New movie Fastball

[Mountaineer1999]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

I am just now getting around to watching this while working today.

I had never heard that Walter Johnson's Fastball was only recorded at 83 mph.

Timed at 83 bht that was measured behind the plate several feet wasnt it? Translates to 93 the way speed is measured today... 10 feet from mound.

[clydepepper]

I thought Costner was very good, though very young, in Silverado.


He was a little stiff in The Big Chill


He was perfect for Bull Durham and close to perfect for Tin Cup , A Perfect World and Dances With Wolves.


He was good, not great in For Love of the Game and No Way Out.


I've never seen Mr. Brooks so I won't pass judgment on that one.

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

He was a little stiff in The Big Chill

His performance was dead-on in that film

[Stonepony]

Originally Posted by pbspelly

His performance was dead-on in that film

I'm going to pass-on that comment

[CxG Seven Dust]

Originally Posted by clydepepper

I thought Costner was very good, though very young, in Silverado.


He was a little stiff in The Big Chill


He was perfect for Bull Durham and close to perfect for Tin Cup , A Perfect World and Dances With Wolves.


He was good, not great in For Love of the Game and No Way Out.


I've never seen Mr. Brooks so I won't pass judgment on that one.

What about Field of Dreams?

[tjb1952tjb]

Originally Posted by CxG Seven Dust

What about Field of Dreams?

Anybody like Costner in "The Untouchables"?

[pbspelly]

Originally Posted by tjb1952tjb

Anybody like Costner in "The Untouchables"?

I actually thought he was one of the weaker aspects of that film. Everyone else was rich. He was boring vanilla.

Great film, though.

[BicycleSpokes]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer1999

Timed at 83 bht that was measured behind the plate several feet wasnt it? Translates to 93 the way speed is measured today... 10 feet from mound.

Interesting, I had been wondering about this, since reading the "Walter Johnson: Baseball's Big Train" book recently, which is quoted below:

"After a few warm-up tosses against the steel plate, and still in street clothes, Johnson stepped in, but the tunnel was at shoulder height to measure bullets fired from a standing position and at first Johnson couldn't get his sidearm throws to go straight through to the plate. 'At length, however,' it was reported, 'after some effort and with a consequent loss of speed in an attempt to place the ball accurately, the sphere was successfully hurled in the proper direction, broke one of the fine wires in its transit and collided with a heavy thud against the steel plate.' Johnson's best throw was clocked at 122 feet per second (82 m.p.h), Rucker's at 113, both on their third and last tries."

So, the 82 mph was measured differently, thrown in street clothes, apparently from an awkward position. Given that the fastest throws came in the final attempts, I am also guessing he likely was not properly warmed up.

If he was really throwing only 82 all of the accounts of batters not even seeing the ball would simply not make sense!

[bravos4evr]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer1999

Timed at 83 bht that was measured behind the plate several feet wasnt it? Translates to 93 the way speed is measured today... 10 feet from mound.

yes that speed was measured as the avg between home plate distance and a metal plate that was like 10 feet behind home plate. The do a velocity analysis and figure out that it was going in the mid 90's,the real surprise is they estimate Ryan's 100.9 ten feet in front of home plate was going 108.1 right after it was released!

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by bravos4evr

yes that speed was measured as the avg between home plate distance and a metal plate that was like 10 feet behind home plate. The do a velocity analysis and figure out that it was going in the mid 90's,the real surprise is they estimate Ryan's 100.9 ten feet in front of home plate was going 108.1 right after it was released!

Yeah still to think that WaJo's velocity was around 93 and they thought that was the fastest. Of course they only measured it once and not on a mound, but it shows the difference in the game if he was considered the fastest.

[bravos4evr]

Originally Posted by bn2cardz

Yeah still to think that WaJo's velocity was around 93 and they thought that was the fastest. Of course they only measured it once and not on a mound, but it shows the difference in the game if he was considered the fastest.

Well, if you consider that the human body hasn't really evolved enough to make much physical difference since his era,(tho strength conditioning and nutrition has improved a lot) and the +/- of the measuring device, the fact that he didn't warm up, wasn't in uniform, nor off a mound, I think one could guess that WJ probably had 100 mph in him, or close anyway. Hitting 93 or so in shirtsleeves off flat ground without a normal warmup is pretty good, an extra 5-7 mph doesn't seem impossible.

[Touch'EmAll]

Sounds like a must see movie! Ryne Duren was supposed to be blazing fast, not the most consistent with control. Y'all probably know my thoughts on Ryan - won't go there again. But where the fastball is measured from is indeed critical. I have heard the ball can slow down about 8 mph from mound to home plate. Guinness Books took point of measurement into consideration and Ryan is still fastest KING ! While very fast, the mechanics of Walter Johnson held him back a few mph. And the pitching mound - was higher pre-1969 definitely helped out a few pitchers, dare I mention names? Ryan never had the higher mound - if he did, boy, oh, boy what could have been! Can't wait to see the movie!

[bravos4evr]

You will love it, I know I did. It's great to see a doc about baseball that focuses on science without ignoring the romance and fun along the way.

[7nohitter]

If Ryan felt like it, he could still throw 96 today.