Sabean: “The window with the group at hand has closed.” | Giants Extra

Brian Sabean states the obvious in his "State of the Giants" speech. I think a lot of Giants heard that window slam shut fairly early in this season. Surprising to hear that Vogelsong is on the edge of not being back with the Giants and, along with the other more prominent potential non-returnees, Vogelsong's exit would be a shame as well.

Changing three-fifths of the starting rotation will change the look and feel of this team. Petit closed with a clunker, but he still should be pencilled in as the fifth starter right now.


from Giants Extra:
Sabean: “The window with the group at hand has closed.” | Giants Extra:

“I think it’s pretty simple,” Sabean said. “We didn’t have enough depth. Last year, we seemingly were able to overcome injuries and lack of performance. We didn’t’ do that this year and we didn’t get any kind of life raft from the minor leagues, whether that was a fifth starter or what we went through in center and left. Lack of depth became an issue.”

“The window with the group at hand has closed,” Sabean said. “We’ve got to create a new window immediately. That’s the task at hand.”

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The Voglesong issue.


from mercurynews.com
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2013/09/27/sabeans-year-in-review-part-ii-on-vogelsongs-option-kyle-crick-the-international-market-and-busters-position/

Will you pick up Vogelsong’s option? “It’s still in discussion. Our goal, with or without Ryan – and he’s certainly going to get every benefit of the doubt – we need to improve strength of pitching staff. We’re behind the Dodgers with the rotation and we’re behind the other four playoff teams, in my estimation. We’ve got to get back to having a stronger starting staff. The numbers show that. It wasn’t a good year as far as consistency and performance.

Could they decline option and then offer a new deal? “Anything is possible. We like Ryan and what we’re hoping is that there’s a place for him on next year’s roster, but we’re juggling a lot of balls right now and I think he realizes that.”

Dissecting the pitching mechanics of "The Freak"

Given his flexibility and relative strength, some of this is going to be difficult for any other person to execute save an elite athlete. The caveat "Do not try this at home" should be attached to any article describing "The Freak" and his pitching methodology. It is amazing to me that pitching coaches across the country will try to implement some of these methods with kids of all sizes, shapes and conditioning levels. But great results spawn many imitators. I imagined an epidemic of groin pulls among youth pitchers across the nation. I guess you have to start somewhere with a model, but what you see here is the end product of years of development, rather than a starting point.

The Baseball Evolution article I believe is a synopsis of an interview with Timmy's dad, who helped him develop his unique approach.  Hopefully, Timmy will be practicing and perfecting his craft for the Giants for years to come. Like Brian Wilson, he will look strange in another uniform.

Having said that, here it goes:

RHP Tim Lincecum pitching mechanics

from Popular Mechanics:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/outdoors/sports/baseball/the-physics-of-the-freak

They call him The Freak.

"The ability to throw a 95 mph fastball has to do more with proper mechanics than size," says Alan Nathan, professor emeritus of Physics at the University of Illinois. "It begins with the legs and works its way up in a kinetic chain, transferring energy from big muscles to smaller ones. It's like cracking a whip." 
The most obvious characteristic of Lincecum's motion is his exceptionally long stride toward home plate. Most pitchers around six feet tall will make a stride that's about five feet long. Lincecum's is over seven feet long. A long stride is advantageous because it maximizes the amount of power a pitcher can generate. But it can also be problematical because a pitching motion can get out of sync as the pitcher's upper body moves faster than his lower body. 

Which leads to a less obvious touchstone of Lincecum's motion. He is remarkably flexible in his torso. Just before he releases the ball, Lincecum's hips have already moved to face the hitter. His belt buckle is aimed at home plate while his shoulders are still facing the third baseman. This contortionist-like flexibility allows Lincecum to get more power out of his lower body than just about any other pitcher. 

Just as important, Lincecum is a true master of disguise. Pitch FX data compiled by major league baseball shows that the two-time Cy Young Award winner uses exactly the same release point for all his pitches—his fastball, his knee-buckling curve, his devastating changeup, and his newly revitalized slider. This means that the hitter has to wait until the ball starts moving to identify the pitch. As the Braves proved in that playoff game, that can be almost impossible. 

from baseballevolution.com:
http://baseballevolution.com/richard/chrislincecum.html

Here's a breakdown of Tim's pitches I sent a columnist back in April 2006: 

He throws two, two-seamed fastballs and a four-seamed (averaging between 94 and 98 constantly). 

