European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 20, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday june 20, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 21 bouncing Ball carries Gwynn to batting Lead by Samantha Stevenson the new York times san Diego a Tony Gwynn a trademark is the four or five bouncer that finds its Way Between the third baseman and the shortstop into left Field for a single. It s not pretty but its still arts / a that four Hopper is Rhy favorite a the left handed hitting the other Day at his Home in Poway Calif Northeast of san Diego. A i Call it my bread and butter hit. When 1 hit it in be waited Long enough for the Ball to get on top of me but i was Quick enough to get it through. / a one of the reasons i get so Many hits that Way is because its hard to read the Ball off my Bat. My hands come through the zone first and the barrel trails and it kind of hides the. Ball from the fielder until in be already hit it they done to see the Ball hit the Bat. They just see the Ball off the Bat. By. The time they react they can to get a to a a. It. After 66 games of his 10th season with the san Diego padres who going into wednesdays game were 61/ games out of first place in the National league West Gwynn was leading both leagues in hitting with an average of .361. He had 42 runs batted in. The quiet work Gwynn puts in each Day at the Ball Park a never missing a batting practice spending five minutes hitting balls Only to left Field hitting a Ball off a batting tee a has made him a hitters role Model to the Young players coming up in both leagues. A a the Young ones watch him a said Joe Torre the St. Louis cardinals manager. A a he san artist. You teach what he a doing. Done to pull the Ball. Think through the Middle. It s harder than you think to hit the other Way. Easier to pull it. Keep it in Gwynn knows better than almost anyone in the big leagues what a hitters Job is supposed to be. Gwynn does no to keep secrets about his hitting and he does no to think he does it right Many times but there is an order to making it work which according to Gwynn includes his Bat his grip his swing his videotapes and his wife Alicia. A a a a a a a. A the Bat Gwynn Calls his Louisville slugger a the pea it measures 32 inches and 31 ounces the smallest Bat in the major leagues said Gwynn and Brian Ilaman the padres equipment manager. Ilaman said that the Only player to use a smaller but was the Phillies bake Mcbride g 31 Inch Model 10 years ago. Most players use 33 or 34-Inch bats that weigh a couple of ounces More than Gwynn a Model. The first time Hee Hose a Bat that Small was in College at san Diego state University. Quot it was a Tennessee thumped an aluminium Bat a Gwynn recalled. A it was 32 inches. 32 ounces i hit .420 with that Bat. When i moved to Amarillo alter the Low minors i bought two bats off the rack at a sporting goods store. A Mike Ivey 0-16, 32 inches. 31 ounces. Eighteen Bucks apiece a lot of Money in those Davs. I went 4 Lor 4. Hit a Home run. Two doubles and a single the next Dav i went 3 for 4. The Small Bat stuck. A Quot. With my bits i like a thick handle. 1 went Down to. Louisville to find out How to take the weight off because it s so Short. They told me they can put a Hole m the handle and take off an ounce of weight and still keep the handle thick. All my bats have a Hole in the handle now. When i first began ordering none of them came in at 321/. Now after winning a couple batting titles every Bat has been perfect.�?�. T. The grip. A a a As a Point guard on the basketball team at san Diego state Gwynn spent a lot of time dribbling court he developed Quick hands and Quick Quot wrists that have helped him get the Bat through the zone. A a lot of people talk about my Loose grip when i swing the Bat a . A you can to go up to the plate unless you re relaxed. The tendency is to squeeze the Bat. Squeeze the sawdust out of it. I wait and Wail and let the Ball get right on top of me and just swing with a Loose grip. Quot i done to swing real hard. I just get the Bat through the zone. I done to kill the Ball. Tap it. Lay the Bat on the Ball. I hit it hard enough to get it through the infield but soft enough to get it out Way out in the the swing Gwynn has three parts to his swing. First he lifts his stride or front foot up and sets it Down taking his hands Back without shifting his weight. When the foot lands his hands Are ready to go Forward. The second part he brings his front foot his hips and his hands Forward but not until the Pitcher releases the Ball. Then As he says he a Waits and Waits Quot until the Ball is on top of him before releasing his wrists. The third part is his follow through and finish. He always finishes High with his swing. He never makes Contact and stops. A the video Gwynn watches taped replays of every one of his games on his big screen television. He has a satellite dish outside to bring in away games from around the league and takes Tony Gwynn transmutes Art of