1. 83 notes

    Reblogged from
    chitwoodandhobbs

    chitwoodandhobbs: Get A Good Ball To Hit One of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball, Ted Williams. Hitting a baseball is largely considered to be the most difficult thing to do in all of sports and Ted Williams could do it better than nearly every one. That’s a one-line resume. No further explanation necessary. Ted Williams was a naturally gifted athlete with sharp eyesight and quick reflexes. Perhaps the same skills that lent to becoming a top-notch fighter pilot in WWII. What gave Williams the edge was his scientific, systematic approach to hitting. The now famous Ted Williams strike zone first appeared in Sports Illustrated in 1968, Science Of Batting. In this article he broke down the strike zone into 77 baseballs. The average on each of ball is not what Williams actually hit but rather his projected average — that’s key. Ted Williams doesn’t pretend that he can hit every pitch. Balls low and outside he knows he should lay off, the odds are against him. But right in the center of the plate, that’s his “happy zone”. “The heart of the plate, belt-high, and with some sugar on it.” Maybe it was Williams’ shear willpower that allowed him to hit .400. He had the self control to wait for his pitch. And then wait some more. I remember Lefty Chase, who pitched for Washington. He had a hell of a curve and fastball, but he was wild. One day he got me to 3 and 2 with two men on, and threw a big sharp curve, and I took it. Fooled me. Strike three. I got up again in the fourth inning, bases loaded, count goes to 3 and 2, and here comes another, and I’m hanging in there, waiting, waiting, and I don’t think I moved until the ball was right by my ear. It darn near hit my hat and spun it on my head. I walked. @chitwoodhobbs

    chitwoodandhobbs:

    Get A Good Ball To Hit

    One of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball, Ted Williams. Hitting a baseball is largely considered to be the most difficult thing to do in all of sports and Ted Williams could do it better than nearly every one. That’s a one-line resume. No further explanation necessary.

    Ted Williams was a naturally gifted athlete with sharp eyesight and quick reflexes. Perhaps the same skills that lent to becoming a top-notch fighter pilot in WWII. What gave Williams the edge was his scientific, systematic approach to hitting.

    The now famous Ted Williams strike zone first appeared in Sports Illustrated in 1968, Science Of Batting. In this article he broke down the strike zone into 77 baseballs. The average on each of ball is not what Williams actually hit but rather his projected average — that’s key. Ted Williams doesn’t pretend that he can hit every pitch. Balls low and outside he knows he should lay off, the odds are against him. But right in the center of the plate, that’s his “happy zone”. “The heart of the plate, belt-high, and with some sugar on it.”

    Maybe it was Williams’ shear willpower that allowed him to hit .400. He had the self control to wait for his pitch. And then wait some more.

    I remember Lefty Chase, who pitched for Washington. He had a hell of a curve and fastball, but he was wild. One day he got me to 3 and 2 with two men on, and threw a big sharp curve, and I took it. Fooled me. Strike three. I got up again in the fourth inning, bases loaded, count goes to 3 and 2, and here comes another, and I’m hanging in there, waiting, waiting, and I don’t think I moved until the ball was right by my ear. It darn near hit my hat and spun it on my head. I walked.

    @chitwoodhobbs







Notes

  1. mrbilldozer reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  2. datdudeyadigfastcash reblogged this from sbnation
  3. deutschen reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  4. sutterbomb reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs and added:
    Sound advice for anyone, even those who never liked baseball much.
  5. jayehms reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  6. pleo25 reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs and added:
    Even Yankee fans respect
  7. the-best-excuse-yet reblogged this from sbnation
  8. thatballerr reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  9. champoradical reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  10. fuck-ginger reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  11. titan17 reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  12. flulikesymptoms reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  13. jcahill reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  14. gooberfish reblogged this from sbnation
  15. ecthithepsycho reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs
  16. politemusings reblogged this from sbnation and added:
    Get A Good Ball To Hit One of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball, Ted Williams. Hitting a baseball is...
  17. huggingharoldreynolds reblogged this from sbnation
  18. beertim3 reblogged this from sbnation
  19. tsibugan reblogged this from sbnation
  20. rickybrugal reblogged this from sbnation
  21. This was featured in #Sports
  22. chillkimosabe reblogged this from sbnation and added:
    The fuckin’ man
  23. cabble reblogged this from sbnation
  24. coyjdv reblogged this from sbnation
  25. sportsoverall reblogged this from sbnation
  26. sbnation reblogged this from chitwoodandhobbs