Category Archives: Baseball

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS AND CURVE BALLS.

Posted on May 16, 2009 by Philip

OPTICAL ILLUSIONS AND CURVE BALLS. There is a long-standing contention, alluded to at the end of this wikipedia article on the curve ball, that the curve ball is an optical illusion. As described, in the article, physicists have no trouble … Continue reading →

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ACTS OF KINDNESS—J. R. RICHARD.

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Philip

ACTS OF KINDNESS—J. R. RICHARD. Here is a recent interview with J.R. Richard (link via Baseball Musings). I have posted before on an act of kindness that rescued a life. How did J.R. Richard rescue his life when he found … Continue reading →

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THE HARDEST THROWER IN THE MAJORS.

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Philip

THE HARDEST THROWER IN THE MAJORS. A 95 mile an hour fastball is considered a dominating fastball. Few major leaguers can sustain that kind of velocity throughout a game. When Bobby Jenks or Joel Zumaya reaches 100 miles per hour … Continue reading →

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WHEN EACH UMPIRE MADE HIS OWN RULES.

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Philip

WHEN EACH UMPIRE MADE HIS OWN RULES. It’s not so long ago that each major league umpire had his own strike zone–and was proud of it. These strike zones were often lower and wider than what the rule book specified. … Continue reading →

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IMPROVING UMPIRE PERFORMANCE.

Posted on March 29, 2009 by Philip

IMPROVING UMPIRE PERFORMANCE. I posted here in 2007 on umpire ratings for balls and strikes. An article in Baseball America (March 23 to April 5) says that major league baseball is going to install a new computerized camera system to … Continue reading →

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SCAMS: FLOOD PREPARATION.

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Philip

SCAMS: FLOOD PREPARATION. The article by Pablo Torres tells about an athlete ” who invested almost $70,000 in an invention: an inflatable raft that would sit under furniture. The pitch was that when high-rainfall areas were flooded, consumers could pump … Continue reading →

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IT’S NOT ONLY MADOFF: ATHLETES AND INVESTMENT SCAMS.

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Philip

IT’S NOT ONLY MADOFF: ATHLETES AND INVESTMENT SCAMS. This article from Sports Illustrated by Pablo Torre says that 78% of National Football League players have either gone bankrupt or are under financial stress within two years of retirement. For National … Continue reading →

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A MAJOR STORY THAT WASN’T REPORTED.

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Philip

A MAJOR STORY THAT WASN’T REPORTED. A veteran sports writer tells here how he had had evidence for a long time that steroids were being used by a star baseball player and had not reported it. The player is Mike … Continue reading →

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THE IMPORTANCE OF MARIO SCUTARO.

Posted on March 5, 2009 by Philip

THE IMPORTANCE OF MARIO SCUTARO. The Toronto Blue Jays had a great pitching staff last year, but their defense made them a lot better. Defensive statistics in Baseball Prospectus show that the Blue Jays Earned Run Average was .44 runs … Continue reading →

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BASEBALL DEFENSIVE STATISTICS.

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Philip

BASEBALL DEFENSIVE STATISTICS. With all the statistical work that’s been done by sabermatricians in baseball, defensive statistics are, as is the case with basketball, less satisfactory. The variety of approaches shows how little agreement there is. Baseball Prospectus has arrived … Continue reading →

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