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Throwing out the First Pitch

It's a time-honored tradition to start a Major League Baseball game: A fan or celebrity throws the ceremonial first pitch from the mound, or somewhere in the vicinity, to the catcher...hopefully. The failures are the stuff of legend.

In early July of 2017, I got the call from my favorite team, the Oakland A's. Not only are they going to host a private screening of my documentary, "Boys of Summer: Second Base," for season ticket holders and special guests, but they also want me to throw out the first pitch the next night.

Absolute delight and terror struck at the same time. This is something I've always wanted. This is also something that can make me an eternal gif idiot. If it can happen to 50...

Quick backstory on the "Boys of Summer" documentary series: It begins as the story of my father, who has Parkinson's Disease (PD), and me road-tripping 20,000 miles in two months to see a game at each of the 30 Major League Baseball parks (click here to see the award-winning film for free). That was 2004, and many experts thought a cure for PD was only 10 years away.

Sadly, that hasn't happened.

In 2014, with people repeatedly asking me "how is your Dad?", I decided to show rather than tell with the sequel, "Second Base."

Rock n Roll Half Marathon Las Vegas, Winter 2012

Back to the first pitch: I've taken on physical challenges with little or no formal training before. I've run several half-marathons after 40 years of never running more than a mile. I rode a bicycle from San Diego to Ocean City, NJ, averaging 100 miles a day over the course of 35 days with a background of mostly riding my bike to school. So throwing a single pitch shouldn't be that big of a deal.

3000 miles from the start line - less than two to go.

The problem is it's one pitch. That's all you get. This is all the way live.

Regardless, the method here is the same as training for anything else - study the fundamentals, learn the form then repeat. Repetition alone is a fool's errand if the fundamentals, study and proper form are not in place. Repeat being an idiot over and over again and all you become is a Master Idiot.

The windup...

I've been at it now for nearly three weeks. I'm not going to lie. The first couple of days hurt. I felt, and I'm sure looked, terrible. Though I played a few years of little league as a kid, I only pitched once...in relief...it went...okay.

...and the pitch.

I've documented the process, looking at my form and sharing it with others. I've gotten some notes. I've watched a few instructional videos and done some interesting drills. But one tip, probably because of when it came, has done the most good for me - long throws.

Just like they sound, long throws are when you practice throwing the ball over a distance of 100 feet. A pitcher's mound is 60 feet, 6 inches from the plate. When I first stepped on the rubber to throw that distance, it looked like it was a mile away. My mind's response was to throw really hard. My shoulder's response was to say "OW!"

Warming up at close range. Nothing but net.

The simple things apply: Warm up by getting a light sweat - I jog the base paths, do high-knees and jumping jacks. Throw from a short distance to start - I throw at the backstop from about 15-20 feet away. Gradually work your way back - I add about 20 feet per station.

When I'm warm and 120 feet or so away from target (behind second base), I get in a few long tosses. Physically, this is important, but I don't try to overthrow here. I make sure to take a few steps and engage my whole body in the throw.

Long-throwing from behind second base.

The real dividends are in my mind: That distance from the pitcher's mound now looks like a regular toss. I can now relax and let my mechanics take over, so I don't try to overthrow with my arm. Boom. Strikes. Magic.

From the mound - or flat, in my little league field's case...

Now I still get tired and sore, mind you. But the recovery is faster and the tightness more familiar, so I'm less concerned. Another interesting discovery during this process has been about the relative dismissal of ice as a post-throwing aid to recovery. I'm using resistance bands and cardio to speed blood flow. So far, so good.

One of my heroes, former A's ace and meditation master, Barry Zito.

The final frontier here is visualization - positive juju in my mind. Unto itself, positive visualization is fool's gold. Combined with studying the fundamentals, form, repetition and feedback, it is the last piece that can help one eliminate the road blocks of fear and doubt. And make no mistake about it: Those are real and can absolutely cripple the best efforts if not addressed.

On Aug. 8, 2017, I'll walk out onto the infield of the Oakland Coliseum, the stadium where I grew up watching my beloved green and gold, and throw out the first pitch. My dad will be at my side. The A's will play the trailer to "Second Base" on the big screen, calling to the fans' attention who we are and why we have received this honor. At that moment, I'm every fan's proxy. They will cheer me if I throw a strike. They will boo me if I go 50 Cent.

The fearful voices suggest I just lob it in there. But my being on the field at all is a long shot already. I'm not looking for golf claps; I'm looking for the roar of acceptance and a genuine desire from fellow A's fans to know more about our films and why they matter because, "Hey, that guy just threw a pretty good pitch and he loves the A's just like I do." I want fans to bookmark our website right then and there to watch the film and donate to our next film, "Short Stop," after the game.

I'm firing a First Pitch to help Strike Out Parkinson's Disease for my dad, other Parkinsonians and the millions of family and caregivers affected by this stupid disease of our smartest organ.

If you'd like to learn more about Boys of Summer, including how you can support the films, please visit the site www.bosmovie.com. There are tickets available for the First Pitch/A's game on Aug. 8th - contact Alissa Perschetti at apersichetti@athletics.com and mention "Boys of Summer" and she can get you a group deal.


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