Baseball

[noddy]

As for swapping sports, and that secondary visualization/instinct about how the ball will act-- I think you're right that most of it is habituated and specialized at a young age that it's hard to cross over at equal professional levels.

Some years ago, the Pittsburgh Pirates signed two Indian kids who specialized in javelin throwing and had played cricket and tried to convert them into pitchers.

Both flamed out almost immediately. One actually joined the pro wrestling circuit; the other went back to India and is now coaching baseball.

I bet there are pitchers/bowlers- if caught young enough- could make the transition to some extent. Maybe at 15/16 years old.

cricket has normal bent arm throwing like baseball (but not as well developed) for the ground fielding so its not impossible that the best throwers, caught young enough could grow that skillset.

cricket bowling is a physical absurdity, straight arm , throwing on the run, the closest is javelin but they dont ban you for bending your elbow.

you have to grow up with it, it takes years just to get the basics coordinated.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Laf5nX36I

[noddy]

a cricket wrist spinner, nifty.

wiki says its a googly, but it looks more like a top spinner to me.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devin_Williams_(baseball)

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Pete Browning, the original "Louisville Slugger"



acquired his first bat from the Hillerich & Bradsby company in 1884 and collected three hits in his first game using it, and stuck with the company from that point on.

Ten years later, Hillerich & Bradsby renamed the bat after their star first professional customer, and in another ten years would sign the first sports endorsement deal with Honus Wagner.

By 1933, the Louisville Slugger white ash bats were universally used, helping standardize baseball bats as much as anything else.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The 1870s Boston Red Stockings of National Association [who are now the Atlanta Braves] were the last team to use english willow for bats, to my knowledge.

baseball is quite strict on sizes and woods isnt it ?

--
an article that clearly explains things unlike my rushed incoherant ramblings

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/jon- ... ing-787773

No, not really. Comparatively, it's been rather lax, in my estimation and allows (in theory) for a lot of experimentation.

In practice though, players are very uniform in adapting to trends.

The latest one is the axe bat design [see the knob]:



they are supposed to be better designed with the wrist in mind, leading to more comfortable and better swinging. I've noticed more players use these bats in the last few years, though we are probably still a few years away from it suddenly sweeping through the league or dying out.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

before this, it was the low-density maple bat craze, which started with a few players in the late 90s, then Barry Bonds [who depending who you ask was either the greatest player ever or the biggest steroid cheat ever]

used them in the season where he crushed the home run record with 73-- the next year, it seemed like 75% of the league was using them and they were going to become the standard.

Thing is though, they not only broke incredibly fast compared to the old ash bats, they shattered and splintered sending shards in all directions.

That lead to some crazy situations, like a coach getting the shrapnel of the bat right in the neck.

In 2010, MLB banned these bats, while grandfathering in players who had used them previously. Not a whole lot of people left who could still use those bats.

This wasn't without controversy, with players accusing the owners of suppressing offense (and suppressing wages) by banning those bats. It was something about the owners using machines and not actual players in their tests; and then MLB's own studies showing it was only bats with certain grain patterns that were shattering...and on and on and on.

[noddy]

much more complex than I was aware of.

so even materials are flexable ?

cricket had aluminium bats for a part of 1 game, sounded awful, banned on the spot for ball damage, ditto carbon fibre wraps.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

much more complex than I was aware of.

so even materials are flexable ?

cricket had aluminium bats for a part of 1 game, sounded awful, banned on the spot for ball damage, ditto carbon fibre wraps.

I've only used a wooden bat in the 18+ hard ball league games I ever played in.

It's all aluminum through college here- with their own controversy. Kids sometimes get really injured, but the ball travels so much better, for amateurs, with aluminum bats.

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yeah, the rulebook is something like:

- bat cannot be more than 42" inches long, the barrel needs to be within a certain circumference, and it cannot weigh under something like 27/28 oz.

- only so much of the top can be scooped out

- no modified/corked bat shenanigans

- players are allowed to use whatever substance they want to get a grip on the bat, but it cannot extend up to or beyond the trademark of the bat. Then this rule was emended in the 80s after a famous incident to say that an umpire can no longer toss a player out of a game or confiscate his bat if he is found in violation of this rule. So, it's effectively vetoed.

That's it. The wild thing is much conformity there is just enforced by tradition and social pressure.

edit: I forgot the strictest rule, MLB very much enforces what colors bat can and cannot be.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

This bat didn't last long certain professional and semi-professional leagues had a few players between 1890 and 1910 use the 'banana bat'



much more popular were what were called mushroom bats, designed by Spalding and my forum namesake Nap Lajoie:



These lasted quite a while in the game, with some extreme variations, including those where the handle look more suited for cricket than baseball.

