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Welcome to another episode of hall about Baseball.

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The podcast whose name fulfill, its purpose, and

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that is to examine... Baseball from all angles.

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Sometimes baseball is the main character.

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Sometimes it plays a supporting role, and sometimes

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it's a silent partner.

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Mice name is Byron Ko.

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My

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On 06/18/2024,

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the last 5 tool player of my youth

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passed away.

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Willie may. He was 93.

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He joins a group in my opinion that

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include Mickey Mann, Hank Aaron Frank Robinson,

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A k line and roberto Clement.

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But of those 6,

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I think that Maze was the best of

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all of them. Just like all those players,

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Maze could hit hit with power,

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field throw and run.

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And I think the differentiator here is the

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fact that Maze could run. And by run,

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I mean, base run.

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Now the other foe 5 players were great

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base runners.

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I'm not gonna discount that. That's why they're

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5 tool players, but Maze was an elite

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base runner. I 1 of 5 focus in

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this podcast on his base running. And illustrate

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why I consider him an lead base runner

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and why he was considered an elite base

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runner of his time.

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But think that that skill may have been

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forgotten in lieu of everything else he accomplished

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in his career, the 660 home runs, the

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2068

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runs scored. He was fourth in total bases

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all time or is fourth in total base

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all time was 6080.

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And I think the reason was he ranks

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so high in some of those categories is

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because of his great base running. Maze was

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a runner who, a base runner who wasn't

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satisfied with getting to the next space. He

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wanted to get

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from first to third

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from second to home. He recognized the importance

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of base running to as a win to

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disrupt the defense. I'll get into what I'm

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talking about in a minute. But let me

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start by just

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illustrating how Maze himself, describe how he ran

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the bases and why.

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In this 1 little detail about how he

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changed his approach,

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depending on who was At the plate,

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in particular to who was hitting behind him

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at the time. I quote Maze here.

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Quote, I was doing at of running on

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the basis in 19 58 and 19 59,

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up until the time, William Mc covey joined

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us.

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Then I cut down on it. The reason

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for this I'd not nothing to do with

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me. It had to do with the man

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following me in the batting order,

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unquote, So Para now what he's talking about.

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Or nothing in his career had appointed his

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career Orlando Sa, who himself was a great

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baseball player, who also recently passed away.

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Is all also a hall of fame, a

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world series champion, a league Mvp,

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and a feared power hit, not on Maze

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caliber,

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but still outstanding,

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was primarily also a fast ball hit. So

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Maze would get large leads,

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aggressively large leads from first space to distract

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the picture for 1 thing, but he did

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that in any regard, but oddly so to

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encourage the catcher to call more fast balls

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than off speed pitches. It gives the catcher

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a better chance to throw out a stealing

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runner. So in when this is on first

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and Subpoena was at the plate. He said,

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and I quote.

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Now if we're running on first is a

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threat to steal second. The catcher in the

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back of his mind. Is going

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to be calling for more fast balls because

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that's the best pitch for him when he

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has to get rid of the ball in

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a hurry.

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Unquote, that all changed when Mc covey join

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the team. And the sports writers as you'll

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see did not understand May's motives and felt

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like he was slowing. That'll because he wasn't

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stealing as many bases.

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But when Mc covey joined the team and

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assumed a spot behind Maze,

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he went have done maze any good to

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steal second base because then they would just

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intentionally walk Mc covey in many situations. So

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Maze took leads,

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so then he was held on first by

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the first basement and what that did was

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open a big hole between first and second

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because Mc covey was a dead pull hit.

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I said something early about disrupting the defense.

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That little motion there, that that little change

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in Maze approach.

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Based on who was at the plate gave

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you a better chance to hit the ball

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through the hole because the hole was bigger.

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That's simple.

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In other words, and I quote Maze.

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The hit behind me was getting his best

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shot either when I was or wasn't running,

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depending on not who I was.

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I was still willing amazed.

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But on who he was.

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Obviously, you don't play it that way every

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time, game and game out, but it was

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deliberate, and it happened enough times so that

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sure enough, a local writer did a piece

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on how I was slowing down and used

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my declining stolen based skills to prove it.

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Not Maze was doing was helping his team

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just by changing his approach

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from leading off for a space. Well, how

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did it do?

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Well,

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O

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had this to say about it. He he's

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the guy who was the fast ball hit.

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So Mai was getting big leads to encourage

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the pitcher to Real fast balls.

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I quote. He helped me every way a

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man can help another man. He put points

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on my batting average.

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He taught me plays. He even kept me

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from a lot of trouble.

