Friday, March 29, 2013

Watching the Catcher

You can’t look at him when you’re at the plate. That’s considered stealing. So I watch the catcher from the dugout.

Is he relaxed? Smiling? That tells me a lot about how well the pitcher is throwing. Are they in sync or is the pitcher shrugging him off?

What does the catcher do when he’s upset? That could be important when you’re bunting.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

The Bay Area's Best Booksellers

Here’s where you can buy copies of Bunt! in the San Francisco Bay Area:
San Francisco: Green Apple Books, Clement Street; Books Inc., Marina; Books Inc., Laurel Village.
East Bay: Books Inc., Berkeley, Orinda Books, A Great Good Place for Books, Oakland; Books Inc., Alameda.
South Bay and the Peninsula: Hicklebee’s Books, San Jose; BookSmart, Morgan Hill; Recycle Books, Campbell; Leigh’s Favorite Books, Sunnyvale; Books Inc., Mountain View; Books Inc., Palo Alto; Books Inc., Burlingame; and Bay Books, Half Moon Bay.
Of course, you can all get is on Amazon (type Bill Baynes, Bunt).

Here But There

It's weird. I'm here with the Sierra Bears. But back in the Bay Area, people are learning a lot about my life because that's where Bunt! is being sold in bookstores. They know more about me than the fans in Grass Valley do.

Of course, the Grass Valley fans have also seen me play. That says quite a bit about who I am. Even Bunt! can’t do that (although it comes pretty close).

Monday, March 25, 2013

Soft Ground

Spring training is almost over. The season starts next week.

It feels so good to be back on the field. We had a two-inch snowfall two days before. I thought, “oh, no!”

But it’s OK. The field’s still muddy, but the soft ground helps you get your hands soft.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Hunter and Ping Pong

Hunter Pence of the SF Giants says he uses ping pong to keep his reflexes sharp. So do I. I also use it to study how different swipes, cuts, slaps and slides will guide the baseball on bunts. That's explained in "Bunt!," the book based on my experiences.