Lajoie used the double-handle mushroom for a period of time:



The purpose of the "mushroom" was as a counterweight to the heavy bats in use. 40 to 50 oz. bats were very common for the first half of the 20th century.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Here's Lajoie with what looks like a typical bat for the dead ball era, and early live ball:



The extinction event is Ruth- his closed, hands together, drive the ball (and take your strike out) batting stance has been the standard for the last 100 years now, every bat and batting stance has been ever more ruthian ever since.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

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[NapLajoieonSteroids]

What is there to say about Major League Baseball?

They are 100+ days into a lockout, one which was in the making for a long time (if not a lockout it would've been a strike) where the main motive for both the union and owners is to injure the other party.

So much can be written but as a fan, it's just really depressing.

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[noddy]

APR3j1np4Uk

inswinger and outswinger, cricket has boring terms.

[noddy]

What is there to say about Major League Baseball?

They are 100+ days into a lockout, one which was in the making for a long time (if not a lockout it would've been a strike) where the main motive for both the union and owners is to injure the other party.

So much can be written but as a fan, it's just really depressing.

when that happened in cricket https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series_Cricket , the players and the main TV channel just walked away from the official league and started their own.

im not sure cricket would be popular enough now, like it was then, to pull that stunt off :/ so best of luck to baseball

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The players' union may be correct about many things but they have also achieved almost every goal the union set out to achieve and they are largely spinning in circles. They have guaranteed contracts, very player-friendly arbitration hearings after x amount of time in the majors, lifetime medical coverage, and a generous pension which turns into a great one for the few able to stick around the ten years it fully invests.

Most of the things they are fighting against are either from the product of their own sucess or the outcome of collective bargaining they previously signed on to.

So even when I think the players' position is more correct in a number of disputed areas, it is starting to border on the petty side in a lot of ways.

Especially when they are trying to sell the idea that a large number of the unspectacular players are struggling to live post-retirement.

The argument goes that the majority of players in the league never amount of millionaires, are out of the sport after 3 years (so never receive a full pension) and are robbed of their prime years.

But the flip side is that these players are out of baseball by the age of 27 with at least around 300 thousand in their pockets, free health care for life, a future pension ranging somewhere in the 30 to 40 thousands, and increasingly common, their former teams have all sorts of assistance for helping them to go back to school.

How many people out there would turn down being so disadvantaged?

[noddy]

my national team just sacked its coach via player revolution because he was too intense and not emotionally supportive enough.

millenials are doing sport on different levels to previous generations, Im not convinced either way yet as to if they demand too much or if they are exploited.

their are many horror stories of fast bowlers in particular destroying their bodies quite badly for entertainment and then being dumped in their early thirties with not much to show for it all.

But the flip side is that these players are out of baseball by the age of 27 with at least around 300 thousand in their pockets, free health care for life, a future pension ranging somewhere in the 30 to 40 thousands, and increasingly common, their former teams have all sorts of assistance for helping them to go back to school.

this however seems pretty cut and dried as a step up from that.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

That's the rub of it. Those cases have become very rare at this level.

Now, there are a lot of sad cases in the lower, minor leagues but *LOL* at the players' union caring about any of that.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

The MLBPA and MLB owners reached an agreement and spring training is starting today (I believe). The start of the season has been postponed to April 7th but the initial six games will not be cancelled but fit into the existing schedule by way of double headers and, I guess, eliminating off-days.
For all the acrimony, they split many issues down the middle and came to an agreement that anyone who follows baseball business close enough would've expected 100+ days ago when the lockout began.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

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[noddy]

interesting vid.

the cricket guy was a bit of a nurdler, so needed some hitting lessons - he hasnt broken out of English b-grade so I havent seen him on the circuit yet.


https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/ ... cket-india

their was a minor league hitter who tried to make the change but he never managed to adjust to the nose and toes fast bowling you get at pro level.

I think he went back to baseball after a season on the bench.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Yes, I think a video of that minor leaguer in India popped up on youtube for me but I didn't follow the link.

Lindor's swing just wouldn't translate all that well if they were even tossing to him half seriously.

The one guy whose swinging style with a better chance at a jump would be Anthony Rizzo:

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The video doesn't really do it justice because he has a tendency (now increasingly rare) to change his batting stance depending on the count and context of the game (like eliminating that leg kick) and this is his "most baseball" baseball stance.

but the straight-up/sometimes backward posture, the way he crowds the plate, more use of his shoulders and fully facing the pitcher would translate a lot better

[noddy]

yeh, its dead obvious even from that video this guy is ready to shift his body weight and bat angle a lot more responsively , he isnt just fully loaded up for one possible hit in one possible direction.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

Right, it's neither here nor there because like you said earlier, the different repetitions on how to pick up on the ball gets ingrained early;

but it's the only swing I can think of when I see how cricket players swing in terms of baseball players.

[NapLajoieonSteroids]

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