Welcome to another episode of hall about Baseball.
The podcast whose name fulfill, its purpose, and
that is to examine... Baseball from all angles.
Sometimes baseball is the main character.
Sometimes it plays a supporting role, and sometimes
it's a silent partner.
Mice name is Byron Ko.
My
On 06/18/2024,
the last 5 tool player of my youth
passed away.
Willie may. He was 93.
He joins a group in my opinion that
include Mickey Mann, Hank Aaron Frank Robinson,
A k line and roberto Clement.
But of those 6,
I think that Maze was the best of
all of them. Just like all those players,
Maze could hit hit with power,
field throw and run.
And I think the differentiator here is the
fact that Maze could run. And by run,
I mean, base run.
Now the other foe 5 players were great
base runners.
I'm not gonna discount that. That's why they're
5 tool players, but Maze was an elite
base runner. I 1 of 5 focus in
this podcast on his base running. And illustrate
why I consider him an lead base runner
and why he was considered an elite base
runner of his time.
But think that that skill may have been
forgotten in lieu of everything else he accomplished
in his career, the 660 home runs, the
2068
runs scored. He was fourth in total bases
all time or is fourth in total base
all time was 6080.
And I think the reason was he ranks
so high in some of those categories is
because of his great base running. Maze was
a runner who, a base runner who wasn't
satisfied with getting to the next space. He
wanted to get
from first to third
from second to home. He recognized the importance
of base running to as a win to
disrupt the defense. I'll get into what I'm
talking about in a minute. But let me
start by just
illustrating how Maze himself, describe how he ran
the bases and why.
In this 1 little detail about how he
changed his approach,
depending on who was At the plate,
in particular to who was hitting behind him
at the time. I quote Maze here.
Quote, I was doing at of running on
the basis in 19 58 and 19 59,
up until the time, William Mc covey joined
us.
Then I cut down on it. The reason
for this I'd not nothing to do with
me. It had to do with the man
following me in the batting order,
unquote, So Para now what he's talking about.
Or nothing in his career had appointed his
career Orlando Sa, who himself was a great
baseball player, who also recently passed away.
Is all also a hall of fame, a
world series champion, a league Mvp,
and a feared power hit, not on Maze
caliber,
but still outstanding,
was primarily also a fast ball hit. So
Maze would get large leads,
aggressively large leads from first space to distract
the picture for 1 thing, but he did
that in any regard, but oddly so to
encourage the catcher to call more fast balls
than off speed pitches. It gives the catcher
a better chance to throw out a stealing
runner. So in when this is on first
and Subpoena was at the plate. He said,
and I quote.
Now if we're running on first is a
threat to steal second. The catcher in the
back of his mind. Is going
to be calling for more fast balls because
that's the best pitch for him when he
has to get rid of the ball in
a hurry.
Unquote, that all changed when Mc covey join
the team. And the sports writers as you'll
see did not understand May's motives and felt
like he was slowing. That'll because he wasn't
stealing as many bases.
But when Mc covey joined the team and
assumed a spot behind Maze,
he went have done maze any good to
steal second base because then they would just
intentionally walk Mc covey in many situations. So
Maze took leads,
so then he was held on first by
the first basement and what that did was
open a big hole between first and second
because Mc covey was a dead pull hit.
I said something early about disrupting the defense.
That little motion there, that that little change
in Maze approach.
Based on who was at the plate gave
you a better chance to hit the ball
through the hole because the hole was bigger.
That's simple.
In other words, and I quote Maze.
The hit behind me was getting his best
shot either when I was or wasn't running,
depending on not who I was.
I was still willing amazed.
But on who he was.
Obviously, you don't play it that way every
time, game and game out, but it was
deliberate, and it happened enough times so that
sure enough, a local writer did a piece
on how I was slowing down and used
my declining stolen based skills to prove it.
Not Maze was doing was helping his team
just by changing his approach
from leading off for a space. Well, how
did it do?
Well,
O
had this to say about it. He he's
the guy who was the fast ball hit.
