Andrew Benintendi raises avg 100 PT's and gore from 1 to 20 HR.. Why??

[MabenMaroon]

I am pretty sure that Benintindi's stats were drastically better because he hit the ball a lot better. Pretty simple!**

[engie]

Partially true, coach Polk had a point system for each swing during a game. He didn't have one for batting practice. Just for clarification

Polk did use one for BP. Double pointed for the L-Screen just like Cohen's is accused of doing. It was lifted directly off Polk and used by my HS coach who had been a Polk GA. That coach pumped through 5 or 6 ready-made all-SEC guys in a few year stretch there, so it obviously screwed up their strokes**

The specific times in his career that Polk used it -- I don't pretend to know. But he did teach and use it at one point in time before he got lazy.

[Homedawg]

He did use one for BP. Double pointed for the L-Screen...

Um no he didn't......
Had the pr system for all intersquads and games. All swings. No point system on bp or practice swings in the cage. I'll leave it at that. If you'd like to argue further I'd love to take you up on it.

[Homedawg]

Polk did use one for BP. Double pointed for the L-Screen just like Cohen's is accused of doing. It was lifted directly off Polk and used by my HS coach who had been a Polk GA. That coach pumped through 5 or 6 ready-made all-SEC guys in a few year stretch there, so it obviously screwed up their strokes**

The specific times in his career that Polk used it -- I don't pretend to know. But he did teach and use it at one point in time before he got lazy.

Coach y might have used that but it wasn't used at state. Y was good coach- not shocked he had a good system of tracking bp. But that didn't come from rp.

[engie]

Um no he didn't......
Had the pr system for all intersquads and games. All swings. No point system on bp or practice swings in the cage. I'll leave it at that. If you'd like to argue further I'd love to take you up on it.

It came directly from Polk. If you'd like to make the call and ask where it came from -- you are welcome to make that call.

Unless you practiced with Polk every day for 30 years -- there is no way you can possibly know what you pretend to know. And I don't even see the point in you pretending to want to argue about it.

[ShotgunDawg]

It's been fun reading these answers. Here is the correct answer.

In high school Benintendi weighed 160 pounds and hit 11 HRs his Jr year of high school and 12 his Sr year, while also becoming 2nd all time for hits in Ohio high school baseball. Furthermore, while weighing 160 pounds, Benintendi is 3rd all time in doubles for the Midland Redskins ( the East Cobb for the Midwest) behind Jay Payton and Nate McClouth.

After arriving at Arkansas in the fall of 2013, Benintendi had hamate bone problems and had it removed in December of 2013. Hamate bone removal is know to sap ones power for a year and Benintendi couldn't start swinging a bat till mid January prior to the 2014 season. Then right as he was gaining strength in his hands, he pulled his quad in April of 2014.

With these injuries, he took the summer off and gained 20 pounds. With the extra strength and slightly closing his stance to create more torque, an elite hitter's doubles became home runs

That's the story.

[Homedawg]

It came directly from Polk. If you'd like to make the call and ask where it came from -- you are welcome to make that call.

Unless you practiced with Polk every day for 30 years -- there is no way you can possibly know what you pretend to know. And I don't even see the point in you pretending to want to argue about it.

I don't want to argue- apparently you do- coach Polk was the biggest creature of habit ever. He did everything the same every single year. Everything. Once his book came out, and that was way pre coach Y, he didn't change jack. I mean nothing. Signals nothing. It took him a over a decade to change his indicator. His INDiCATOR. Signs never changed. Bunt defense, 1st and 3rd nothing. Like I said, coach Y was a good coach and he came up w it or he got it from someone else.

[Bucky Dog]

It's been fun reading these answers. Here is the correct answer.

In high school Benintendi weighed 160 pounds and hit 11 HRs his Jr year of high school and 12 his Sr year, while also becoming 2nd all time for hits in Ohio high school baseball. Furthermore, while weighing 160 pounds, Benintendi is 3rd all time in doubles for the Midland Redskins ( the East Cobb for the Midwest) behind Jay Payton and Nate McClouth.

After arriving at Arkansas in the fall of 2013, Benintendi had hamate bone problems and had it removed in December of 2013. Hamate bone removal is know to sap ones power for a year and Benintendi couldn't start swinging a bat till mid January prior to the 2014 season. Then right as he was gaining strength in his hands, he pulled his quad in April of 2014.

With these injuries, he took the summer off and gained 20 pounds. With the extra strength and slightly closing his stance to create more torque, an elite hitter's doubles became home runs

That's the story.

You forgot proper pre load position!**. But seriously, it is very simple. He put on muscle, and caught up to SEC pitching, after his injury. Sounds a little like Renfroe.

[shoeless joe]

It came directly from Polk.

This is true...

I prefer not to get into a "who has a bigger baseball knowledge pecker" contest but engie is correct on this one.

The system was and is used to promote a palm up/palm down, stay inside the baseball approach to hitting. That's it. It's no secret taboo system that proves Cohen is clueless and can't coach. So apologies to the agenda mafia.

[Coach34]

I love watching posters argue with guys that used to coach camps at State and were very close to the program.

[Homedawg]

This is true...

