First came news that Sovereign Bank Stadium (some assembly still required) would have a short left-field porch. Ownership hoped it would be 309 feet down the left-field line, matching the dimensions of Baltimore's old Memorial Stadium.
Then team execs said, well, maybe it wouldn't quite be 309.
But they had a monster fence in mind to cut down on cheap homers. And this fence would be taller than the world-famous one at Fenway Park.
So how do they hope to combat that fence?
Coaching.
The Revolution have assembled a lifetime worth of baseball knowledge in manager Chris Hoiles, hitting coach Ryan Minor, pitching coach Tippy Martinez and outfield coach Al Bumbry. And Martinez has already started preaching mental toughness -- even though he doesn't have a single pitcher to coach yet.
Asked about the short porch, Martinez had an answer already in mind.
Martinez was a left-handed reliever. And he should have been lit up at Fenway against right-handed hitters. Or so the logic goes. Facing a right-handed pull hitter, he was at a disadvantage in the quirky park that turns pop-ups into homers. But some of his best games came in Boston. Why? Because he won the mental battle. Knowing hitters wanted to turn on pitches and pull the ball, he mixed speeds and kept them off balance.
He wants the same type of approach from his players.
We like Tippy already. Here's a guy who already knows his home ballpark, even before it's been built. And he already has a philosophy on dealing with problems that may arise in the future.
If his approach is a sign of what to expect from this coaching staff, the Revs are in good hands.
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