The Basics

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The Basics

Jim Allen's weekly Hot Corner is out on The Daily Yomiuri On-line. This week Jim looks at how American managers really appreciate the hard work put in by Japanese (and Asian) players before the game with infield practice, a lost art in MLB. Pull quote:

"I tell [36-year-old outfielder Tomonori] Maeda, 'Why don't you take a day off infield?' and he says, 'No, no, no. I can't do that. This is how I get ready,'" said Brown. "So they thoroughly look at that as preparation, whereas we don't."

The Carp school master says the majors have shied away from the ritual out of fear of pre-game injuries.

"There's a different thought process [in the majors]," Brown said. "If he does it [is hurt] during a game, we can live with that. But if he does it during infield practice, do we really need that? Is it that something that's going to make us better?"

Brown-kantoku and Hillman-kantoku are quoted throughout the article for their perspectives on "taking infield."

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