Baseball junkies, have you ever watched a video of Walter Johnson pitching?

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Walter Johnson threw with a totally loose fluid motion in the most perfect execution of an unbroken kinetic chain I've ever seen. Players like Ty Cobb said he had a "whipsaw" or whiplash sort of motion.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Walter Johnson threw with a totally loose fluid motion in the most perfect execution of an unbroken kinetic chain I've ever seen. Players like Ty Cobb said he had a "whipsaw" or whiplash sort of motion.

One of the books I finished this week was

And in it we find this unrelated "Walter Johnson"


"ANA, Calif. — A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

Kevin Roach took the stand for a second day to testify in one of the largest capital punishment cases in U.S. history, aimed at the leadership of the Aryan Brotherhood gang.

Roach said another inmate slipped him one bullet by pushing it under the door of a prison library. The inmate, also a brotherhood member, told him that alleged gang leader Barry "The Baron" Mills would soon contact him and tell him about a planned hit on Walter Johnson, an inmate who had punched Gotti in the eye."

Witness: Supremacists plotted to avenge Gotti

A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[rightwinger]

Walter Johnson threw with a totally loose fluid motion in the most perfect execution of an unbroken kinetic chain I've ever seen. Players like Ty Cobb said he had a "whipsaw" or whiplash sort of motion.

One of the books I finished this week was
View attachment 314668



And in it we find this unrelated "Walter Johnson"


"ANA, Calif. — A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

Kevin Roach took the stand for a second day to testify in one of the largest capital punishment cases in U.S. history, aimed at the leadership of the Aryan Brotherhood gang.

Roach said another inmate slipped him one bullet by pushing it under the door of a prison library. The inmate, also a brotherhood member, told him that alleged gang leader Barry "The Baron" Mills would soon contact him and tell him about a planned hit on Walter Johnson, an inmate who had punched Gotti in the eye."

Witness: Supremacists plotted to avenge Gotti

A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

www.nbcnews.com

Could he throw a curveball?

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Could he throw a curveball?

In his later career he developed a curve just to keep people off balance. His bread and butter was
his pin point fast ball.

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Walter Johnson threw with a totally loose fluid motion in the most perfect execution of an unbroken kinetic chain I've ever seen. Players like Ty Cobb said he had a "whipsaw" or whiplash sort of motion.

One of the books I finished this week was
View attachment 314668



And in it we find this unrelated "Walter Johnson"


"ANA, Calif. — A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

Kevin Roach took the stand for a second day to testify in one of the largest capital punishment cases in U.S. history, aimed at the leadership of the Aryan Brotherhood gang.

Roach said another inmate slipped him one bullet by pushing it under the door of a prison library. The inmate, also a brotherhood member, told him that alleged gang leader Barry "The Baron" Mills would soon contact him and tell him about a planned hit on Walter Johnson, an inmate who had punched Gotti in the eye."

Witness: Supremacists plotted to avenge Gotti

A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

www.nbcnews.com

This is not the Walter Johnson who is in the baseball hall of fame as the one of the original inductees.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Walter Johnson threw with a totally loose fluid motion in the most perfect execution of an unbroken kinetic chain I've ever seen. Players like Ty Cobb said he had a "whipsaw" or whiplash sort of motion.

One of the books I finished this week was
View attachment 314668



And in it we find this unrelated "Walter Johnson"


"ANA, Calif. — A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

Kevin Roach took the stand for a second day to testify in one of the largest capital punishment cases in U.S. history, aimed at the leadership of the Aryan Brotherhood gang.

Roach said another inmate slipped him one bullet by pushing it under the door of a prison library. The inmate, also a brotherhood member, told him that alleged gang leader Barry "The Baron" Mills would soon contact him and tell him about a planned hit on Walter Johnson, an inmate who had punched Gotti in the eye."

Witness: Supremacists plotted to avenge Gotti

A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

www.nbcnews.com

This is not the Walter Johnson who is in the baseball hall of fame as the one of the original inductees.

I said 'no relation.'

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

Walter Johnson threw with a totally loose fluid motion in the most perfect execution of an unbroken kinetic chain I've ever seen. Players like Ty Cobb said he had a "whipsaw" or whiplash sort of motion.

One of the books I finished this week was
View attachment 314668



And in it we find this unrelated "Walter Johnson"


"ANA, Calif. — A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

Kevin Roach took the stand for a second day to testify in one of the largest capital punishment cases in U.S. history, aimed at the leadership of the Aryan Brotherhood gang.

Roach said another inmate slipped him one bullet by pushing it under the door of a prison library. The inmate, also a brotherhood member, told him that alleged gang leader Barry "The Baron" Mills would soon contact him and tell him about a planned hit on Walter Johnson, an inmate who had punched Gotti in the eye."

Witness: Supremacists plotted to avenge Gotti

A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

www.nbcnews.com

This is not the Walter Johnson who is in the baseball hall of fame as the one of the original inductees.

I said 'no relation.'

Right. Understood. I just think a story about the Mafia and prison hits is out of place in a thread about
a baseball legend of the first few decades of the 20th century.

