Baseball players are supposed to know all the fundamentals by the time they get to the big leagues.
Hit the cutoff man, set your feet before making a throw (if possible), use two hands on a fly ball, round the inside corner of the bag to cut down on resistance and the time it takes to get from one base to the next. You know, that kind of stuff.
Spring camp serves as a reminder for these men making millions upon millions of dollars. First-year manager Dale Sveum took things a step further in trying to get his players to run the bases the right way.
He spray-painted a blue square on the corner of the otherwise-white bag, indicating where each runner should hit with his foot as he rounds the bases.
This isn't a ground-breaking move by any means. Baseball coaches have been doing something along these lines for years. What's funny is it's probably used more for Little League players than MLB guys.
But hey, any reminder is helpful, right? It's just more proof the Cubs are going to get back to the basics, something this organization desperately needed.
Check out the photo on the right, as well as an entire gallery from CSN's David Kaplan, who is down in Arizona right now. The photos are great, ranging from Kerry Wood facing off against Sveum in the bunting competition to Rick Sutcliffe throwing batting practice to a couple Theo sightings.