PHIL NIEKRO, BASEBALL HALL OF FAMER
Image: cache.daylife.com
.
BASEBALL QUOTES \ HUMOR
.
Use of the knuckleball in pitching
.
R. A. Dickey is one of two pitchers currently playing in Major League Baseball to use the knuckleball as a primary pitch.
.
When originally developed, the knuckleball was used by a number of pitchers as simply one pitch in their repertoire, usually as part of changing speeds from their fastball.
.
It is almost never used in a mixed repertoire today, however, and some believe that to throw the knuckleball effectively with some semblance of control over the pitch, one must throw it more or less exclusively. At the same time, pitchers rarely focus on the knuckleball if they have reasonable skill with more standard pitches, so knuckleball pitchers have become quite rare.
.
However, the knuckleball does provide some advantages to its practitioners. It does not need to be thrown hard (in fact, throwing too hard may diminish its effectiveness), and is therefore less taxing on the arm.
.
This means knuckleball pitchers can throw more innings than orthodox pitchers, and are able to pitch more frequently because they require less time to recover after having pitched.
.
The lower physical strain also gives them the potential for greater career longevity, as some have continued to pitch professionally well into their forties, such as Tim Wakefield, Tom Candiotti, and the Niekro brothers. In addition, some pitchers (such as Jim Bouton) have had success as knuckleballers after their ability to throw hard declined.
.
Hoyt Wilhelm, Phil Niekro and Jesse Haines, three pitchers who primarily relied on the knuckleball, have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Niekro was given the nickname "Knucksie" during his career.
.
Other prominent knuckleball pitchers have included Joe Niekro (Phil's brother), Charlie Hough, Dave Jolly, Ben Flowers, Wilbur Wood, Tom Candiotti, Bob Purkey, Steve Sparks, Eddie Rommel and Tim Wakefield.
.
During the 1945 season, with talent depleted by call-ups to fight in World War II, the Washington Senators had a pitching rotation which included four knuckleball pitchers (Dutch Leonard, Johnny Niggeling, Mickey "Itsy Bitsy" Haefner and Roger Wolff) who combined for 60 complete games and 60 wins, carrying the Senators to second place.
As of 2010[update], Wakefield of the Boston Red Sox and R.A. Dickey of the New York Mets[2] are the only knucklers in the big leagues, though minor leaguers Charlie Zink of the Rochester Red Wings and Charlie Haeger of the Albuquerque Isotopes also throw the knuckleball.
.
In November 2008 it was announced that 16 year old knuckleballer Eri Yoshida was drafted as the first woman ever to play in Japanese professional baseball for the Kobe 9 Cruise of the Kansai Independent Baseball League.
.
On March 2, 2010, she trained with Tim Wakefield at the Boston Red Sox minor league training facility.[3] and on April 8, 2010, she signed with the Chico Outlaws, debuting on May 29, 2010.[4]
.
Detroit Tigers reliever Eddie Bonine also throws a knuckleball, though he does so infrequently as compared to pitchers who use it as a primary pitch.
.
Lance Niekro, son of Joe Niekro, attempted to convert from a position player to a knuckleball pitcher. He started the 2009 season with the Gulf Coast League Braves but is currently listed as a free agent.
.
Quotes on the knuckleball:.
.
"They say you don't want to have a knuckleballer pitching for you or against you" - Los Angeles Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda, quoted in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, August 4, 1987.
.
"I always thought the knuckleball was the easiest pitch to catch. Wait'll it stops rolling, then go to the backstop and pick it up." broadcaster and former catcher Bob Uecker
.
"You don't catch a knuckleball, you defend against it." Retired Dodgers manager and former catcher Joe Torre
.
"Trying to hit against Phil Niekro is like trying to eat Jell-O with chopsticks". All-star outfielder Bobby Murcer
.
"I never worry about it. I just take my three swings and go sit on the bench. I'm afraid if I ever think about hitting it, I'll mess up my swing for life." All-star first baseman Dick Allen
.
"There are two theories on hitting a knuckleball. Unfortunately, neither of them works." famed hitting coach Charlie Lau
.
"You know, catching the knuckleball, it's like trying to catch a fly with a chopstick." All-star and Gold Glove catcher Jason Varitek
.
"If it's high, let it fly. If it's low, let it go." Common saying describing how to approach hitting the knuckleball.
.
"Throwing a knuckleball for a strike is like throwing a butterfly with hiccups across the street into your neighbor's mailbox." Hall of Famer Willie Stargell
.
"For a knuckleballer, a pitch count of 150 is not a problem. Unless it's the first inning." Dave Clark, author of The Knucklebook
.
"Like some cult religion that barely survives, there has always been at least one but rarely more than five or six devotees throwing the knuckleball in the big leagues... Not only can't pitchers control it, hitters can't hit it, catchers can't catch it, coaches can't coach it, and most pitchers can't learn it. The perfect pitch." Ron Luciano, former AL umpire
.
"Hitting Niekro's knuckleball is like eating soup with a fork." Richie Hebner
.
"You're not expected to hit it. [I am] expected to catch it." John Flaherty summing up his day catching Tim Wakefield in a spring training game against the Twins by relaying a comment made by fellow catcher Mike Redmond. Flaherty retired the next day.
.
"Knuckleballs suck." Geno Petralli after giving up four passed balls in one inning
.
"It's not a pitch to be mastered but only executed the best you can. Charlie Hough told me he learned the pitch in one day and spent a lifetime learning how to throw it for strikes." R.A. Dickey, knuckleball pitcher of the Mets, on the knuckleball.
.
Source: wikipedia.com
.
-----
.
Bonus entry: Baseball Humor
.
Fattest Players in the Major Leagues
.
David Letterman years ago cited on his late night talk show a
major league pitcher, Terry Forster, so overweight that Letterman
coined the term "Big tub of goo" to describe him.
.
Such players today are nominated for GQ's Rich Garces Cup,
an award named for yet another obese pitcher, Rich Garces.
.
So, with humor, sit back and enjoy the slide show from GQ
on the fattest players in major league baseball.
.
Click here to view ===>
FATTEST PLAYERS IN BASEBALL.
Source: gq.com
.
-----
.
Editor's note:
.
Hope springs eternal syndrome reigns here, as all males who have
ever seen a knuckleball thrown feel they can use that same pitch
to get into the majors, if they just had the time and wherewithal to
pursue the dream.
.
Similarly, every overweight male knows if Rich Garces or Ryan
Howard or David Wells can play the game, he can too, given the
time and the wherewithal.
.
So, while most baseball fans harbor that dream of playing in the
majors, they know one of the two variables in this post, knuckleball
pitching or the "big tub of goo" factor can be their ticket to playing
in the Show.
.
So even though the variables appear unrelated, both qualify as dream
world solutions to what many aspire to, so both are included in this
one post.
.
===================
