Hard, high and inside
Baseball pitchers love to be known for their fast ball, but the real measure is how well they can control the pitches they throw at batters. Zac Gallen unintentionally got really close to emulating the Hall of Famer Randy Johnson. Both of them pitched for the Arizona Diamondbacks. While warming up before a game this week in the outfield before Arizona’s game at Oakland, Gallen threw a curveball that hit a bird in midflight, apparently killing the animal. “I don’t really know what happened, honestly,” Gallen said. “I just know that the ball changed directions really. I saw what happened. It’s kind of a freak accident. It’s unfortunate.” Curiously this incident happened on the anniversary of Randy Johnson pitching a perfect game for Arizona against the Atlanta Braves in 2004. The 19-year-old video below shows Randy Johnson throwing… as the ball left his hand a bird swooped across the front of the catcher and got hit by the 95 mile an hour pitch. The throw was captured by cameras for Diamondbacks’ broadcaster Bally Sports Arizona.
Birds brained
Catching the whirlwind
What if you were on the receiving end of a fast pitch like that and in the middle of tornado? You can watch the video below as Bauer Zoya, 7, catcher for the Ponte Vedra Sharks, was catching a little league game waiting the high heater when mother nature made him an offer he could not refuse. In fact, he was saved from mother nature by Aidan Wiles, 17, who was umping behind the plate when a mini-tornado called a “dust devil” enveloped the little catcher. One minute the ball was coming in and the next Bauer was surrounded by orange dust in all directions. Fortunately Aiden recognized the weird mini weather system and pulled Bauer out of the whirlwind and let him catch his breath. “I couldn’t breathe that much,” Bauer told WJXT-TV. “So I held my breath and I feel like I couldn’t touch the ground. So I kind of lifted up a little bit.” Aiden said it was a scary situation, but he was more concerned with Bauer’s safety than his own. “At first I was freaked out myself until I saw him trapped in it. So, I decided to run in there and grab him out of it.” The dust devil dissipated after only a few moments and the game resumed. Bauer returned to the field after his dad, Brian Zoya, poured water on his face to keep the dust from getting into his eyes.
A Pitch from nature
Pitching and Catching quips
A rookie pitcher was struggling at the mound, so the catcher walked up to have a talk with him. “I’ve figured out your problem,” he told the young southpaw. “You always lose control at the same point in every game.” “When is that?” “Right after the National Anthem.”
What’s the difference between baseball and politics?
In baseball you’re out if you’re caught stealing.
MLB’s Adam Jones said, “Baseball is a white man’s sport.”
“Que loco!” responded about half the Major League players.
Baseball players are smarter than football players. How often do you see a baseball team penalized for too many players on the field?
May 19th Birthdays
1939 – Nancy Kwan, 1952 – Grace Jones, 1993 – Elinor Thomlinson, 1983 – Jessica Fox
1949 – Archie Manning, 1976 – Kevin Garnett, 1945 – Peter Townshend, 1986 – Eric Lloyd