So Mai was getting big leads to encourage
the pitcher to Real fast balls.
I quote. He helped me every way a
man can help another man. He put points
on my batting average.
He taught me plays. He even kept me
from a lot of trouble.
Now maybe it's a stretch, and I use
that pun. Yep, light of the fact that
William Mc covey his nickname was stretch.
To consider that
Maze is taking a bigger lead off first
a base with Orlando pay at the plate,
kept him out of trouble. But if you
consider that it made him a better baseball
player.
He saw The success
of his performance because he was seeing more
fast balls,
feeling more confident at the plate.
Definitely making him a hell happier person,
which means he probably wouldn't wanna do anything
to mess that up,
that speculation on my part but I also
quoted Sa saying,
and I'll quote again,
he even kept me for a lot of
trouble.
1 of the things that I said in
regards to the opening
episode I'm that I was looking for ways
to illustrate how baseball has reached off the
field.
And here's an example of that. Maze approach
to base running,
even according to us Land Pe,
made him a happier person.
If there's a way to find where he
made his base running style I would call
it control aggression.
There are many accounts of him going from
first to third on a single to left.
Well
which isn't done very often. Or turning singles
into doubles. I tried that once in high
school. I got thrown out at second base,
but I'm no Willie Maze.
Or dancing answering to home on a past
ball while he was on second base. These
are all documented,
gets back to my point about Maze thinking
about not the base in front of them,
but the 1 after it. And then when
Played baseball.
I didn't get past high school,
but I used every inch of my ability
and desire
to play the game to the best of
my ability, and I an approach to base
running if I had the opportunity to share
it with Willie Maze. I would like to.
But I'll share it with you. What of
the things I always try to do is
to mimic that controlled aggression that william he
may has applied on the basis throughout his
career.
And it's actually a style of that I
copied from him based on a story that
our high school baseball coach shared with us
during the season.
And he wanted to 2 to be influenced
and to even imitate this approach to base
running.
He saw Willie may's play once in the
19 sixties. I'm must sure where it was,
but there was a left handed picture up,
and I don't know who the picture was,
but our coaches he described it, was marvel
at the way Maze let off first space,
and he never seen it but 4.
And you don't see it now.
And actually, even though we imitate it, no
other team did,
wouldn't maze would do with a lefty for
or lefty at the mound is that he
would get an aggressive lead and then extend
his left hand
back towards first base. Parallel, the ground. And
when the pitcher made any move, whether it
was the first or the home, his first
shuffle step was a half step back towards
first base
our coach had never seen anything like that.
And at first, he was wondering what he
was doing. Couldn't figure it out. He recognize
that
2 things. 1, extending your hand towards first
gave you the illusion of being closer to
the base than you actually were.
And 2, if your first move move on
the pitcher first move was back to first
base.
Eventually, the pitcher would just get tired of
trying to pick you off because when he
do did, and he did try to pick
Maze off.
He was safe by a wide margin.
And then
man stole second.
All in the... This is all in 1
in 1 situation here
after several throws to first base and May
going back standing up, standing up, standing up.
The picture then
deliver the ball home and may still second
easily.
So going copied that style in high school.
Extending the arm, getting big leads moving back
to first space with a lefty on. Didn't
do we the right, just with the lefty.
But I also had a few
finger that I did as a base runner
that I thought gave me an edge.
I hope May would agree with me. The
first 1 was
when I looked off first base. I tried
to leave the base when the pitcher wasn't
looking at me. The picture then
would have looked at me standing on foot
and the next time he sees me, I'm
7 feet off the base.
I thought that that was effective in,
again, first interrupting the pitcher
concentration because that's what a base sweater supposed
to do. So that's 1 thing I would
do. Whenever the picture looked away from me.
For the first time, I get a lead
off first base.
The second thing I do is focus on
certain aspects of the pitcher body
if for what to handed picture was up,
and he was off the rubber, and I
was leading off.