1.) One of the two-seamed are with his fingers on top or just on the left side of the closest separation of the seams which sinks and fades to the right of the plate (toward a right-handed hitter). 

2.) The other two-seamed fastball is with his finger-tips (index and middle finger) on the top of the top parallel seam (where the seams are closest to each other) which rises when thrown. 

3.) The four seam is where his finger-tips are touching the top of the seam where the seams are farthest apart of the ball. It tales a little left or right but stays on plain parallel to the ground and is easier to control and Tim feels it's what they call a heavy ball. 

He has two hard breaking curve-balls: His bread and butter which he's thrown since he was about 8 years old. His body mechanics are the same with his breaking balls as it is with his fastballs. The key to having a sharp-breaking curve is the amount of spins and always using a fast arm speed created by using total body whipping mechanics (and a soft grip just like he throws every pitch-What I show anybody that wants to know is that when you hold a ball too firmly the wrist tightens up and end of the whip never takes place. This usually causes sore arms in the bicep and elbow). 

The mechanics he uses along with maintaining core muscle strength (and most important the small muscle strength) is why he can throw for so long, while still maintaining his velocity late in his games (even after throwing 125+ pitches). The small muscles are the wrists, elbow, shoulder, lower-back, groin, and around the knee and ankles.... 

1.) The so-called 12/6 curve is held with the index and middle-finger close together with the index touching and on the left part parallel to the seams when they are closest together on the ball. Pulling the ball down on the same plane as his arm (and "letting" the ball release as apposed to forcing the ball with a snapping wrist so the ball rolls off his fingers). The angle of his shoulders is the key to the direction of the break. 

2.) The 2/8 so-called curve has been my favorite and is the first Tim learned and actually breaks twice (over to the left toward a left-handed batter and down). It's held basically the same as the 12/6 but is deeper in his grip (being held with more of his two fingers and thumb as apposed to the holding it between the middle and second joint on the fingers). The angle of the break is again created by the angle of his shoulders which are at a 2/8 angle (as though you are looking at a clock from the mound). 

He has developed a slider this year which we worked on years ago but never needed (because if thrown too often while developing his fastball it can cause lack of velocity with the fastball due to muscle-memory which tends to cause a cutter and that slows the ball down). But this year he worked on holding the ball with his fingers close together, like the 12/6 curve, and throwing it at about 1:30/7:30 angle and rather than getting on top of the ball at release he rolls around it. He throws it about mid-eighties speed. 

He tried different change-ups for the last three years (the circle with the index and thumb basically touching the tips and throws it with his index, four-finger and little finger controlling it). He's experimented with numerous pressures and deeper in his grip or toward the tips or what they refer to as a football grip and has found a comfort zone with a pitch he worked on in the Cape-Cod league. It dies off to the right and down toward a right-handed hitter in the low eighties. 

He throws a splitter (which is nothing more than an abbreviated fork-ball in the upper eighties) and a knuckleball which they don't feel he needs to throw. Some of the players tell me the knuckle is so nasty that nobody would be able to catch it. 

All in all his mechanics are (as some people have referred to as freakish or un-orthodox) like the old-time pitchers in the 30's and 40's and early fifties. Example: Sandy Koufax, Bob Gibson, Satchel Paige, Bob Feller. Carl Hubbell, Juan Marichal... 

Those athletes didn't throw with just there arms and shoulders as probably 70% or more have been doing for the last 40+ years. Those pitchers don't last for more than 4 to 7 years and usually throw their elbows or shoulders out. Sad thing is that they become pitching coaches and open clinics and teach their mechanics to the children (charging ridiculous fees) addressing their mechanics as "the Pro way" of doing it (after all, all you have to do is watch a game on T.V. and see that most major leaguers are using the muscle-method way of throwing, therefore confirming it), thus creating less than efficient throwers, for the next generation, who in turn throw their arms out and usually can't understand why. Just watching these types of poor mechanics makes me cringe with pain. Pitching is a position that can be taught to almost anybody, but throwing properly is an art and needs to be respected and constantly adjusted due to growth and muscle development and aging. I love it the most in all sports. 

