The Hitter's Commandments

Bernardo Leonard and Jay Johnstone present, in succeeding fashion, the twenty commandments of hitting (mind you, God was able to hand down an entire system of ethics in half that number, but hitting a baseball is apparently a slightly more complex task). Choice of grip, stance, balance and rhythm, and downward swing are a few of the commandments illustrated using major league footage and special effects/graphics. A cartoon character, "Jack the Wombat" alternately instructs and entertains. Using an array of special effects, this program is extremely slick-looking, which masks its lack of content well. While the pace is dizzying, the main problem is that basic kinesthetic instruction on how to improve one's batting is neither provided nor reinforced by appropriate repetitive images. Also, the program has not defined its audience --is it for children or adults? On the one hand it uses a plethora of scientific and philosophical terms, yet on the other it has a giant rodent yuking it up and providing instruction. All in all, not much hitting occurs in this program and the sweet crack of the bat is noticeably missing. There are some good tips here but they are few and far between. A better choice here would be Hitting With Ken Griffey, Jr. (VL-3/91). An optional purchase. (J. Scholtz)