Baseball Batting Aids

OC United Way, Angels Baseball Foundation prepare for WALK UNITED

The O.C. chapter of United Way and the Angels Baseball Foundation are teaming up for the third annual WALK UNITED event, set for this Saturday at Angel Stadium.

O.C. United Way is coordinating registration for walkers and their sponsors; more than ten days before the event, spokesperson Shaleek Wilson said that the group had already registered more walkers – an estimated 1,500 – than the total number of participants in last year’s event, and noted that the fundraiser is definitely growing.

Last year, nearly 1,200 walkers turned out and raised $90,000 for families in need.

The family-friendly event features a 5K walk (about 3.1 miles) to bring attention to the condition of Orange County residents living below the poverty level. The event will also raise funds that will be invested in local programs that assist families in crisis and help provide them with basic necessities, such as food, lodging and medical care.

Apart from the main event, participants and attendees will enjoy a variety of fun activities throughout the day. A free Kid-At-Heart Zone is open to the young (and the young at heart), featuring a rock-climbing wall, sports bouncer and batting cage. Live music from six local bands will keep the energy high, with cool tunes from Adam’s Attic, Alterego, Ocutones, Blackhawks, Give Up The Girl, and Christa Mae and the Brigade.

Refreshments will be available from a growing list of Orange County’s most popular food trucks, including Go Country 105 Chuck Wagon, Crepes Bonaparte, Barcelona On The Go, Bacon MANia, The OC Food Truck, Tropical Shave Ice and Dos Chinos.

Proceeds raised from the event will benefit more than 90 organizations, including nonprofits and education programs throughout Orange County that seek to provide support services, education programs, self-sufficiency training and transitional aid. Share Our Selves, Nova Academy, Laura's House, AIDS Services Foundation Orange County, and Girls Incorporated of Orange County have all benefited from funds generated by walkers and volunteers through the WALK UNITED event.

Getting Great Exercise With Pitching Machines And Batting Cages

All of us probably have some favorite sport which we like to watch on TV and at live matches. However, nowadays, it is important to try and get out there and participate in some sport ourselves so that we can get fitter and encourage our kids to get involved too. This has been solved to some degree by pitching machines which encourage the whole family to get some exercise but have fun at the same time. It is important to note though that batting cages are a necessity if houses around the yard are to be safe from flying balls! A batting cage is also useful for players who are practicing on their own too since they will not have to go all over picking up the balls afterward.

Pitching machines used to be used only for teams or schools that wanted to get their players in good condition before the season started. Showing them how to handle curve balls and balls flung at great speed has gone a long way for the batter to get his muscle memory up to par. Indeed, the machine can be set to just about any level of play so this is also ideal for small kids who are interested in the game too. Along with these great machines come some great teaching aids as well and these are often fronted by stars in this particular sport. Baseball and softball are able to be played from this kind of pitching machine and these star players will give all kinds of tips so that they can get the most out of it. Indeed, imagine the prestige of a young player who can say that someone famous taught him his latest skill?

Of course, with the devices explained above, a row of pitching machines can be set up quite close together too since the balls will not be able to interfere with other players trying to hone their skills. This may be good for clubs or the local park so that the kids can get out from under their computer fascination and get some fresh air at the same time.

Pitching machines and all the accessories that come along with them used to be prohibitively expensive which meant that the only way a family would be able to participate in this activity would be to go to the local sports club or something similar. However, in recent years, the price of this kind of set up has come down to just a few hundred dollars which should be well within reach of most of us.

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