Friday, March 19, 2010

Brad Lincoln, who pitched a good couple of innings. I realize this is a somewhat silly photo, but I find it fascinating to see the mechanics of a pitch at the exact moment of release. Lincoln's is a name that has been thrown around quite a bit when people talk about exciting prospects, and it was a pleasure to see him do so well.
More impressive, however, was Bryan Morris. Here is a guy who was suspended indefinitely in 2009 for having a bad attitude resulting in something of a temper tantrum when an umpire called a rain delay. Apparently, he was frustrated at having to focus on his fastball rather than his breaking ball during spring training.

My sympathies go out to guys like him. I remember once being able to hit a flag pole with a snowball from maybe fifteen feet. It was probably one of the more athletic things I have ever done, and it was also the closest I've ever come to having anything approaching control. Being able to develop a functional pitch that has major league potential is a miracle in and of itself; suddenly trying to develop a new pitch and maybe even have your mechanics reworked by a coach who could potentially not know what he is talking about makes me almost want to have a vicarious temper tantrum as I write this.
The Bryan Morris you see here, however, showed none of this behavior. In addition to good pitching, he fielded a grounder with an admirable fearlessness.
He manages to toss the ball to first while in flight.

Hot damn!
More pictures from the yankees game will be posted tomorrow, but for now, the exterior of McKechnie Field....
And the Pirates Parrot poking fun at all the golf-loving Floridians.

1 comment:

  1. this blog is going to turn me into a baseball fan. something i never imagined possible!

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