by Lars Anderson June 22, 2020 30 Comments
Midway into the second month of the Kochi Fighting Dogs season, Birdman Bats’ fearless leader, Gary Malec, made the long trek to visit me in Japan. Having flown into Osaka from San Francisco, he took three trains in order to meet the team for our game in Kagawa. As the Fighting Dogs arrived at the stadium on the team bus, I saw my dear friend standing there wearing a Birdman t-shirt and board shirts with his trademark chicken legs sticking out. By his side was a box of bats and a suitcase; on his face was an impossibly large smile.
Read More 
by Lars Anderson June 15, 2020 79 Comments
If Manny wasn’t seeing results, who knows if he’d continue to mine Gary for advice, but the fact was that his swing, which had been previously inconsistent, was starting to click. Gary was no longer just far from home; he was now the swing guru for one of the greatest right-handed hitters of all time.
Read More 
by Lars Anderson August 20, 2018 124 Comments
That first day watching the guys work changed me: How could I reconcile tomahawking my bat into the dugout door after experiencing what really goes into turning a bat? It took me the better part of a decade, but I finally got it; all it took was an afternoon at the Birdman compound!
Read More 
