Hit shows ...

What we find impossible to understand is how, with all the esthetic advances in the coaching of baseball, our coaches--from Little League to Big League--allow the hitters to set up at the plate any old way they want--with the bat held straight up over the head, the legs spread all over the batting box, the body in a half-squat at the knees.

'Twas ever thus: that you can do anything at all with your body, balance, and bat just so long as you compensate by brining your bat and arms around in the correct launching position.

Our favorite hitters of all time (to watch, not to worship) Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle were the classic power hitters--monstrously strong, perfectly balanced, look great up at the plate, and hit the ball for awesome distances.

The two hitters we most admired for purely esthetic reasons were Johnny Mize and Earle Combs, two left-handed hitters who awed us with their style and certitude. They stood up there with everything perfectly in place and totally quiet. Ever time they swung, we knew it was a good pitch and there was no way they were going to miss it.

Mize once explained it to us: "too many of our hitters go up to the plate and then go duh, duh, duh, duh, with their bodies. It may be great for dancing, but not for hitting a baseball.

"I'd always walk into the batter's box, lower my bat, get my feet right, and then whack the ball to a good spot. Do this enough times and it gets easy."