Pill, Pence, Posey, Pablo and Hitting Approaches

Good news for the up and coming Gigantes toiling in both the greater SF sandlots as well as those struggling to make the big club like Brett Pill. If I were Pill , I would stick with the traditional approach employed by Buster Posey. It seems as if Pence and Pablo (Sandoval) employ non-traditional, anomalous approaches which ultimately lend themselves to feast or famine results.    

from Yahoo Sports:
Pence hits two homers in Giants' win - Yahoo Sports:

"Buster (Posey) usually gives me something, but Hunter will usually just say, 'I just try to kill the ball,' which I don't doubt; he does," Pill said of seeking advice from his elder statesmen. "To do what he's doing right now is pretty unbelievable to watch. I think we're all feeding off it. It's been kind of ridiculous."

"Every time I get a hit he comes up to me and asks me what I'm thinking," Pence said. "All I say is I tried to see the ball and hit it as hard as I could. Really, I feel like if I'm mechanical, I get in my own way. That's the truth, and he gets all mad at me, so when he hit that homer I couldn't wait to ask him what he was thinking.

"Up the middle," Pence said, laughing.

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Pence's approach from a hitting mechanics standpoint is like nothing any self-respecting hitting guru would teach to a young person. But it works for him. See ball, hit ball....you can't think and hit at the same time...that can work. There are some great examples and a critique of Pence's unique approach listed below from McCovey Chronicles. It's a classic.

Pablo Sandoval's approach from a plate discipline standpoint is also like nothing you would teach to a young, developing team, but it works for him. My guess is if he tried to back down his hack-o-meter and tried to swing only at "rule book strikes"  it might take away from his aggressiveness and confidence and hurt his average. It lends itself to hot and cold hitting as well, but it does seem amazing that guys like Sandoval, that have this "hack at anything I can reach" approach, seem to hit better in the post-season and clutch situations when pitchers are the most dialed in or have to throw strikes.

Pence's signing virtually assures that future prospects will have a wide variety of hitting approach examples to choose from in the future, if Pablo can come up big next year in his contract year. Five years for $90M is a bit rich, but Pence deserves it based on performance and his leadership by example approach to the game. In that regard he is a textbook example for the kids. So, I guess it all balances out in the end. I'm glad to see the Reverend has found a home.


from McCovey Chronicles:
http://www.mccoveychronicles.com/2013/5/2/4292934/swing-pr0n-hunter-pence-is-the-best-worst-baseball-player-of-all-time

The swing: Like most things Pence, it's confounding example of awkwardness overcome by freakish strength (and probably some sort of alien sorcery). It's an exaggerated leg lift, a sizeable hitch in the hands, a slight step in the bucket (because he doesn't quite get himself squared up from such an open stance), a huuuuge stride, and a front hip that flies open early. Despite all of that nightmare fuel for hitting instructors, Pence manages (post-hitch) to keep his hands back and his bat flat through the zone for long enough to rely on his alien/chimp strength (four-plus times as strong as a human of comparable size) to hit an absolute laser over the right-center field fence. It's no small feat to hit an oppo bomb at Dodger Stadium at night. We make note of this, but ...

The mind. It boggles.

The velocity off the bat: 106.4 mph

The elevation angle: 20.8˚

The distance: 392 feet

The verdict: It's fitting that Pence's ability to turn wrong into right was best exhibited in his first home run of the year. For what it's worth, Pence has a baseball academy in Houston where his instructors presumably teach youngsters how to do whatever the hell it is that he does. The curse. It's spreading.

Exit Sandman

It will be unusual not to see Mariano Rivera closing for the Yankees. Thrown on top of not seeing Andy Pettitte every fifth start and eventually not seeing Derek Jeter at SS every day and this is going to be a very different Yankee ball club in the next few years. Who is going to be the face of the franchise when these guys are gone?

Rivera was classy, almost regal throughout his magnificent career. And he did it with basically one pitch that major league hitters still have not figured out how to attack. First ballot HOF'er.

from mercurynews.com
POSTGAME NOTES: Giants lose No. 82 for first time since 2008 | Giants Extra:

"— Via CSN’s Ahmed Fareed, an interesting story from the Wall Street Journal on balls and strikes, and it includes this note: “Yankees closer Rivera has been helped this year by the fact that 14.3% of his pitches taken outside the zone have been called for strikes, an MLB high.”

When I was writing about Rivera the other day, I asked Pence for his memories from his lone matchup with the Yankees closer.

