Notes: Glover rediscovering mind-set
Hardy rests, Hall plays Sunday; home opener arrives Monday
CHICAGO -- Traditional thinking says No. 5 starters have one of the toughest
jobs in baseball. He starts one day, might not toe the rubber again for
another 10, then is expected to be just as sharp in his next start.
Brewers pitching coach Mike Maddux does not subscribe to traditional
thinking.
"That's all between the ears," Maddux said.
That is exactly what Maddux told right-hander Gary Glover, who holds the
fifth spot for Milwaukee. Glover will not make his first start until Tuesday
at Miller Park, by which time Ben Sheets and Doug Davis will already have
pitched twice. Because of team off-days, Glover is scheduled for just three
starts in April.
It's a familiar spot for the soft-spoken 28-year-old, who has experience
bouncing between the starting rotation and bullpen for the Chicago White Sox.
But this is the first season Glover has been assured a spot in the rotation
out of Spring Training, and he is feeling more confident than ever about a
role as the swing man.
"In the past, I did think of it as two different mindsets and I think that
got me into trouble more than anything else," said Glover, who entered the
season 16-14 with a 4.92 ERA in 134 big league games, 36 starts.
Glover was used in relief on Friday, replacing Tommy Phelps with two outs and
a Cubs runner on base in the ninth inning. Glover surrendered a single to
Nomar Garciaparra that pushed the potential winning run into scoring
position, but struck out Aramis Ramirez to force extra innings in the
Brewers' eventual win.
Glover said Maddux has opened his eyes to the mental aspects of pitching, but
Glover already had a head start. He started using visualization techniques
while pitching in the Blue Jays' Minor League system in the mid-1990s after a
conversation with childhood friend Jeremy Hayman, a competitive golfer.
"I asked him, 'What do you do to remind yourself to keep the same swing over
and over again?'" Glover remembered. "It was visualization. He would
visualize his swing, visualize the last few seconds of ball flight, visualize
the ball dropping into a 10-foot circle around the pin.
"I figured out that it's the same with pitching. I started visualizing the
ball going right into the catcher's mitt, and it turned my game around that
season."
Glover got away from the technique for several years, but recently started
using it again under Maddux's tutelage. The pair has worked on a series of
minor mechanical and mental adjustments that have given Glover's pitches, not
to mention his career, new life.
"I don't know whether it helps or not now, but it's something that's part of
my routine and I'm sticking with it," Glover said. "When I was younger, I
would try to throw the ball through a brick wall without having any idea what
I was doing. Now I have an idea out there. I'm feeling a lot more confident."
According to manager Ned Yost, Glover is not the only Brewer soaking up
lessons from Maddux.
"At this level, this is a mental game," Yost said. "You're not going to find
anybody up here who's going to need a major overhaul of mechanics. You're
going to find guys who need gentle tweaking of mechanics. Mike gets these
guys to think about being a pitcher. He sets rules and foundations for them
to live by. He's a phenomenal pitching coach in that respect."
"He has really changed my outlook on things," Glover said of Maddux. "I look
at being able to work with him as a blessing."
Take a day: Rookie shortstop J.J. Hardy was disappointed to see his name out
of the starting lineup on Sunday. Yost gave him the day off and started Bill
Hall in Hardy's place.
"You look at J.J., and he's never played in more than 125 games in a year,"
Yost said. "You don't want to pound him down right away. And we've got to get
Billy in there."
Hall got only one at-bat in the Brewers' first four games, and lined into a
double play. To stay sharp, he has been taking extra batting practice with
hitting coach Butch Wynegar.
"My BP is much more serious than it used to be in the past," Hall said.
"Everyone knows I can launch balls in batting practice, but what does that
do? I'm working on going the other way, thinking about hitting situations. Me
and (Jeff) Cirillo are probably the guys who 'take' the most pitches in BP.
We take fewer swings, but we get quality swings."
That's key for Hall, whose on-base percentage last season was a dismal .276.
Yost said Hall's professional approach in practice has stood out.
"You have to start somewhere," Yost said. "You don't all of a sudden jump in
there and say, 'OK, I'm only going to swing at strikes today.' It takes
years."
For openers: The Brewers will line up along the foul lines Monday for their
third Opening Day, but this one perhaps has the most meaning. The team is set
to host Pittsburgh for the fifth home opener at Miller Park.
Single seats and standing-room-only tickets still remain for the 1:05 p.m. CT
game, when the Brewers plan to honor members of seven branches of the United
States Armed Forces in pregame ceremonies. Davis gets the start against
Pirates right-hander Kip Wells in a rematch of the April 6 game at PNC Park.
The national anthem will be performed by Joseph Attanasio, the father of new
Brewers owner Mark Attanasio, who has appeared in feature films like "Quiz
Show," "Sleepers," "Disclosure," and "Fatal Instinct" as well as the
television series "Gideon's Crossing." Hot Apple Pie, a country act, will
sing "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch.
The parking lots at Miller Park will open at 10 a.m. and the stadium gates
will open at 11. Pregame ceremonies are slated to begin at 12:45 p.m. The
Brewers are encouraging fans to use public transportation.
The Milwaukee County Transit System will provide a shuttle from the State
Fair Park and Ride Lot, beginning when the Miller Park parking lots open at
10 a.m. The round trip fare is $2 for adults and discounted fares are
available for seniors, disabled fans and children.
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