SAump |
Thu May 11, 2006 06:21pm |
Relative DROP
Quote:
Originally Posted by orioles35
Maybe look at this a different way. It's not so much that the 100mph fastball RISES, but rather that it doesn't DROP as much as one thrown at 90mph or less.
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The ACTUAL DROP is nearly identical from release POINT A (hand at 6 foot) to TARGET B (mitt at 3 foot) at 70 mph, 90 mph or 100 mph. The belief that the 100 mph fastball doesn't drop as much as one thrown at 90 mph is erroneous. The RATE of the DROP must be HIGHER for the 100 mph pitcher to hit the TARGET. In REALITY, the 100 mph pitch drops as much, if not MORE than the 90 mph pitch, because it does so in LESS TIME. Less time implies a FASTER drop rate is needed from the start of the release angle.
Next time you see heavy objects flying around a tornado or a hurricane, don't tell me any of those round or flat objects can't behave like a wing. This AIR passing beneath (not around) a 100 mph baseball makes LIFT possible at relatively flat angles, less than 15 degees. Not only does 100 mph fastball move faster, it carries more energy at a relatively flat 5 degree angle. Now I don't believe the AIR plays a role in adding to this downward energy, but I do believe the AIR plays a role in dampening this downward energy through SURFACE DRAG. The energy is certainly there, the surface pressure difference is there, and LIFT is entirely possible. I compare it to skipping rocks above water at much lower velocities. I can get a RISE 2 or 3 times before the rock settles below the water.
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Even I recognize this will not add very much to dispelling the myth.
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