I prefer not to get into a "who has a bigger baseball knowledge pecker" contest but engie is correct on this one.

Ok whatever. Best I can tell I'm the only one out of the two of us, me and engine, who played for Polk. So I as much as I think you are an ok poster, in this case, I would respectfully disagree. Also, I was there when coach Y was so.....well maybe just maybe I know.

[Jacksondevildog]

And argue with people who talk to players currently on the team.

I love watching posters argue with guys that used to coach camps at State and were very close to the program.

[5 Star]

Your response shows you know nothing. I simply said we didn't teach everyone to hit like ichiro. Which clearly isnt true. I say our hitting nor our pitching was up to par- you say I run to defend Cohen. How? I said we weren't good? We have to be better!!! Period. I'd love to be locked in a room w you to talk baseball- I'd have a field day w your ass. And absolute field day.

You don't know anything about sitting dead red on the curveball. Neither does Chipper Jones. But Smitty does.

[engie]

So, he did everything the same? You are saying that he never left campus to recruit in his entire tenure then, correct? Think about it.

Polk was definitely a creature of habit -- but he absolutely did not do everything exactly the same way for his entire tenure. You are arguing omniscience on something that we got directly from Polk during his 98-99 hiatus from coaching and incorporated from then on. It wasn't something picked up and incorporated along the way from Bertman, etc even though there was plenty of that type of stuff, it was something that Coach Polk literally taught us as a team himself while he was making his rounds during his retirement. As I said the first time -- I don't pretend to know what years he used it -- but he certainly taught it -- and Polk and Raffo spent quite a bit of time on l-screen/back-of-cage teaching/reinforcement throughout the time I was coming through.

What the geniuses in this thread apparently don't realize is that it wasn't about learning to be a "slap" hitter and it wasn't about removing power. It did neither -- in spite of them trying to will that into reality. It was about teaching bat control. And it was pretty damn effective in that regard.

[Coach34]

And argue with people who talk to players currently on the team.

Nobody talks to them more than Homedawg does- I assure you

[5 Star]

And argue with people who talk to players currently on the team.

I don't care who you talk to. I was arguing with this:

It helps having a coach that doesn't tell the players and media that the balls are not going to fly out of their home ballpark.

You're wrong and you know it. Seems to me it helps to have a coach who realizes reality and goes along with it, not against it. Especially in an era of college baseball where it is extremely difficult to get elite hitters to campus.

Your pals on the team must be the ones I heard about - the ones who cry and cower every time Cohen gets on their ass.

[shoeless joe]

Ok whatever. Best I can tell I'm the only one out of the two of us, me and engine, who played for Polk. So I as much as I think you are an ok poster, in this case, I would respectfully disagree. Also, I was there when coach Y was so.....well maybe just maybe I know.

Fair enough...

For the record i enjoy engie being wrong as much as the next guy; but in this case what I saw, heard, and experienced myself goes rite along with what he is stating. I won't question your first hand experiences...but I am just stating mine.

And this side argument really isn't the main point...which is the folks trying to use this to "prove" Cohen is a terrible coach.

[Jacksondevildog]

Don't know why this fact makes so many angry on here. I'm not happy about it and hope it changes and I expect that it will. We also had an exorbitant amount of guys faking injuries or claiming that they had minor injuries. IF that was true, that was a major problem.

[5 Star]

Don't know why this fact makes so many angry on here. I'm not happy about it and hope it changes and I expect that it will. We also had an exorbitant amount of guys faking injuries or claiming that they had minor injuries. IF that was true, that was a major problem.

Sounds like you are letting your emotions get the best of you. Exhibit 1: Your ears are closed to the guys that are pointing out the true facts. Exhibit 2: You are claiming things (fake injuries) that you yourself just admitted you don't know (see the bolded "IF").

[Homedawg]

So, he did everything the same? You are saying that he never left campus to recruit in his entire tenure then, correct? Think about it.

Polk was definitely a creature of habit -- but he absolutely did not do everything exactly the same way for his entire tenure. You are arguing omniscience on something that we got directly from Polk during his 98-99 hiatus from coaching and incorporated from then on. It wasn't something picked up and incorporated along the way from Bertman, etc even though there was plenty of that type of stuff, it was something that Coach Polk literally taught us as a team himself while he was making his rounds during his retirement. As I said the first time -- I don't pretend to know what years he used it -- but he certainly taught it -- and Polk and Raffo spent quite a bit of time on l-screen/back-of-cage teaching/reinforcement throughout the time I was coming through.

What the geniuses in this thread apparently don't realize is that it wasn't about learning to be a "slap" hitter and it wasn't about removing power. It did neither -- in spite of them trying to will that into reality. It was about teaching bat control. And it was pretty damn effective in that regard.

I'm not claiming to be omniscient about coach Polk, however, I was saying he didn't do it at state during any year coach y was there. And I went to many practices in Polk II and they did absolutely nothing different than the previous time he was there. And I mean nothing......now with all that said, I have no doubt that Y did what you said. None. Also, playing for him and being a good player I have no doubt you know the game- you've shown that. And on this convo we can agree that using the middle of the field is a good thing, just pull the inside stuff.