hitting into a science. A video player along on the Road. He tapes the game then like a video editor takes out his times at Bat and Puls them on a separate cassette. By the end of the season he has a Tony Gwynn highlight show plus tapes of every Pitcher he has faced. Quot Alicia Gwynn a i respect her knowledge a about his wife Alicia. �?o1 taught her too Well. First game of the series on the Road in Chicago. She a in the stands. First and third nobody out. Come up. First pitch. Ground Ball to first throw it Home tag our runner out rest of game i singled to left Center singled to Center and walked. I come out of the clubhouse and she a waiting. A Why did you swing at the first pitch the first time up a she said. A i done to know a i said. A i thought id get a fastball and he threw me a curve Ball a see you got yourself she was league its reach by Klint Johnson assistant sports editor Little league continues to broaden its european horizons As it looks to the 1991 championships this summer., a. -. A a a t. Entering its 35th season the youth Diamond program embraces four baseball divisions and three girls softball age groups with european tournaments scheduled in All seven for the first time. Gay Marullo in his third year As Little leagues director for Europe honchos a program for 11-18 year Olds of both sexes and now chartered in 16 nations. This years championships will be held in Germany England and Italy with Ramstein a hosting four of them. A a we re holding our first championship with a strictly italian league As Host a said Marullo. The senior division tournament for 1415-year-Olds will be held at Novaro near Milan july 20-26. A they have a new Field there and its like a minor league Ballpark a added championships have been held in Italy but usually in the Naples area and always hosted by mostly american sponsored leagues. T lie european director an army warrant officer in Kaiserslautern is particularly proud of Little leagues a Murd expansion. Ave re definitely adding teams from Estonia and Nhu Ania to two of our championships this year a he said. Poland and Czechoslovakia came last year and Tuey la be Back.�?�. Also Hungary and Romania have been chartered for ittle league but Marullo does no to know if enter european tournaments this year. Moscow has a league c Uter but will not play in the 1991 championships. European Little league 1991 european championships Junior division 13-year-Olds july 20-26 at Raf Alconbury England senior division 14-15 years july 20-26 at Novara Italy big league division 16-18 years. July 20-26 at Mainz Germany Little league division 11-12 years aug. 3-10 at Ramstein a Germany softball girls Little league senior and big league division All july 26-aug. 1 at Ramstein a Germany. A amps. Susan Harris a we expect to have All of them in �?�92, and maybe Jordan will be Back next year a said Marullo. Jordan came for the european la tourney in Ramstein last year but did no to charter this year. Expected Back for european Competition Are teams from Austria Belgium France Germany Israel Italy the Netherlands Norway saudi Arabia Spain the United kingdom and Yugoslavia in edition to Poland and Czechoslovakia. In each tournament the Host country will usually be represented by two teams a one from the hosting Community. July 20-26 will be a Busy baseball week for Marullo and his staff with the Junior division for 13-year-Olds at Raf Alconbury England the big league tourney 16-18 years at Mainz Germany and the senior meet in Italy All sharing those dates. A it just worked out that Way because of Field availability a explained Marullo. baseball division still called Little league is the traditional 11-12 age group which will hold its Lairope championship aug. 3-10 at Ramstein the Winner there advances to the la world series in Williamsport pa., the shrine of Little league. Other european baseball champions will also go to their respective world championships in the states. The Junior division in its second year in Europe will play at i Aylor mich., the seniors at Kissimmee Fla and the big league at fort Lauderdale Ida. I he first european softball championships for girls a split into Little league 11-12senior 13-15 and big. League 16-18 divisions a will be held sinus Lane Ousby july 26-aug. 1 at Ramstein,.the softball winners wont Advance to their respective worldwide tournaments this year but Marullo says the 1992 champions will travel to stateside tourneys. Little bits a Kaiserslautern military Community Kmic won three of last years european titles Little league. Juniors and big league while Brussels took the seniors title. Kmc.�?T, which pairs the Kaiserslautern and Ramstein communities because they Are under the same mar funding will Combine again this year. But Marullo Hopes to have the two Large communities split for the �?T92 la season a european Little league will be represented for the first time by an Umpire at this years world series. A dutchman Jas Van Der Kief will work the Tournai. Rent at Williamsport. V 7
