The Zooka Portable Pitching Machine and 1 FREE Dozen Pro Yellow Dimple Balls

Here is one the most creative and definitely well built pitching machines I have found. It looks different and performs differently too. The secret is that it does not use the traditional motor turning a wheel that propels a ball. Instead, brilliant engineers figured out a way to use compressed air to push a ball out of a long muzzle (thus the name shortened from "bazooka").

The advantage is that the Zooka throws many different types of balls at speeds between 25 mph and 65 mph. From baseballs and yellow machine pitch dimple balls to tennis balls and whiffle balls -- They all work flawlessly! Additionally, it is portable and fully rechargeable and weighs only 35 pounds! It will throw almost 600 pitches at over 50 mph between charges. It's even digital, has very few moving parts, and has a readout that converts each pitched ball into miles per hour.all with digital accuracy!
 Price: $689

Coach JP: Nothing in pitching machines is inexpensive, but for $689 plus a FREE dozen of our pro yellow regulation size machine, you can't beat it!

The National High School Baseball Coaches Association is a service organization assisting high school coaches and their programs with recognition, an annual convention, and publications, including the popular 10-issue EXTRA INNINGS newspaper.

Check out and join the BCA at www.baseballcoaches.org

Coach JP: The dues aren't much and the benefits are great. Also -- If you are in driving distance of St. Louis, you will even be able to visit the annual convention. The exhibit hall and coaches lectures are truly top flight!

Baseball Coaches Association
Phone: 479/876-2591
Fax: 479/876-2596

Reagan was well known for an improvisation he did in 1934 when the wire went dead during the ninth inning of a scoreless Cubs-Cardinals game. Handed a note that simply stated, "The wire has gone dead," he smoothly provided a fictional play-by-play until the ticker was restored six minutes later.

In the spring of 1937, while attending spring training on Catalina Island with the Cubs, Reagan he made a screen test for the Warner Bros. movie studio, which would soon lead to a career change. "One day at Catalina, Charlie Grimm, the Cubs' manager bawled me out for not even showing up at the practice field. How could I tell him that somewhere within myself was the knowledge I would no longer be a sports announcer," he said.

By June 7, he reported back to the studio to appear in his first film. In 1940 he played the role of George "The Gipper" Gipp in the film Knute Rockne All American, from which he uttered the famous line: "Some day, when things are tough, maybe you can ask the boys to go in there and win just one for the Gipper." In 1952, he played Hall of Fame pitching legend Grover Cleveland Alexander in The Winning Team. Reagan's movie career spanned more than 20 years and over 50 movies.

By 1966 Reagan had left Hollywood for the Governor's mansion in Sacramento, California. The Republican became President in 1981, and served for two terms, during which he kept an active interest in the game. For starters, he signed a proclamation naming May of 1983 National Amateur Baseball Month.

On September 30, 1988 he finally got to announce a game from Wrigley Field. After throwing out the first pitch, Reagan broadcast 1 1/2 innings of the Pirates-Cubs game on the radio, telling legendary broadcast partner Harry Caray, "You know in a few months I'm going to be out of work and I thought I might as well audition." Six months after he left the office he attended the 1989 All Star game and did some more broadcasting.

From the announcing booth to the big screen and the Presidency, one thing has remained constant: Although Reagan is the longest-lived person to have served as President (age 91 as of 2002), his beloved Cubs have yet to win a World Series in his lifetime.