Sunday, May 25, 2008

I Know This Is Over A Week Late

But.....

The Royals took advantage of the Marlins all game and cashed in during a fourth inning that featured sloppy play and a two-out, bases-loaded throwing error by Hanley Ramirez that came after starter Andrew Miller intentionally walked Tony Pena Jr. to face Royals starter Brett Tomko.

Directions: Find what is wrong with the above paragraph.

Still need help? OK.

.....


....



"Andrew Miller intentionally walked Tony Pena Jr."

Tony Pena Jr.'s 2008 stats:
.162/.184/.206 and 0 HRs and an OPS+ of 6!


Needless to say the Marlins lost this game.





Saturday, May 17, 2008

The Knuckleball

I just added Tim Wakefield on my AL-only Yahoo league. He's a knuckleball pitcher and he's pretty awesome at it. But how do you throw a knuckleball? Simple. You google "how to throw a knuckleball" and you get an answer from ehow.com.

How to Throw a Knuckleball

By eHow Sports & Fitness Editor

Dig the index and middle finger into the ball when throwing a knuckleball Dig the index and middle finger into the ball when throwing a knuckleball

Rate: (229 Ratings)

When you've got this pitch under control, hitters have no idea when to swing. When it's out of control, though, even the pitcher doesn't know where the ball is going! Here are a few easy steps to fool your hitters.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

  • Baseballs
Step1
Grip the baseball by clenching the top of the ball with the tips of your index, middle and ring fingers just below the seams. Dig the tips of your fingers deep into the ball.
Step2
Place your thumb below the ball to give it support. Keep your pinkie off to the side.
Step3
Go into your windup. Remember to pivot and shift your body weight from the back foot forward toward home plate.
Step4
Throw the ball toward home, but don't snap your wrist - keep it stable, eliminating as much spin as possible.
Step5
Follow through. Extend all fingers toward home plate as you release the pitch. Your feet should be parallel at the end of the pitch, and your throwing arm should come across the front of your body.

Cool, huh!
I personally first learned about the knuckleball because the Marlins had a pitcher named Dennis Springer who threw one. That was in like 1999 or 2000. I don't recall the Marlins having a knuckleball pitcher since, but I could be wrong. They had a screwball pitcher for a couple years, though.