6 years, 7 months ago Mike Moyers
Noted pitching instructor Dr. Tom House coming to Quincy
Question: Name the person who caught Hank Aaron’s 715th home run.
Question: Name the person who was Nolan Ryan’s pitching coach.
Question: Name the person who is the throwing coach for Drew Brees, Tom Brady and a host of professional quarterbacks.
Question: Name the person who will be conducting a clinic at John Wood Community College September 22 thru the 24th.
Answer: It's all the same the guy. His name is Dr. Tom House
“I never get tired of talking about what was probably the highlight of my major league career,” House said from his office in California. “In fact, I make a joke about it. The good news is catching Henry Aaron’s 715th home run IS the highlight of my career. The bad news is catching Henry Aaron’s 715th home run IS the highlight of my career. It’s a ying-yang thing. First of all, it got me into the Hall of Fame. And as the ninth guy of a ten man pitching staff to get involved with something as special as catching Aaron’s record breaking home run really was a big thing in my life.”
After stints with the Braves, Red Sox and Mariners, House turned to coaching, becoming the pitching coach of the Texas Rangers in 1985. Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan was a member of that staff.
“We all know that Nolan Ryan was pretty special before coming to the Rangers,” House explained. "But I think that one of the reasons he joined Bobby Valentine and myself with the Texas Rangers is because we had some science, our motion analysis and our weight training. It was a little different than most. Ryan bought into the program and brought a Hall of Fame resume along with him.”
Ryan, who had joined Texas at the age of 42, wrapped up a 27 year career by going 51-39 over the 5 year time span. He fanned 301 batters in 1990. Ryan also no-hit Oakland in 1990 and Toronto less than a year later in May of 1991, giving him a career total of 7 no-hitters.
“He made a few small changes in his mechanics and pretty much overhauled the way he did his physical preparation,”House continued. “I think one of the reasons he entered the Hall of Fame in a Texas Ranger’s uniform is he was a better pitcher from age 39 to 46 than he was from age 19 to age 39."
House’s unusual method of having members of his pitching staff throw a football as part of their training lead to the obvious; he also mentors quarterbacks.
“I knew early on that throwing a football and making it spiral actually helps your mechanics and your strength,” House explained. “I had actually been throwing a football as a player way back when and it just carried into my coaching.”
Dr. House, founder of the National Pitching Association, will be conducting a 3-day clinic (9/22 thru 9/24) with the assistance of NPA Midwest Regional Director Rick Shover. You can sign up here or contact Shover at 217-430-8791 for more information.
“All the athletes and their families and coaches will leave Sunday afternoon WAY better for the experience,” House concluded.
Think about it: if the methods used by Dr. House have been beneficial for guys like Nolan Ryan, Tom Brady and Drew Brees why wouldn’t they work for you?
It’s up to you to find out later this month.
