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Former Atlanta Braves Players Bring Youth Baseball Headquarters and Tournaments to Central Florida's Polk County
By Anonymous Polk County, FL January 25 2004--Four former Major League Baseball standouts have reached an agreement with International Travel Baseball to create a partnership and join the two organizations. International Travel Baseball will now operate as Terry Pendleton Baseball and will continue to run tournaments throughout the country. The headquarters of the company will also move to Polk County and operations will be run out of a local office. “We are proud to team up with Terry Pendleton Baseball and become partners,” said Bing Tyus, who will become the National Tournament Director for Pendleton Baseball. “ We are anticipating much more success and we will be bringing many more tournaments to Polk County,” said Tyus. Tyus was previously Director of International Travel Baseball, an organization that held wood bat tournaments here in Polk County as well as around the nation, and will now join forces with the already established Terry Pendleton Baseball. The first Terry Pendleton Baseball tournament held in Polk County will be the Wood Bat World Championships, taking place June 20-26 in Winter Haven.
With the addition of Terry Pendleton Baseball, Polk County is now home to four governing body headquarters. The Independent Softball Association (ISA), USA Waterski, the Futures Golf Tour also call Polk County home. “We are very proud of the relationships we have formed with the organizations that operate out of Polk County,” said Mark Jackson, Director of Polk County Sports Marketing. “It says a lot about our partnerships, sports infrastructure and the people of this county that so many organizations want to be a part of our community. It also illuminates the importance of our diverse approach to sports marketing which includes both tourist and economic development,” Jackson said.
The organization, owned by former Atlanta Brave stars Terry Pendleton, Greg McMichael, Mark Lemke and Bobby Holley, began in 2002 by giving youth baseball players a place to go for first-class instruction and training. The newly formed partnership will now allow both organizations to benefit with extreme potential for growth. Before the partnership, Terry Pendleton Baseball operated as Hardball Warehouse, offering lessons and instruction at indoor training facilities, but as a result of the newly formed partnership, will grow operations to include tournaments and leagues across the country. “We will start out with about 5,000 teams around the country and our goal is to have 10,000 by the year 2007,” said Tyus. Talks of the partnership began during the American Baseball Coaches Association meeting January 2-4 in San Antonio that Tyus attended with Polk County Sports Marketing. Pendleton, who played in Major League Baseball for 15 years, is a managing partner in the organization, while former Brave pitcher, Greg McMichael runs the day-to-day operations.
An initiative of the Polk County Board of County Commissioners, Polk County Sports Marketing is responsible for recruiting sporting events to Polk County and marketing the county as a venue for competitive sporting events and recreational sports such as golf, bicycling and water skiing/boating. During the past year, more than 130 PCSM-assisted events generated in excess of $70 million in economic benefits for Polk County. In recognition of this and other accomplishments, the Florida Sports Foundation honored PCSM with its coveted “Sports Commission of the Year” award in 2002. General information on sports in Polk County can be found by visiting the PCSM website at www.centralfloridasports.com.
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New Video Pitching Machine to Debut at MLB Winter Meetings in December
By Anonymous PROBATTER SPORTS, LLC
THREE LANDMARK SQUARE, STE. 405
STAMFORD, CT 06901
(203) 324-9639
(203) 348-2720 (fax)
info@probatter.com
Contact: Wallace M. Lueders,
(203) 324-9639
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ProBatter™ Video Pitching System
To Debut at MLB Winter Meetings
Picture this--you step into the batting cage and see at the opposite end a projection screen. Suddenly the screen comes alive and the image of a pitcher appears. He peers in, takes his sign, winds up and fires--real baseballs through the screen at speeds up to 100 MPH with a nice mixture of curves, sliders and changeups. Even a screwball and a cutter! It is not virtual reality--it is the ProBatter™ video pitching system developed by ProBatter Sports, LLC of Stamford, CT.
The ProBatter system will debut at the Major League Baseball winter meetings in Anaheim, CA on December 10-13, 1999. As a co-sponsor of the Baseball Trade Show opening night reception, the ProBatter system will be a center stage attraction at the meetings.
A commercial version of the ProBatter system has been installed and is operational at the Grand Slam USA batting cage in Norwalk, CT where amateur (and a number of minor league) players have been hitting against the machine for months with rave reviews. Grand Slam will be adding multiple units in the near future.
The ProBatter™ system is not an arcade game or an entertainment product that throws tennis balls at 50 MPH. Combining the latest computer and video technology, the ProBatter system is the most advanced training tool for hitters ever developed. Behind the screen is a computer-controlled, state of the art pitching machine that can throw seven different pitches on an interchangeable basis to multiple locations both inside and outside the strike zone at speeds up to 100 MPH--all with pinpoint accuracy.
Using a simple touch screen controller, the batter can choose individual pitches, a particular sequence of pitches or just let the computer make the choices for him. Want to face a lefty? No problem! How about a pitcher from the stretch? It’s easy.
The ProBatter system offers ultimate convenience. It is ready whenever a player wants to take batting practice and will tirelessly throw Major League fastballs, sliders, curve balls and other pitches that the player will see in a real game.
It has applications other than simply for batting practice. Due to its extraordinary accuracy, coaches have used it to teach the strike zone to young hitters as well as to recognize breaking pitches. Early adopters have used it in bunting drills and to train catchers on blocking balls in the dirt. Other coaches have used it to teach pitchers to set up hitters--without breaking a sweat or hurting their arm.
