Remember to bring your camera to each game to take action photos
Forward these pics. to cubspics@westsidecubs.net
New Images Available under Image area
2008 Game Schedule Now Available
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Remember to bring your camera to each game to take action photos Forward these pics. to cubspics@westsidecubs.net New Images Available under Image area 2008 Game Schedule Now Available
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Paxton Bennett
Batting
Paxton was one of the Cubs best acquisitions for the 2007 season. He has all the athletic skills necessary to become a good ball player. He simply needs practice to perfect these skills. I still have high hopes that Paxton will blossom into an infielder. If he concentrates on using two hands to field the ball and charges the ball it will be easy for him. However, without using these basic fundamentals he will probably not crack the Cubs infield. Paxton will spend alot of time catching in 2008 and will replace Clay as our #2 catcher. At catcher, Paxton will have to learn those infielder skills (using two hands and blocking the ball with the body), if he expects to become a good catcher. Paxton probably has more raw talent than any Cubs player. If we can develop those skills, we will have quite a ball player on our hands. Once he develops good habits, he could easily be one of our best players. Youth baseball is not a game that you can simply pick up a glove once or twice weekly and expect to keep pace with other players who work hard between games and practices. During 2007, Paxton struggled at the plate, but it wasn't because he couldn't hit. He suffered from poor pitch selection and often took swings at pitches out of the strike zone. There were times when he was so aggressive that he swung at high pitches on 3-0 counts. This year we will work on having him relax in the batters box and be more selective. He has good form, a beautiful swing, and excellent power. However, he struggled with timing and making good judgments regarding the strike zone. He was 0 for 12 during the Early bird tournament and he was missing each pitch, badly. Paxton, probably as much as any other player, could contribute more to our goal of winning a Back-to-Back County Championship, if he works hard on skill development. This year our #1 priority for Paxton will be teaching him to be a good catcher. He will need to learn to squat rather than sit behind the plate, even when runners are not on base. He needs to try to block every pitched ball like a hockey goalie, even when runners are not on base. This will better prepare him for bad pitches when runners are on base. This will enable Paxton to develop good habits in the right situations. We will probably initiate a scoring system for Paxton and count how many pitches get past him. We do not care if Paxton catches any pitches, if he blocks them with his body; we rank how many get behind him. Pitchers are rated by balls, strikes, runs, and hits surrendered. Catchers are rated by how many pitched balls they allow to get behind them. Three passed balls equals 1 run scored.
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Westside Youth Athletic Association Website Helton Genealogical DNA Project - Hilton Family Tree - http://hiltonfamilytree.com
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