“I struck out looking,” he said, smiling. “On a ball.”"

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Parcells HOF ring ceremony at Giants Stadium

Once a Giant, always a Giant....

from Giants.com
Giants.com | Gameday LIVE:

'via Blog this'

Pence makes his case for staying in SF

This game highlighted the Giants two most immediate and pressing goals. The first goal is to be sure that we are not speaking of Hunter Pence in the past tense next year. He looks good in that uni, BTW. Pence does seem to be a throwback to a bygone era.

The next goal is to avoid the stigma mentioned in this article, which is to avoid the being mentioned in the same breath as the Florida Marlins. At least when the subject is defense of World Series championships.

from Yahoo Sports:
Pence drives in 7, Giants trounce Dodgers 19-3 - Yahoo Sports:

The only drama left in the NL West is the battle to avoid last place, with the Giants, Padres and Rockies all tied. The only team to finish last a year after winning a World Series was the 1998 Marlins. 

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That team at least had the excuse that ownership gave up financially and virtually unloaded the entire roster. This group of players do not have that as an excuse.

It seems awfully quiet in the Lincecum front. That is rather disturbing. I don't think it's too out of line for them to pass a little of the $11M some odd savings from the Zito contract over to Timmy's side of the table.

Bumgarner bests Kershaw in battle of the lefty aces

Still, I would trade places with the Dodgers in the standings as the Giants suspend giving up the ghost of finishing .500 for one more day. Mired is a really good word to describe the Giants position in the standings BTW. A late rally to finish third in the division might be the best salve for that pride thingy that Romo speaks of in the article.

Might have wanted to see a little more of that mentality earlier in the season, but WTH?

from Yahoo Sports:
Giants beat Dodgers 4-2 behind Bumgarner - Yahoo Sports:

Mired in last place, the defending World Series champion Giants have been reduced to playing out the string.

''We do want to finish strong,'' Romo said. ''There's a lot of pride here.''

Madison Bumgarner (12-9) allowed two runs and five hits in six innings, extending his streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer in each of his past 18 starts. The left-hander struck out six and walked two in picking up his first win since Aug. 2, a span of seven starts.

''When you're going up against a guy like him (Kershaw), you got to try to at least keep it a tie,'' Bumgarner said.

'via Blog this'

Wrestling gets reinstated for 2020 Olympics - ESPN

And rightfully so. More than baseball / softball, which I understand that the world thinks of as primarily an American sport, wrestling is as much associated with the Olympic Games and it's history as almost any sport in the Olympics.

My guess is that the reason they were dropped initially is that there is not much the IOC could do to monetize the sport other than to switch to WWF-style wrestling. Oops, I shouldn't give them any ideas.

Wrestling gets reinstated for 2020 Olympics - ESPN:

Wrestling, which was surprisingly dropped from the list of core sports in February, received 49 votes to win in the first round of secret balloting by the International Olympic Committee. Baseball-softball got 24 votes and squash 22.

The decision capped a frantic six-month campaign by the wrestling body FILA to revamp the organization and reshape the sport to save its Olympic status.

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More on Yusmeiro-mania | Giants Extra

The game will be etched in Giants lore, regardless of the outcome. One pitch, one AB away. Petit becomes almost as heroic in the end.

How Eric Chavez was able to lay off the pitch immediately prior to this one, the 2-2 slider away, was the difference. That's just a veteran, professional hitter winning the battle by a thread.

We'll need a year or so to determine if the Giants have struck Ryan Voglesong-like lightning twice, or if the Petit is just running on adrenaline. Two games against his former team, the D-Backs. So you want to see a larger sample, but the way he was painting with five different pitches my only question about Petit right now is "How was this guy not dominating minor league hitters more?"

from mercurynews.com:
Saturday’s Giants lineup: Cain returns; More on Yusmeiro-mania | Giants Extra:

Good stuff from Carl Steward last night on Yusmeiro-mania.

Carl went from AT&T Park to O.co for a day game between the A’s and the Astros. Here’s what he wrote after talking to Bob Melvin, who managed Petit in Arizona:

“I do remember him pitching some good games in San Francisco,” Melvin recalled. “That’s a good ballpark for him. He can keep the ball in the middle of the field. It’s a big park there. He’s able to keep the ball off the barrel of the bat when he’s good, and he mixes his pitches up. He’s got a little crossfire to him across his body, and there have been times when he’s been really good. Hats off to him, that was a terrific performance yesterday.”

