- Messages
- 420
- Location
- York
baseball/curious? Check out the new 'Statcast' on MLB. It's stats heaven.
Is baseball always this exciting.....or am I just lucky to start taking an interest at this moment in time? !
How is that possible? Surely anything thrown must be decelerating from the moment it leaves the hand. Once it's left the hand there is nothing giving it greater impetus - so how could it increase speed?The most amazing stat ( correct me if I'm wrong) is that some pitched balls are travelling faster at the point that they reach the batter than when they left the pitchers hand!
...Is baseball always this exciting.....or am I just lucky to start taking an interest at this moment in time? The most amazing stat ( correct me if I'm wrong) is that some pitched balls are travelling faster at the point that they reach the batter than when they left the pitchers hand!
That kind of speed is also registered in cricket - where apart from having to judge movement through the air, the batsman has the added complication of the ball hitting the pitch with all the variables of bounce and movement that that brings.As in many sports, the playoffs are more action packed. On a 100 mph fastball the batter's eye cannot focus on the pitch after the first 1/3 of the ball's journey to the plate. Hence, the best hitters are in essence the best guessers. There is a lot more strategy involved than many realize.
Then again, I like watching golf (former player) which is surely the most boring for those who don't play the game.
Unfortunately I just can't bear most American sports... not because I don't enjoy the sport, but taking American Football as an example, turning a 1 hour game into a 4 hour game and having to endure about 2 hours worth of advertisements. I've heard the baseball can go on for even longer. At least if you do enjoy soccer, you can watch if for 45 minutes straight before the waffle...
As Scotty in Star Trek would say "Ye cannnae change the laws of physics". But, apparently they can pitch a ball with topspin.....the difference in speed is only small.
Hi Marty. There are similarities between the two games. The knuckle ball is thrown (I assume) with the pitcher's same action - but is in fact a lot slower, with the intention of deceiving the batter who swings too early. The same kind of ball is used in cricket - the bowler looks as if he is bowling at his usual pace but lets the ball come out of the back of hand. Quite often the batsman will mis-read the speed and play early. This carries the highly technical term of a 'slower ball'.The way a ball moves after being thrown by the pitcher depends mostly on how it's held and the delivery involved. One very interesting and fun to watch pitch is a knuckleball. Amazingly slow as it crosses the plate with incredible action when it works right. When thrown poorly it will be hit about three miles but when thrown right can make pro players look ridiculous. Not a power pitch at all......just the opposite. The kicker is it's difficult to toss right.
Martin
I currently can't get enough of this game. The stats....the tv style presentation....the running between bases ( some players have leg speed as fast as Olympic sprinters). The batting is amazing. And the pitching! Fast balls....really fast balls....balls that look fast on release but are slow (knuckleball)...balls that deviate left to right and vice versa....balls that dip...that weird ball where the stopper bloke stands away from the home plate and let's the batter walk to first base. (Or have I got carried away and just made that up?). Bring it on!The way a ball moves after being thrown by the pitcher depends mostly on how it's held and the delivery involved. One very interesting and fun to watch pitch is a knuckleball. Amazingly slow as it crosses the plate with incredible action when it works right. When thrown poorly it will be hit about three miles but when thrown right can make pro players look ridiculous. Not a power pitch at all......just the opposite. The kicker is it's difficult to toss right.
Martin
Hi Marty. There are similarities between the two games. The knuckle ball is thrown (I assume) with the pitcher's same action - but is in fact a lot slower, with the intention of deceiving the batter who swings too early. The same kind of ball is used in cricket - the bowler looks as if he is bowling at his usual pace but lets the ball come out of the back of hand. Quite often the batsman will mis-read the speed and play early. This carries the highly technical term of a 'slower ball'.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?