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Now maybe it's a stretch, and I use

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that pun. Yep, light of the fact that

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William Mc covey his nickname was stretch.

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To consider that

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Maze is taking a bigger lead off first

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a base with Orlando pay at the plate,

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kept him out of trouble. But if you

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consider that it made him a better baseball

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player.

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He saw The success

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of his performance because he was seeing more

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fast balls,

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feeling more confident at the plate.

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Definitely making him a hell happier person,

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which means he probably wouldn't wanna do anything

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to mess that up,

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that speculation on my part but I also

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quoted Sa saying,

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and I'll quote again,

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he even kept me for a lot of

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trouble.

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1 of the things that I said in

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regards to the opening

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episode I'm that I was looking for ways

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to illustrate how baseball has reached off the

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field.

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And here's an example of that. Maze approach

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to base running,

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even according to us Land Pe,

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made him a happier person.

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If there's a way to find where he

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made his base running style I would call

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it control aggression.

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There are many accounts of him going from

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first to third on a single to left.

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Well

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which isn't done very often. Or turning singles

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into doubles. I tried that once in high

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school. I got thrown out at second base,

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but I'm no Willie Maze.

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Or dancing answering to home on a past

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ball while he was on second base. These

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are all documented,

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gets back to my point about Maze thinking

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about not the base in front of them,

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but the 1 after it. And then when

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Played baseball.

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I didn't get past high school,

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but I used every inch of my ability

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and desire

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to play the game to the best of

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my ability, and I an approach to base

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running if I had the opportunity to share

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it with Willie Maze. I would like to.

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But I'll share it with you. What of

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the things I always try to do is

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to mimic that controlled aggression that william he

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may has applied on the basis throughout his

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career.

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And it's actually a style of that I

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copied from him based on a story that

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our high school baseball coach shared with us

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during the season.

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And he wanted to 2 to be influenced

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and to even imitate this approach to base

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running.

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He saw Willie may's play once in the

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19 sixties. I'm must sure where it was,

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but there was a left handed picture up,

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and I don't know who the picture was,

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but our coaches he described it, was marvel

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at the way Maze let off first space,

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and he never seen it but 4.

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And you don't see it now.

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And actually, even though we imitate it, no

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other team did,

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wouldn't maze would do with a lefty for

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or lefty at the mound is that he

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would get an aggressive lead and then extend

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his left hand

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back towards first base. Parallel, the ground. And

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when the pitcher made any move, whether it

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was the first or the home, his first

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shuffle step was a half step back towards

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first base

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our coach had never seen anything like that.

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And at first, he was wondering what he

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was doing. Couldn't figure it out. He recognize

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that

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2 things. 1, extending your hand towards first

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gave you the illusion of being closer to

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the base than you actually were.

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And 2, if your first move move on

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the pitcher first move was back to first

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base.

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Eventually, the pitcher would just get tired of

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trying to pick you off because when he

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do did, and he did try to pick

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Maze off.

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He was safe by a wide margin.

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And then

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man stole second.

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All in the... This is all in 1

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in 1 situation here

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after several throws to first base and May

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going back standing up, standing up, standing up.

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The picture then

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deliver the ball home and may still second

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easily.

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So going copied that style in high school.

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Extending the arm, getting big leads moving back

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to first space with a lefty on. Didn't

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do we the right, just with the lefty.

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But I also had a few

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finger that I did as a base runner

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that I thought gave me an edge.

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I hope May would agree with me. The

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first 1 was

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when I looked off first base. I tried

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to leave the base when the pitcher wasn't

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looking at me. The picture then

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would have looked at me standing on foot

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and the next time he sees me, I'm

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7 feet off the base.

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I thought that that was effective in,

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again, first interrupting the pitcher

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concentration because that's what a base sweater supposed

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to do. So that's 1 thing I would

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do. Whenever the picture looked away from me.

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For the first time, I get a lead

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off first base.

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The second thing I do is focus on

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certain aspects of the pitcher body

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if for what to handed picture was up,

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and he was off the rubber, and I

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was leading off.

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My I was focused on looking at his

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right right hand where the baseball was. I

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always knew where the baseball was. Because I

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know we could throw over at any time.

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And as soon as he made any motion

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of any kind, I'd go back to first.

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And the picture got on a set position,

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then I would focus and key on his

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right heel. And this is something that I

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would coach my kids about.

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You don't have to look at anything but

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the pitcher in right heel, that's the heel

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that's on the rubber.

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If when the pitcher starts his motion,

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whether it's to home or first,

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you will know by what happens with that

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right heel immediately.

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If that right heel stays flat on the

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rubber,

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pitcher has to go home.

