Journal: Doolittle, Ports hanging tough

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Aloha, sports fans and welcome to another journal entry from yours truly -- Sean Doolittle of the Stockton Ports.

As you read this, we are currently heading into our third game of a nine-game home stand, returning to beautiful Banner Island Stadium after a nine-game road trip. Heading into last night's contest with Bakersfield, we had won six of our last 10, but our walk-off win last night was by far one our biggest wins of the season. With just four games to play in the first half, we trail the Giants of San Jose by just two games.

Last journal entry, we found ourselves skidding off track a little bit, but it's all about finding ways to win when it matters down the stretch, and that's what we've been able to do. So far, in the month of June, we've won five games by four runs or less. We've notched three wins in extra innings and overcome a few tough losses in the process. By playing good defense, relying on some outstanding pitching and getting some timely hits, we've been able to get back on the winning track.

I guess this is the part where I take a second, as some of our other correspondents have done, and share my story about the Draft with all of you.

As special as the 2007 Draft was for me -- being selected by the Athletics with a house full of family and college teammates to share it with -- it did not compare to the thrill I experienced on the second day of the 2008 Draft. My younger brother, Ryan, was selected in the 26th round by -- who else? -- the A's as a right-handed pitcher. A little irony ... growing up he was always the catcher and I was the one who found myself doing the pitching. He also pulled double duty and pitched at times but made a name for himself in high school and on the college recruiting scene as a catcher, the way I was recruited largely as a left-handed pitcher. Now the roles have reversed and I'm the everyday player while he's the one on the bump. Needless to say, it was a special experience for us and I am already looking forward to following his career as he gets started.

Enough about me. Let's hear from some of you...

Mark wants to know:
Which park (besides Stockton's) do you enjoy hitting in and for what reason?

Well my good sir, if I said I enjoyed them all that would be a blatant lie. In Bakersfield, you find yourself staring into the sun during your first plate appearance as it sets behind the batters' eye at historic Sam Lynn Ballpark. And despite its dimensions, San Jose's Municipal Stadium plays like a graveyard and also presents its share of visibility issues at times for the hitter. While Lake Elsinore's stadium isn't exactly a hitter's park, it's an amazing venue that often translates into good times for a player.

I bet most players in the Cal League would vote for Lancaster as their favorite place to hit -- the way the wind blows out combined with the fast infield makes it a favorite for Cal League sluggers, but after notching one hit in four games their I guess I can't say I enjoyed it, now can I? I enjoyed Rancho Cucamonga the most. I guess it helped that I hit well during our visit there back in late April, but I enjoyed hitting there for a lot of reasons.

And Ken was wondering:
In the Arizona State vs. Fresno State Super Regional, I noticed that college players tend to have a lot of bat movement with the metal bats. When watching good Cal League hitters, there seems to be a lot more of a steady approach to swinging the bat. How hard of a transition is it going to a wooden bat?

It's pretty well known that there's a big difference between swinging the aluminum and taking your cuts with the timber. However, college players are learning to hit with wood much more these days. The summer leagues that college players are sent to are all played with wood bats -- so these college players spend two or three summers playing every day with a wood bat in their hands before they get to pro ball.

That being said, I don't think it is as difficult a transition for players to make as one would think, although it is also different for every player simply because every player has a little bit different swing and they are forced to adjust their swing accordingly. Metal bats are much more forgiving than wood bats. They boast a larger sweet spot and are also often top heavy, which allows hitters to generate more bat speed through the hitting zone. Because wood bats have a smaller sweet spot, a hitter is forced to eliminate all unnecessary movements in their swing, creating that steady-looking approach you mentioned.

That's about all the time we have for this week folks. You've been a great audience. Really. You're the best. Thanks for stopping by ... but mainly, stay classy.