Melvin also spoke to why Petit hasn’t been able to find a stable home in the majors.

“I think it’s because of some consistency issues with him,” he said. “He’ll be good at times and then he won’t be at time. His problem when I was with him is getting the ball up in the zone, and when you don’t throw that hard your fastball is fairly straight. You can give up some homers. But from what I see, he’s pitched pretty well. When he’s down in the zone, he’s much more difficult to deal with.”

'via Blog this'

We'll know final the answer to that in about a year. At worst, the Giants have found the tentative replacement 5th starter for Barry Zito. At best, maybe a guy you can pencil in behind Cain and Bumgarner, depending on the disposition of one Tim Lincecum.

Not a bad starting five to look forward to in 2014:
Cain, Bumgarner, Vogelsong, Lincecum and Petit.

from mercurynews.com
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/giants/2013/09/07/postgame-notes-nothing-nightmarish-about-petits-dream-performance-not-even-chavezs-last-strike-hit/

Which brings us to the long-term outlook of how Petit’s sudden emergence may impact the Giants’ formation of the 2014 rotation. Is he simply on an uncanny roll or has he made some kind of Vogelsong-like breakthrough? Petit, at minimum, will merit a good long look next spring as the Giants work out their five starters, and he said after the game he would take pretty much any contract the Giants offer because he feels that comfortable with them. True, he rarely even hit 90 mph on the radar gun in this game (or any of the other games he’s pitched), but he spotted all of his pitches so well, the Diamondbacks were off balance all night … and they just saw him five days ago, which makes what he did even more striking.

It’s a nice late-season story in a lost year. What’s remarkable is that if Matt Cain hadn’t gotten hurt, Petit probably wouldn’t even have received this chance to prove his worth. He took Cain’s spot in the rotation, and he’s 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA. He’s walked four batters in 21 innings. He should get at least 3-4 more starts, so those will be most intriguing to watch.

Why High-Speed Throwing Is Uniquely Human - Made to play Baseball

We are apparently built for high-speed throwing. Many credit this ability as part of the reason for our survival back in  the day. And by back in the day, I mean WAAAAAAY back in the the day.  Hyperextendible wrists!! Didn't know about that one, but OK. We also have the opposable thumbs thing going for us, for gripping tools and implements like a baseball bat as shown further in the article below.

Form follows function and we have all the necessary raw materials to make us uniquely equipped to be throwing and hitting machines. Therefore, wonderfully made and endowed by our Creator for the great game of baseball on at least two unique levels.  

HOW ABOUT THAT!! 

from the Institute for Creation Research:
Why High-Speed Throwing Is Uniquely Human:

What body structures uniquely equip humans to throw objects frequently, at high speeds, and—for the practiced—with great accuracy? Research has revealed that if the throwing motion depended directly on muscle, we could only generate half the force that the human frame can actually muster. In the course of answering the question of where the rest of the throwing force originates, one recent study stumbled on a number of reasons why the human body looks like the product of specialized and intentional creation.

Publishing in the journal Nature, four scientists led by Harvard's Neil Roach examined the human mechanics of pitching a baseball and compared them to the chimpanzee's anatomy.1 A chimp's long-armed frame is well-suited for climbing and hanging from tree limbs, but this diminishes its potential for sustained, accurate, high-speed throwing. The researchers identified several uniquely human features that helped solve the mystery of mankind's expert throw.

First, humans have longer legs. Taking that first, long step when we begin the throwing motion stores a measure of elastic energy, later to be released. Second, we rotate our hips with a greater range of motion because of, in the Nature authors' words, "the tall, mobile waists of humans."1

Third, the study authors found a uniquely human angle between the head of the humerus (upper arm) bone and the axis of the elbow. So the overall shape of human arm bones helps store energy used for throwing. A fourth feature also has to do with angles. When throwing, the human frame aligns the upper arm with the orientation of the pectoralis major muscle, and these also align with the torso's rotation angle. This arrangement permits multiple forces to align, producing the fastest motion in the human body—the "rotation around the long axis of the humerus," which rotates more than 9,000 degrees per second!1

Last, humans have "hyperextendible wrists" that store and release even more energy.1 Altogether, the stored energy from the legs, hips, torso, shoulder girdle, and wrist loads its force to that of the appropriate muscle energies onto the projectile.

