A Different Kind of Baseball "Movie"

The mechanics of pitching are, to say the least, unnatural. I have read a number of places that the overhand pitch used in baseball is not what the arm is meant to do. Tim Lincecum, star pitcher for the Giants is known to have an unorthodox delivery on top of the unnaturalness. I found this video from last spring training where they managed to use high-speed to get a slo-mo video. Here is what Wired.com had to say about it:

The delivery and follow-through of a big-league pitcher can be a violent undertaking, torquing up your body to throw a 5-ounce sphere of yarn, cork and rubber at speeds upward of 100 mph.

The San Francisco Giants’ Tim Lincecum, a two-time Cy Young Award winner as the best pitcher in the National League, is especially well-known for his unorthodox mechanics, owing mainly to his short stature. Listed (generously) at 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Lincecum consistently launches his fastball at speeds averaging 93 mph and has led the league in strikeouts three years running.

For a glimpse into how his body is able to handle such speeds with ease, Red Bull corralled the 26-year-old flamethrower during spring training last month and filmed him with a Phantom Flex high-speed digital camera system, one of about 50 in the world. The result is a trippy look at the extraordinary forces it requires to be one of Major League Baseball’s best pitchers.
--Link

And while we are continuing to celebrate baseball with a wonderful post-season so far, here is another item to deal with. Wired.com posted a series on baseball's science mysteries. The one that caught my eye was Why Curveballs Curve.

Here's the link.



And while it may be for the start of the season, let's get nostalgic as we near the end of the season.

Here's John Fogerty.