My I was focused on looking at his
right right hand where the baseball was. I
always knew where the baseball was. Because I
know we could throw over at any time.
And as soon as he made any motion
of any kind, I'd go back to first.
And the picture got on a set position,
then I would focus and key on his
right heel. And this is something that I
would coach my kids about.
You don't have to look at anything but
the pitcher in right heel, that's the heel
that's on the rubber.
If when the pitcher starts his motion,
whether it's to home or first,
you will know by what happens with that
right heel immediately.
If that right heel stays flat on the
rubber,
pitcher has to go home.
If the heel comes up, it's impossible for
the pitcher to throw home, pitcher coming to
first base.
So you knew.
As soon as you saw that heel. Do
what it did, you would either return to
first immediately or immediately explode the second base.
Based on what the pitcher right heel did.
If a left handed was up, or I
would key on the front foot, the right
foot of the left handed pitcher. Because when
he comes to a set position,
his first motor motion is to move that
right foot,
and I would watch it.
I would never steal the base
unless I was social certain that that back
foot
crossed over the entire rubber on his delivery.
If that happens then the pitcher has to
go home,
That's a rule.
If he goes to first after that, it's
a ba.
The advantage of focusing on just a certain
aspect,
the detail
of a pitcher motion or body part
is critical for a base runner.
You also always
want to focus on that. I don't like
to coach players and negatives, but I'm gonna
say it.
You never wanna look at a picture. Eyes
when you're leading off.
It's like a Cobra mon thing.
If you're looking at a pitcher eyes, you
can't see
what the pitcher going to do with his
body, and a pitcher can fake you with
his eyes very well, especially a lefty. I've
seen many left hand pitcher, look at first
bass and throw home to freeze you. I've
seen many left handed pitcher look to home
and throw to first blindly.
If you look can get a pitcher eyes
or head, you're looking in the wrong place.
Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll be able to
have a conversation with Willie he mae about
his base. We running
approach.
I hope that's the case.
Let me close this podcast
with a cunning of more observations about Willie
May from his teammates
and for management as well.
This is Larry Jan, who was a giant's
couple when Willie Mae broke the league, and
I quote.
I'm glad he was on my side. There
was only 1 guy who could do it
all. He from first to third on past
balls,
more than anyone I ever saw.
He was very popular with the players.
You've gone to like someone who did everything
right,
unquote.
And here's a quote from a ne league
teammate named Piper Davis. Not who played with
May's
for the Birmingham Black barron.
May's began his career as professional baseball player
when he was 17.
And this summarize his Maze entire abilities,
not just his base running.
And keep in mind that Davis is speaking
directly to Maze.
Quote, as
you get the greatest instinct jump on the
ball I ever saw, except for maybe Joe
or his brother vince.
I'll stop here speak of obviously Joe, but
Joe had a brother, Vince too, who was
a very good ball player.
I continue.
Quote
But you've got more range than either of
them.
And you feel ground balls better. Your arm
is maybe the most dangerous and ruth himself
and more accurate than anybody except maybe He
rick's.
That's Tommy He rick. And you don't know
how to look dangerous under a fly ball.
I've seen you on the basis.
Past,
no more than 3 feet away and you
explode,
load.
That's the word for it.
Better than Jackie,
better than anybody,
unquote.
By j He means Jackie Robinson.
Here's 1 final quote
from giants managing general partner, Peter Mc,
who w Maze while growing up in New
York.
And I, quote,
Willie was the best base runner I ever
saw. He wasn't as much a base dealer
like Ricky Henderson and but he did things
I've never seen anybody do.
He would score from second
on a bun or in a sacrifice fly,
go from first to third on a singleton
left,
steal home,
you don't see people do these types of
things today and, quote,
I thank you for listening.
As all your comments suggestions input and feedback
are welcome.
Like I said in the intro podcast, I
wanna make this podcast ours. Just like the
game of baseball is. Ways So please,
hit the like and subscribe button,
recommend a friends and family, and I look
forward to the next time.
My name is Byron Cope, and this is
all about baseball.