JUPITER, Fla. — There would be evenings when Dusty Blake was out on a college mound experiencing the harsh lessons of a pitching career winding down that, back in his room, his VCR already was whirring away, at work on a baseball life he did not know was possible.
If Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, or “of course Greg Maddux” were pitching and that game was on, Blake popped in a video tape and set the timer to record. He would review the game later, speeding ahead and then replaying pitch sequences. He studied mechanics for clues on how the greats added to their natural ability.