WPCNR PRESS BOX. From Frozen Ropes, White Plains. February 21, 2005: Manny Ramirez got a glimpse of some “different” training last season, and Rob Crews, Frozen Ropes White Plains own hitting coach to the future stars, helped him do it. Their batting eye technique is featured on a new video with Mr. Crews and Mr. Ramirez.

   Through the Red Sox Team Eye Doctor, Dr. Dan Laby, MD a clinical professor at Harvard University and Tony Abbatine, hired by the Red Sox last year as a Consultant to Player Development, Manny was given a plastic ring with four baseballs attached to it.  With accurate precision, Ramirez would have the rings tossed to him and go through a pre-game routine that continued throughout the playoffs and World Series.

This hitting exercise is featured on a new video with Rob Crews, White Plains Frozen Ropes own hitting guru -- hitting coach to Westchester's Ms. Fastpitch,  Maddy Coon, pictured above at Frozen Ropes White Plains, on the day she signed for a full ride to Stanford University. Mr. Crews also counts among his proteges:  Kelsey Kulk (of the White Plains Tigers), and a Connecticut player starting on a softball scholarship at the University of Michigan next fall. Photo, WPCNR Sports Archive.

      Manny was back in the training laboratory with his Harvard doctors and Frozen Ropes to continue the never-ending quest of improving his batting eye visual skills in early February, before heading down to Red Sox spring training..   Manny’s visual training regimen will be featured in a documentary/instructional film called Read and React: Building Hitters from the Eyes Out.
      

Crews works on location, location, location, with Maddy Coon who continues to work with Mr. Crews in preparation for her softball debut at Stamford. Photo, WPCNR Sports Archive.

The project took place at the Frozen Ropes Training Center (www.frozenropes.com) in New York. With locations around the U.S and Europe, Frozen Ropes has been written up in the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Newsweek.  Tony Abbatine, the National Director of Instruction for Frozen Ropes has been involved with amateur and professional player development since 1990.