One of the unique features of the ProBatter system is its ability to profile pitchers. It can be programmed to simulate the pitches thrown by actual pitchers. Want to see a Roger Clemens 96 MPH fastball? How about a Kevin Brown slider at 88 MPH or a Greg Maddux changeup?
Think of the endless possibilities. Hitters can prepare to face an actual pitcher before a game rather than taking batting practice from a coach throwing 65 MPH lollipops. Pinch hitters can warm up in the tunnel before they are inserted into the game with the winning run on third base in the bottom of the ninth inning--facing the same type of pitches that they will actually see!
The ProBatter system has applications at all levels of baseball, not just the Major League market. Scaled down versions of the system can be used from Little League through Major League baseball--wherever a pitcher is pitching and a batter wants to perfect his hitting skills.
Some comments from early users of the ProBatter™ system include:
"I'm amazed at how accurate it is." (Roving Hitting Instructor for AL playoff team)
"This is fantastic! An absolute simulation of real Major League pitching." (Roving Hitting Instructor for NL division runner-up)
"I want to start that kid (image on our screen) pitching in tomorrow's game." (Manager for minor league team)
"I'm using the system to teach my catchers how to handle a Major League curve ball." (Field Coordinator AL division runner-up)
"The curve ball is very realistic and consistent-every one went right to the outside corner." (Hitting instructor for AL playoff team)
"I haven't had a chance to see many curve balls before - this is great!" (1999 #1 draft pick)
The ProBatter system was the brainchild of Greg Battersby, an intellectual property attorney in Stamford, CT. Although Battersby has a national reputation as a licensing attorney and has authored more than ten books on the subject, his true passion is baseball. After a serious shoulder injury ended an otherwise undistinguished baseball career during his freshman year in college, Battersby turned toward youth coaching. For more than a decade he has coached youth baseball in his hometown of Westport, CT. After many years of training hitters, including his own son, on conventional pitching machines, Battersby recognized the limitations of machines such as the Jugs machine that he had in his own backyard. He knew there had to be a better way to train hitters than using a machine that threw the same pitch at the same speed to the same location time after time.
Working with local engineers, machine designers and a computer control firm, Van Geldern Machine Co. of Rowayton CT, Battersby planned and developed the precursor of what is now the ProBatter pitching system. The machine was initially conceived as a portable unit that could interchangeably throw different pitches to different locations. After spending more than two years in perfecting a multiple-wheel throwing head, the next step was to add a sophisticated computer control that would automatically move the machine both horizontally and vertically while instantaneously controlling wheel speeds. State of the art motors and controllers were incorporated to change wheel speeds rapidly to permit it to throw different pitches.
The final piece of the puzzle was added this past summer when a video component was incorporated so that the hitter could actually see the pitcher delivering the ball in order to permit him to time the delivery. The video image was timed to synchronize with the release of the ball from the throwing head.
As one would expect being the product of a patent attorney, the ProBatter system is the subject of multiple patent applications pending both in the United States and an extensive international filing program is in the works.
After months of serious testing at Grand Slam under the tutelage of its owner and former college player, Scott Burdick, the ProBatter team took the system on the road this fall. They were invited to beta test the machine at the Boston Red Sox training facility at Ft. Myers, Florida where it was used by the top Red Sox prospects during the fall instructional league. The road show was a great proving ground for the technology and resulted in a number of changes to the ProBatter system. For example, it became readily apparent that the Florida environment was more difficult on equipment than the controlled climate of Grand Slam. The team quickly learned that anything that could rust, did rust--and quickly. Changes were also made to prepare the system for the heavy use of a professional team. Additional automatic sequences were added in response to some suggestions by the Red Sox personnel, including a strike zone recognition series where pitches were thrown interchangeably both inside and outside of the strike zone.
The ProBatter team is now working on a pitching machine baseball with colored seams to assist hitters in recognizing breaking pitches. This product should be introduced shortly.
Many knowledgeable baseball people believe that the ProBatter system will revolutionize the way hitters prepare for games. As they prepare for the product rollout at baseball’s winter meetings, the ProBatter team is cautiously optimistic that it will be the “hit” of the show.
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Sewing Machine Sales & Service s now in Rockville Maryland Montgomery County! Serving all areas including Potomac, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Silver Spring, Wheaton
By Anonymous September 29, 2004 -- Expert Sewing Machine & Serger - Sales & Service is now at The Wintergreen Plaza in Rockville, Maryland! Our expert staff has over 75 years combined experience in the sewing machine business. We have a large showroom with many different machines that are ready for demonstration.
We carry ELNA sewing machines & serger's as well as RICCAR sewing machines & serger’s, we also sell singer machines.
Our machines come with up to a 25 year warranty. We offer human instruction as well.
We also have the areas largest parts department. If you need a sewing machine part, chances are we have it!
We offer expert sewing machine service & repair as well. Have a problem? We can fix it!
Here are some areas close by our store in Rockville - Silver Spring Chevy Chase Bethesda Potomac Germantown Frederick Silver Spring Wheaton Gaithersburg Alexandria & Tyson’s Corner
We also sell most makes & models of vacuums as well as offer service and repair on them. We also carry MIELE APPLIANCES & VACUUMS !
Once in the Wintergreen Plaza look for the big "SEW & VAC" sign!
www.SewingAndVacuums.com
301-424-1200
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