Pitcher Alan Gray was a depth-piece signing in free agency who didn't join the Pikemen's starting rotation until mid-May, when he delivered a 6.1-inning minor gem against his old team, the El Paso Chilis.
Minor gems have been a more common phenomenon in the final third of the season, typified by 6 to 7 innings of 2-run ball with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks. The Pikemen play crisp defense behind him.
"Guys don't have time to get distracted when Alan's on the mound," says shortstop Chip Puckett. "He rarely shakes off the catcher. He doesn't go through any rituals."
Gray doesn't go through any rituals on the mound, but the pitcher attributes his slow-blooming success to an off-field ritual, what he calls tea-bag basketball.
"I drink an English brand of tea called PG Tips," Gray explains with a straight face. "The tea bags don't have a string attached. They are like little dumplings with corners that float to the surface."
He continues, "For kicks, I started seeing if I could shoot the bags into my tea cup, like when I played Nerf hoops as a kid. At first, I could hit shots from 2 feet away. Now, I can swish a tea bag from across the kitchen. It's made me realize the importance of staying calm and visualizing where you want the bag, or ball, to go."
"Yeah, he's told us about it," says veteran starter Ray Verhoeve. "I was curious, but I drink coffee."
Sticking Points 2050.6: The Minor Gems of Alan Gray
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- chicoruiz
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Re: Sticking Points 2050.6: The Minor Gems of Alan Gray
Here I had Alan Gray in my system, and didn’t ever think to train him with teabags. I wonder if he has a relative named “Earl Gray”…
( “In baseball you don’t know nothin’...” Yogi Berra)
- JimSlade
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Re: Sticking Points 2050.6: The Minor Gems of Alan Gray
Man, how did I miss that meatball of a joke? Well played!
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