DAN UGGLA: HOW TO MAKE THE RELAY THROW

Category: Top Stories

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Seconds after Florida second baseman Dan Uggla smacked a game winning grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to beat Philadelphia, Marlins broadcasters Rich Waltz and Tommy Hutton launched into their familiar refrain.
 
"And his name is Dan Uggla!" both broadcasters shouted in unison. Marlins fans have come to realize that whenever they hear that sentence, their formerly underrated second baseman has once again come through in the clutch.
 
Uggla was unknown to all but the most fanatical baseball fans when the Marlins acquired him from Arizona before the 2006 season.
 
In fact, when Waltz and Hutton were asked to introduce the 2006 Marlins to a group of fans attending an annual off-season banquet, the card they were given had the wrong pronunciation of Uggla's last name (The first syllable rhymes with "bug") and listed his first name as "Nick." They pronounced his last name correctly, but didn't catch the wrong first name.
 
"As he walked by the podium, he kind of looked up and said, 'It's Dan,'" Hutton recalls.
 
Once the season started, Waltz and Hutton spent the first month listening to the public address announcers at the parks the road ballparks constantly mispronounce Uggla's last name.
 
It wasn't until Uggla delivered one of his first big hits of the year that Waltz finally said something during the broadcast.
 
"It just popped out of my mouth - 'And his name is Dan Uggla' - because we had been saying it to everyone throughout the course of the first month," Waltz said.
 
By the end of that 2006 rookie season, pretty much everyone in the National League knew Dan Uggla's name all too well - especially the pitchers.
 
Uggla finished second among national league rookies in runs, home runs and RBIs that year. In the middle of that season he was selected to the All-Star Game and at the end Uggla was voted the National League's Outstanding Rookie by major league players.
 
The following season Uggla finished second in the National League in doubles, one shy of the 50 hit by Colorado's Matt Holliday. Uggla was back in the All-Star Game again in 2008, helping the surprising Marlins stay in the National League playoff race for most of the season.

This past season was much the same: 31 homers and 90 RBIs – right at his 4-year average.
 
Though there isn't much need to introduce Uggla to the public anymore, Marlins fans still show up at the ballpark carrying signs reading "His name is Dan Uggla," hoping to join in the fun of Uggla's next big play.
 
"I think a lot of people see me and say it, so it's pretty cool," Uggla told Junior Baseball. "It comes with the territory of being drafted in the 11th round. I'm used to it. It's kind of been like that my whole life."
 
Once fans got to know Uggla, they started focusing on the kind of ballplayer he was. What they saw was a hard-nosed, determined player who constantly worked on his offensive and defensive skills.
 
"I love watching him play the game because he plays so hard day in and day out," Marlins right fielder Cody Ross said. "He gives max effort constantly."
 
Ross pointed out that Uggla's arm is much stronger than most people think. He should know. Uggla is often Ross' cutoff man. Here are Uggla's five tips for making a good relay throw.

 

TO READ UGGLA'S 5 TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE A GREAT RELAY THROW, PICK UP THIS ISSUE OF JUNIOR BASEBALL.

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