quote:Originally posted by Midlo Dad:
I don't think it matters whether you hold the 2-seamer with the seams running under your fingers, or if you hold it with the 2 seams crossing under your finger tips. You get the same rotation either way.
Bravescoach, as I said, this topic has been debated before.
I view the supposed scientific proofs with a very jaundiced eye. After all, some scientists also claim to have proved that a curve ball doesn't curve, it's just an optical illusion!
I personally have seen rising fastballs. IMHO I know that fastballs can rise. The only remaining question is, why and how?
Some folks confuse their inability to explain the why and how with the notion that it does not or cannot happen. I don't think Einstein or Edison would have approved of that approach. It's really more vanity than science.
Well, no..it does matter where you place the seams on a 2-seam fastball. If you grip the ball with the seams so that they are outside your fingers, you naturally generate more spin and hence, more movement. The most effective way to grip a ball, regardless of which pitch it is, is when you are able to gain leverage on top of a seam to generate more spin. Placing your fingers on the two seams negates the leverage you would get from placing your fingers inside the seams (not to mention, this method can give you wicked blisters on your index finger).