Tuesday, October 14, 2003
Red Sox in Thick of Things, Wakefield Floats
I caught part of the Red Sox/Yanks game last night before I tried to do catch up on my marketing reading (a.k.a., fell sound asleep). Tim Wakefield was lofting these little packages of tempestuous cow hide that were as unpredictable as Denver weather.
The slow motion view of the knuckleball revealed absolutely nothing. There was less than a 10% total rotation in any direction until it hit the dirt -- after being missed by both the batter and catcher.
There is only one other thing in nature that behaves like a knuckleball and that is another knuckblall. I remember watching Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough throwing similar pitches and every time holding my breath until the ball reached its final destination, which was usually the backstop.
I could go on and on and marvel about the incomprehensibility of the knuckleball but it would be as futile as trying to figure out a Qwest bill or how they get those ships inside bottles. All I know is that the floater helped the RedSox stay alive and did its part to give the Yankees hell. And that's a good thing.
-LOBO
The slow motion view of the knuckleball revealed absolutely nothing. There was less than a 10% total rotation in any direction until it hit the dirt -- after being missed by both the batter and catcher.
There is only one other thing in nature that behaves like a knuckleball and that is another knuckblall. I remember watching Phil Niekro and Charlie Hough throwing similar pitches and every time holding my breath until the ball reached its final destination, which was usually the backstop.
I could go on and on and marvel about the incomprehensibility of the knuckleball but it would be as futile as trying to figure out a Qwest bill or how they get those ships inside bottles. All I know is that the floater helped the RedSox stay alive and did its part to give the Yankees hell. And that's a good thing.
-LOBO