The end result? Professional pitchers can throw baseballs at close to 90 mph over 100 times during a three-hour baseball game.

References

1. Roach, N.T. et al. 2013. Elastic energy storage in the shoulder and the evolution of high-speed throwing in Homo. Nature. 498 (7455): 483-486.

1. Guliuzza, R. 2009. Throwing Darwin a Curve. Made in His Image: Examining the complexities of the human body. ICR: Dallas, TX. p. 22.

* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.Article posted on July 19, 2013.

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That's a Fact - Throwing a Strike from Institute for Creation Research on Vimeo.



Evolution of the human hand: the role of throwing and clubbing

Richard W Young

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1571064/

Conclusion

It has been proposed (Young, 2002) that the earliest hominid specialization was aggressive throwing and clubbing, and that this behaviour increased reproductive success during a prolonged period, driving natural selection that progressively improved its effectiveness. If these assertions are correct, the evolution of the human hand should provide evidence of this process in its anatomical structure.

The fossil record indicates that adaptation for throwing and clubbing began to influence hand structure at or very near the origin of the hominid lineage and continued for millions of years thereafter. During this prolonged period of evolution, the hand underwent a profound remodelling that increasingly adapted it for grasping spheroids in a manner that allows precise control of release and for gripping clubhandles with strength sufficient to withstand a violent impact. Two unique human handgrips were thereby produced. Called the ‘power’ and ‘precision’ grips by Napier (1956) who identified and described them, they can also be referred to as clubbing and throwing grips on the basis of their evolutionary origins.

  http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Evol/opposablethumb.html

Importance of the opposable thumb

The thumb, unlike other fingers, is opposable, in that it is the only digit on the human hand which is able to oppose or turn back against the other four fingers, and thus enables the hand to refine its grip to hold objects which it would be unable to do otherwise. The opposable thumb has helped the human species develop more accurate fine motor skills. It is also thought to have directly led to the development of tools, not just in humans or their evolutionary ancestors, but other primates as well.[6][7] The thumb, in conjunction with the other fingers make humans and other species with similar hands some of the most dexterous in the world.[8]

What?!? The baseball can make the baseball fly further?

Hmmm...interesting article from Collegiate Baseball. You mean it's been the baseball, the make-up of the baseball, that has caused balls to fly further than ever before? You don't say?

from baseballnews.com
Voting For Flat Seam Ball Will Take Place:

The NCAA now has researchers testing raised seam vs. flat seam college certified baseballs with a COR performance limit of .555 to determine what the “drag effect” is of both balls and if the flat seam ball flies further, according to Dave Keilitz, executive director of the ABCA.

“It will be interesting to see what NCAA researchers come up with,” said Keilitz.

“If the raised seam ball goes 350 feet, will the flat seam ball go 355 feet, 360 feet or further because it has less drag in the seams? Currently we don’t know the answer.

“They are nearing the end of their study and will then do some field testing with the ball before finalizing their conclusions,” said Keilitz.

According to Keilitz, previous testing showed significant differences in the distances balls travel that are approved for college and pro baseball.

“Previous research has shown that a minor league flat seam ball with a maximum COR of .578 hit 300 feet would go 20-25 feet further than a college (raised seam) ball with a maximum COR of .555,” said Keilitz.

That would translate to 26.6 to 33.3 feet further on a ball hit 400 feet with the minor league baseball.

'via Blog this'


Where have we heard that before? Didn't we hear pitchers openly complaining about the hardness, an almost billiard ball like feel to the baseball back in the so-called steroid era? Weren't they complaining about the flatness of the seams back then as well? And pitchers would be the subject matter experts on the consistency and constitution of the baseballs.

It's like fixing a basketball game, you don't need to buy a superstar player. You fix the refs.

If you want to fix the amount of scoring in a baseball game. You "fix" the baseball.

You're welcome.

Can we not speculate on what the results of the study will show? I'm not sure we need a really long study to document the effects. We're doing a study on what is basically a known quantity, to determine the quantity.

My guess is it will be pretty significant. The prior studies seem to show about an 8-10% increase in the distance traveled by a fly ball. That seems to be about the effect we were seeing during the "steroid era"

What if it has been the ball all along?

