felt wrong.  Needless to say, I totally sucked in Little League (spent most of my time in left field picking flowers) although I could hit okay from the left side (better from the right, though).

Left handed: Eat, write, play ping pong, shoot pool. (most fine motor skill activities)
Right handed: throw, bat, write, tennis, golf (most gross motor activities - yes, my golf game really is pretty gross)

My dad got me a left handed glove but took it back when he realized I was taking it off after I caught the ball to throw it back right handed.

[ybbodeus]

perhaps you should lay in about 18 years' supply of valium and just sit back and watch him play.

What might happen if you take that supply over, say, 9 years?

[JimR]

What might happen if you take that supply over, say, 9 years?

the next 9 will be hell.

[VirtualBob]

perhaps you should lay in about 18 years' supply of valium and just sit back and watch him play.

Good advice from Jim ... I'll let you figure out which half of the comment above is referenced.

[sappy sentimentalism]
My son always had a pretty good swing and had trouble figuring out whether to bat left or right for a while.  Then he broke his arm and missed a season.  He was a little rusty the next year, but in his first game AB he hit a screeming line drive which the SS caught in self-defense.  <pre-YouTube, but visualize dad going wild in the stands>  In his next AB he got hit square in the face by a wild 12-year-old fast ball, after which he proceeded to back out of the box on *every* pitch for the rest of the season.  End of baseball career.

He played football in High School and is now starting on his college Lacrosse team.  He loves it, and he still enjoys it when we catch a baseball game together.  I think the best thing, though, is the enjoyment I get from watching him pursue his own passion rather than trying to live up to my fantasies.
[/sappy sentamentalism]

Just let 'em play!

[ybbodeus]

I hope to follow those same guidelines, VB, always making sure I find an acceptable balance between overly and lassez-faire supportive.  I agree that the motivation should be what the KID wants to do more so than what papa envisions.

Countering that, though, is my long term concern (read: phobia) is getting that phone call from one of my sons at college telling me he's changing his major to dance...."no more of that dreadful finance."

[xxx]

I do everything left handed except throw and write. I tried eating righty and it was very weird, suprised I didn't cut a finger off. but if I had to I can write lefty. I never thought of it but I can't dance to save my life and my boyfriend has been trying to show me a few moves and I keep stepping on his feet he goes your so weird you start out on your left foot? Maybe I was supposed to be a lefty all along. You know Biggio is a lefty but bats and hits righty.

[Limey]

You know Biggio is a lefty but bats and hits righty.

That explains his arm.

FWIW, I'm also somewhat ambidextrous.  I eat lefty, write righty and can perform many functions equally well with either hand.  I deal cards left-handed, but only because I'm cheating.  I'm predominantly righty when playing sports, especially soccer where I had to force myself to become at least competent with my left foot.  Bat and throw righty and would suck even more the other way around.

Perhaps ambidextrous is too strong a word for me, and certainly not something I'd usually choose to type twice in one post.  "Less than crap" with my weaker side might be better way to put it.

[VirtualBob]

Perhaps ambidextrous is too strong a word for me, and certainly not something I'd usually choose to type twice in one post.  "Less than crap" with my weaker side might be better way to put it.

I can do a lot of things with equal "skill" (sic) regardless of which hand I employ, but I hesitate to use the word "ambidextrous" ... The whole implication of dexterity with either hand seems to be somewhat misleading.

[Andyzipp]

That explains his arm.

FWIW, I'm also somewhat ambidextrous.  I eat lefty, write righty and can perform many functions equally well with either hand.  I deal cards left-handed, but only because I'm cheating.  I'm predominantly righty when playing sports, especially soccer where I had to force myself to become at least competent with my left foot.  Bat and throw righty and would suck even more the other way around.

Perhaps ambidextrous is too strong a word for me, and certainly not something I'd usually choose to type twice in one post.  "Less than crap" with my weaker side might be better way to put it.

I'm also starting a Select Travel team from heavyset 40+ year olds.  I need a quasi-ambidextrous British ex-pat w/ RAF experience and concerns about health-care.  How much cash do you have?

[Limey]

I'm also starting a Select Travel team from heavyset 40+ year olds.  I need a quasi-ambidextrous British ex-pat w/ RAF experience and concerns about health-care.  How much cash do you have?

Enough.  Where do I sign.

[Ty in Tampa]

How much cash do you have?

Are you kidding? He bought an iPhone.

[austro]

Are you kidding? He bought an iPhone.

So the answer is either "gobs" or "nothing left".

[Limey]

So the answer is either "gobs" or "nothing left".

It was an investment.  It's increased my participation in the GZ, as I can sit in front of the TV and post away to my heart's content, which helps me on my quest for Illuminati status.

[MRaup]

I'm almost entirely lefthanded. Hit, throw, write, shoot beer pong, would golf left handed if my shoulder wasn't such a mess.

Only thing I really do right handed is shoot a gun. I can shoot left handed too, but my aim is much better righty.

[Ty in Tampa]

I'm almost entirely lefthanded. Hit, throw, write, shoot beer pong, would golf left handed if my shoulder wasn't such a mess.

Only thing I really do right handed is shoot a gun. I can shoot left handed too, but my aim is much better righty.

So don't piss you off while you're shooting beer pong.

[MRaup]

So don't piss you off while you're shooting beer pong.

Thats just sound advice regardless of which hand I shoot a firearm with.

[Col. Sphinx Drummond]

Left handed, right armed.

[MRaup]

Left handed, right armed.

Ohhhh... I like that.