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Originally Posted by HistoricNewspapers
How do I know how tall each player was? Pretty simple.
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I didn't question the height difference.
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Originally Posted by HistoricNewspapers
Lefty Grove did not throw 100MPH. He did not throw as hard a Bob Feller.
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On what do you base this conclusion?
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Originally Posted by HistoricNewspapers
The break on the pitches is pretty clear and has a strong correlation to how much torque is put on the ball.
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Johnson was a foot taller than Camilo Pascual, who was a 20 game winner a couple of times and was famous in his day for his curveball. How can you say Johnson's curve was better than Pascual's, or Grove's?
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Originally Posted by HistoricNewspapers
I also know that the average fastball has risen over time.
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Well, since most Olymipic records, especially track and swimming, do not hold up well over time, I guess we can simply conclude the best athletes are the recent ones, period. Fastballs are getting faster, as are runners, and hitters are getting stronger, etc.
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Originally Posted by HistoricNewspapers
I know that in the 20's and 30's there were several players who were swinging 40oz plus bats and having no problem getting around on the ball. That tells you that the ball is simply not coming in as fast. That many players cannot do that against 100 MPH pitches when you also have to guard against a breaking pitch.
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Back in the day, most hitters, with a few notable exceptions, didn't hold the bat down at the end of the knob, to swing for the fences. They choked up a bit, had shorter, more compact swings, and let the weight of the bat do the work, as opposed to relying on their arm/bat speed to do so.