The Physics of Sports:
http://home.roadrunner.com/~enloephysics/sports.htm

THE SPORTS OF BASEBALL & SOFTBALL

 Baseballs and softballs are examples of sports projectiles. The air flow around the ball is science that must be mastered by every baseball or softball pitcher. The air flow around a smooth ball is much different than the air flow around a ball with stitches. See the diagrams below. In the flight of a smooth ball the air molecules travel around the ball to the back where they meet and mingle and combine to push the ball forward. The pressure behind the ball is less than the pressure in front. When the ball has stitches as in a baseball or softball, turbulence occurs where the stitches are. The turbulence causes the air to stick to the ball just a little longer and reduces the wake (as in a boat's wake) which reduces drag. These stitches can also change the direction of the ball. A good pitcher uses the spin and the stitch alignment to throw curve balls.

Petit comes up large again for Giants

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2013_09_06_arimlb_sfnmlb_1&mode=video&content_id=30389219&tcid=vpp_copy_30389219

Petit's near-perfect outing

• 09/06/13
• 04:28

9/6/13: Yusmeiro Petit is almost perfect, going 8 2/3 spotless innings before allowing a hit, ultimately striking out seven D-backs

I would have missed this one too. I went to bed after five having nodded through those five not realizing how the Giants scored two runs. Of course, had I heard Kuip say "Petit, perfect through five!!", I would have instantly perked up.

 Petit continues his impressive run at a spot in the 2014 starting rotation.

  Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants - September 6, 2013 | MLB.com SF Recap:

SAN FRANCISCO -- Yusmeiro Petit barely missed baseball immortality, but gained legitimacy.

One strike away from becoming the second San Francisco Giants pitcher to pitch a perfect game and the 16th in franchise history to record a no-hitter, Petit yielded a single to pinch-hitter Eric Chavez that onrushing right fielder Hunter Pence dove for and caught on a heartbreakingly short hop.

Petit finished with a one-hitter in the Giants' 3-0 victory Friday night over the D-backs, continuing his quest to establish himself in the Major Leagues and end his 12 professional seasons as a journeyman.

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Giants Extra | A blog about the San Francisco Giants

This is a guy who has always put up solid minor league numbers. Petit was solid enough to be tabbed by Nate Silver's PECOTA rankings as a legitimate major league prospect. I saw Petit's name mentioned in the Index of Silver's most recent book The Signal and the Noise and read up a bit on his prior history.  The fact that he has not parlayed that success and potential at the major league may scream either AAAA player or late-bloomer as the Mercury News article suggests.

Let's hope for the Giants sake that he is finally figuring out how to get major league hitters out and win ball games.

from Mercurynews.com:
Giants Extra | A blog about the San Francisco Giants:

But the real story was Yusmeiro Petit. One good start, you say, OK, maybe it was just a fluke. A second good start, especially one that includes one walk and 10 strikeouts, and you sit up and say, “Hey, Sabes, we may have something here.” To be sure, against all odds, there seems to be some grist to this 28-year-old Venezuelan possibly being a late-bloomer.

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Manny Machado makes an incredible play look routine

9/1/13: Manny Machado barehands a slow grounder and fires to Chris Davis at first base, who makes an incredible stretch for the out


The best part of the Machado play is the way he transfers the ball from a five finger, change-up grip as he picks the ball off the ground to a normal two-finger grip. This allows him to get enough on the throw to make the play. 

This is the best value of instant replay, to get a better appreciation for the skill required to make some of these outstanding plays, which some of these guys appear to make routinely. 

Try making that type of transfer on the run while at the same time making an accurate throw. 

You have to wait / fast forward to the end of the clip to see the super slow mo of the transfer, but it is well worth the wait. If guys have been making this play in the past I have never before seen it with the naked eye. Good thing my eyes were fully clothed this time.  

Giants prospects to the Arizona Fall League | Giants Extra

Seems like Chris Stratton should be a front-runner for the last open spot. Or perhaps Martin Agosta.

from mercurynews.com
POSTGAME NOTES: Pence sets tone with longest homer of the season | Giants Extra:

— The rosters for the Arizona Fall League were announced and the Giants are sending pitchers Kyle Crick, Cody Hall and Adalberto Mejia, catcher Andrew Susac, first baseman Angel Villalona and outfielder Jarrett Parker. The roster has an empty spot for one more Giants pitching prospect. It’s a pretty intriguing group, and those games certainly won’t be the last time that Crick throws to Susac.

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