Jack Perconte's "The Making of a Hitter": The Book

I'm gonna give you a quick review of former big leaguer Jack Perconte's "The Making of a Hitter": The Book.  When I do this - : The Book - it's me, not Jack.  Jack knows he wrote a book.  The publisher knows he wrote a book.  The people who pick it up and flip through it know it's a book because they've likely seen books before and this bound bit of paper follows the general rules of bookness: Printing of words and/or pictures on what we call "pages."  A cover in the front AND the back.  Sold in stores called Book Stores.  If you gave someone a book for their birthday and said it was a lawn jockey, they'd probably correct you because of their previous knowledge of both books and lawn jockeys.  I'm adding this - :The Book - to the title of former big leaguer Jack Perconte's "The Making of a Hitter": The Book because I think it makes the "book" seem more special than your typical "novel" by some "novelist" who supplements his income by working 12 hours a day in a "law firm" or as a "congressman."  Former big leaguer Jack Perconte's "The Making of a Hitter": The Book deserves all of the fanfare I'm giving it.  And not just because Jack sent me a copy at no charge.

If you do what you're supposed to do and open it up, you'll see that it's meant for kids.  Not infants, but kids old enough to play baseball.  Like 12 year olds.  If you're 12, you'll love this book.  If you're 12, I question why you're reading this "piece" by "me."  And do you get it when I put "quotes" on words that don't really "need" them?  No, you're 12.  You understand two things: Recess and Guitar Hero.  Here's a third thing for you to "get": "The Making of a Hitter": The Book.  Jack wrote it for you.  I think it would be nice of you to buy it.  (No, you can't have my copy.  It's mine.  Jack even autographed it for me.  Can you say, "I'm gonna make a mint on eBay?")

Ever heard of Mike Scioscia?  I'm sure you have.  Mike was a catcher for your Los Angeles Dodgers back in the day.  Hard-nosed boy.  Played the game right.  Oh, and he's currently the manager of your Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  He won a World Series with them back in 2002.  He takes the team to the playoffs most years.  He's still a hard-nosed boy.  Only now he tells his catchers, and everyone else, what to do rather than do it himself. 

Kind of like Jack Perconte.  Jack played and now he instructs.  Mike Scioscia played and now he instructs (for much more money and acclaim than Jack, until "The Making of a Hitter": The Book becomes a best-seller).  Because these two know and knew each other, and because of their ability to coach, former big leaguer Jack Perconte said to former big leaguer Mike Scioscia, will you write the foreword for me?  Mike said, "Fine" and did it.   Flip a few pages into the book and you'll see what Mike wrote.  I'm not going to print that out for you.  It's too big a selling point to give away.  Remember, our goal here is a best-seller, not a free download off of Amazon.

Jack does a great job of writing the 11 chapters in the book.  Kudos to him for not ghost-writing the 11 chapters, which means he never would have written the 11 chapters.  Some other guy would have done it for a fee and gotten no praise, not even from his mother, who would've said, "If you wrote it, why don't I see your name?"  Then the ghost writer would have to explain the whole 'ghost writing" concept again to her.  And she'd say, "You know what you are?  You're not a ghost writer.  You're a book whisperer."  And then she'd have to explain to him, the ghost writer, what she thought a book whisperer was, and is.  Jack, meanwhile, would have been midway through his next book without help from either one of them.  Now, Mike Scioscia, on the other hand...  Did he really write the foreward?  Did Jack "coach" Mikey on what to write?  Did Mike's publicist write it?  On that we'll need proof. 

How will we get it?  We'll just have to talk to Jack about it.  We'll have to interview Jack here on Jimmy Scott's High & Tight.  I've spoken to authors before.  Remember Peter Golenbock?  He's been a ghost writer.  Remember Johnny Damon's "Idiot"?  It's really Peter Golenbock's "Idiot."  But, "The Making of a Hitter": The Book is really Jack Perconte's "The Making of a Hitter": The Book.  That's a guarantee.  Or your money back.  (Doublc-check with the author before taking my word on that.)

Jack does take a good approach to how the book is organized.  The chapters are short.  Each chapter is broken up, almost like an easy-to-read outline.  The pictures help.  And each chapter ends with a "Final Thought" which is really the ideas of the chapter tied up into a nice, quick paragraph, so kids can put down the book, pick up a bat and start swinging.

Now I'm not a hitter.  I am a pitcher.  In a way, it's against my grain to promote a book about hitting.  If hitters get better, then my job gets harder.  Isn't it ironic then that I'm telling you to lay down a few recession-era bucks so you or your kid can buy this book and get better at hitting?  Yes, it is.  That is irony.  Even more ironic would be if I said, "Buy this book" and two years from now, after you read the book and internalized the tips and drills and ideas, I face you in Game 7 of the World Series.  That's irony to the max.

Very little irony in former big leaguer Jack Perconte's "The Making of a Hitter": The Book.  It's not about irony.  It's about making those who are interested in improving themselves at the plate better at the plate.

"Jimmy, you've given us nothing but b.s. for the last 16 paragraphs.  Would you please give us some substance?"

I will, but only legal substances.  I can read into your minds and I'm not going to play by those rules.  But, if I was a hitter, I would play by Jack Perconte's rules.  So, you want substance?  Here you go:

What Readers Will Learn

Jack Perconte likes to say, “Remember, practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.” This is the theme of “The Making of a Hitter” – teaching coaches and parents the proper way to instruct young players on the art of hitting. Readers will learn:

·         Five drills to teach the fundamentals

·         How to improve communication with your player and the player’s coaches/parents

·         How to teach the strike zone

·         The hitter’s agenda for a good mental approach

·         Beginning, intermediate and advanced hitting drills for all ages of children

·         How to impart techniques that create the right muscle memory in a hitter’s swing

·         How to recognize flaws in a swing and correct them

How's that feel?  I stole that from the website for The Book.  Want to know more about Jack (he Blogs too)?  Try this:

About Jack Perconte

Perconte – who played 12 years of professional baseball, including seven in the majors for the Dodgers, Indians, Mariners and White Sox – posted a career .270 average in the majors and a .311 mark in the minors. A native of Joliet, Ill., he was a 16^th round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1976 out of Murray State University and made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 1980. After retiring from professional baseball in 1987, Perconte opened a baseball training academy in Naperville, Ill. The hitting drills, mental training and coaching tips found in “The Making of a Hitter” (www.themakingofahitter.com) were culled from the 60,000 hitting lessons Perconte estimates he gave while operating the academy.

Now you know more about Jack, The Man.  Finally, here's why Jack's buddy, Mike Scioscia, wrote the foreword:

Scioscia thinks the book is invaluable because it breaks down complex topics into easily understandable descriptions that parents and coaches can implement for their players. Scioscia’s 20-year-old son, Matthew, is a first baseman for the University of Notre Dame.

“Every good hitter has an understanding of what makes his swing work and how to correct it when it is out of sync,” Scioscia explained. “One thing is certain. A hitter must keep it simple in preparation and maintenance to have a chance to be consistent.

“Jack’s book has concepts and drills that make it a must read for any coach, hitting instructor or baseball dad,” he added. “Every hitter struggles at some point. Jack has a great grasp of what teaching hitting is all about.”

That's a lot of substance, isn't it?  I think it is.  So what's next for Jack?  I think we all know.  Once The Book reaches #1 on the NY Times Best Seller charts, there's only one thing left for Jack to do.  Write "The Making of a Hitter": The Movie. 

I'd pay to see that.