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If the heel comes up, it's impossible for

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the pitcher to throw home, pitcher coming to

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first base.

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So you knew.

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As soon as you saw that heel. Do

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what it did, you would either return to

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first immediately or immediately explode the second base.

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Based on what the pitcher right heel did.

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If a left handed was up, or I

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would key on the front foot, the right

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foot of the left handed pitcher. Because when

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he comes to a set position,

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his first motor motion is to move that

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right foot,

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and I would watch it.

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I would never steal the base

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unless I was social certain that that back

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foot

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crossed over the entire rubber on his delivery.

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If that happens then the pitcher has to

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go home,

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That's a rule.

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If he goes to first after that, it's

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a ba.

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The advantage of focusing on just a certain

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aspect,

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the detail

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of a pitcher motion or body part

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is critical for a base runner.

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You also always

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want to focus on that. I don't like

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to coach players and negatives, but I'm gonna

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say it.

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You never wanna look at a picture. Eyes

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when you're leading off.

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It's like a Cobra mon thing.

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If you're looking at a pitcher eyes, you

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can't see

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what the pitcher going to do with his

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body, and a pitcher can fake you with

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his eyes very well, especially a lefty. I've

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seen many left hand pitcher, look at first

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bass and throw home to freeze you. I've

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seen many left handed pitcher look to home

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and throw to first blindly.

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If you look can get a pitcher eyes

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or head, you're looking in the wrong place.

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Who knows? Maybe someday, I'll be able to

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have a conversation with Willie he mae about

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his base. We running

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approach.

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I hope that's the case.

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Let me close this podcast

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with a cunning of more observations about Willie

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May from his teammates

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and for management as well.

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This is Larry Jan, who was a giant's

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couple when Willie Mae broke the league, and

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I quote.

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I'm glad he was on my side. There

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was only 1 guy who could do it

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all. He from first to third on past

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balls,

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more than anyone I ever saw.

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He was very popular with the players.

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You've gone to like someone who did everything

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right,

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unquote.

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And here's a quote from a ne league

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teammate named Piper Davis. Not who played with

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00:12:40,980 --> 00:12:41,480
May's

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for the Birmingham Black barron.

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May's began his career as professional baseball player

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when he was 17.

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And this summarize his Maze entire abilities,

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not just his base running.

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And keep in mind that Davis is speaking

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directly to Maze.

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Quote, as

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you get the greatest instinct jump on the

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00:13:01,025 --> 00:13:03,334
ball I ever saw, except for maybe Joe

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or his brother vince.

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I'll stop here speak of obviously Joe, but

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Joe had a brother, Vince too, who was

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a very good ball player.

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I continue.

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Quote

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But you've got more range than either of

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00:13:18,375 --> 00:13:18,535
them.

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00:13:19,973 --> 00:13:21,811
And you feel ground balls better. Your arm

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is maybe the most dangerous and ruth himself

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00:13:24,376 --> 00:13:26,843
and more accurate than anybody except maybe He

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00:13:26,843 --> 00:13:27,002
rick's.

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That's Tommy He rick. And you don't know

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how to look dangerous under a fly ball.

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00:13:33,471 --> 00:13:34,747
I've seen you on the basis.

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Past,

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no more than 3 feet away and you

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explode,

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load.

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That's the word for it.

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Better than Jackie,

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better than anybody,

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00:13:46,707 --> 00:13:47,025
unquote.

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By j He means Jackie Robinson.

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Here's 1 final quote

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from giants managing general partner, Peter Mc,

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who w Maze while growing up in New

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York.

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And I, quote,

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00:14:00,850 --> 00:14:02,688
Willie was the best base runner I ever

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saw. He wasn't as much a base dealer

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00:14:04,525 --> 00:14:06,612
like Ricky Henderson and but he did things

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I've never seen anybody do.

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He would score from second

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on a bun or in a sacrifice fly,

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go from first to third on a singleton

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left,

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steal home,

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you don't see people do these types of

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things today and, quote,

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I thank you for listening.

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As all your comments suggestions input and feedback

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00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:27,679
are welcome.

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Like I said in the intro podcast, I

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00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:32,960
wanna make this podcast ours. Just like the

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00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:35,048
game of baseball is. Ways So please,

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00:14:36,158 --> 00:14:37,666
hit the like and subscribe button,

427
00:14:38,380 --> 00:14:40,443
recommend a friends and family, and I look

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00:14:40,443 --> 00:14:41,553
forward to the next time.

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00:14:43,155 --> 00:14:45,457
My name is Byron Cope, and this is

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00:14:45,457 --> 00:14:46,726
all about baseball.