 

[PoliticalChic]

Walter Johnson threw with a totally loose fluid motion in the most perfect execution of an unbroken kinetic chain I've ever seen. Players like Ty Cobb said he had a "whipsaw" or whiplash sort of motion.

One of the books I finished this week was
View attachment 314668



And in it we find this unrelated "Walter Johnson"


"ANA, Calif. — A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

Kevin Roach took the stand for a second day to testify in one of the largest capital punishment cases in U.S. history, aimed at the leadership of the Aryan Brotherhood gang.

Roach said another inmate slipped him one bullet by pushing it under the door of a prison library. The inmate, also a brotherhood member, told him that alleged gang leader Barry "The Baron" Mills would soon contact him and tell him about a planned hit on Walter Johnson, an inmate who had punched Gotti in the eye."

Witness: Supremacists plotted to avenge Gotti

A former member of a white supremacist prison gang testified Friday that he was slipped two bullets and ordered by an alleged gang kingpin to hide them until they could be used to kill a black inmate who had assaulted the late mob leader John Gotti.

www.nbcnews.com

This is not the Walter Johnson who is in the baseball hall of fame as the one of the original inductees.

I said 'no relation.'

Right. Understood. I just think a story about the Mafia and prison hits is out of place in a thread about
a baseball legend of the first few decades of the 20th century.

You'll recover.

 

[Eric Arthur Blair]

You'll recover.

My "recovery" isn't the issue. Would you post in a thread about George Washington your George Washington Carver post about peanut butter due to similar names?

This sort of lazy thought produces lazy product. I know from your posts you are a conservative thinker.
I just expected more.

 

[bluzman61]

The video is poor quality, nearly 100 years old but it is fascinating to watch Walter Johnson's motion especially the last part of the video showing his game speed motion. Watch his back leg, it never comes off the pitching rubber! I have never seen anyone pitch like that but according to history Johnson pitched 21 seasons and never had a significant arm injury and was absolutely the best pitcher of his era and possibly of all time. You would think someone would try to emulate his motion, but I don't believe I've ever seen anyone do it. Even great side-armers like Kent Tekulve brought their back leg through after the pitch and they throw slow. Johnson was a pure fastball pitcher.

Wow, thanks for this footage! Walter Johnson, IMHO, is THE best MLB pitcher all-time. His career numbers bear this out. He was an incredible workhorse for SO many seasons. Thanks again.

 

[PoliticalChic]

You'll recover.

My "recovery" isn't the issue. Would you post in a thread about George Washington your George Washington Carver post about peanut butter due to similar names?

This sort of lazy thought produces lazy product. I know from your posts you are a conservative thinker.
I just expected more.

I just finished a book with the mention of the same name.

As I said.

Relax.

 

[Meathead]

big time baseball junkie, first time though I ever saw his motion,...have you ever seen Juan Marichals ?

My father taught me to pitch like him.


If you've never seen Luis Tiant pitch you should check that out

July 2, 1963: Marichal outduels Spahn in 16-inning thriller | Society for American Baseball Research

At slightly past eight o’clock, Marichal took the Candlestick Park mound. Four hours and 15 innings later, he was still toiling there. And so was Warren Spahn–in a scoreless pitching duel.

In the 16th, Marichal allowed a two-out single to Menke, and then registered his 48th out of the night on Larker’s comebacker to the mound. It was Marichal’s 227th pitch.

When the Giants hit, Spahn retired Harvey Kuenn on a fly out. That brought up future Hall of Famer Mays, still hitless on the long night. Now, Mays drove Spahn’s first pitch through the teeth of the wind in left. The ball cleared the fence, and with that, a masterfully-pitched game dramatically ended. Marichal was the exhausted victor; Spahn, the valiantly defeated.

Wow! Can you imagine that happening today? If a pitcher completes a game, they practically name him a Cy Young candidate.

Yeah, but a lot of pitchers had a few great years racking up 300+ innings and their arms were shot. Koufax, McClain among them. Carlton, Gaylord and Ryan were freaks like Marichal and the Niekros were knuckleballers

 

[MarathonMike]

The video is poor quality, nearly 100 years old but it is fascinating to watch Walter Johnson's motion especially the last part of the video showing his game speed motion. Watch his back leg, it never comes off the pitching rubber! I have never seen anyone pitch like that but according to history Johnson pitched 21 seasons and never had a significant arm injury and was absolutely the best pitcher of his era and possibly of all time. You would think someone would try to emulate his motion, but I don't believe I've ever seen anyone do it. Even great side-armers like Kent Tekulve brought their back leg through after the pitch and they throw slow. Johnson was a pure fastball pitcher.

Wow, thanks for this footage! Walter Johnson, IMHO, is THE best MLB pitcher all-time. His career numbers bear this out. He was an incredible workhorse for SO many seasons. Thanks again.

You bet! Walter Johnson is one of my all time favorite sports figures, he was head and shoulders above his competition. And like I said his pitching motion has always fascinated me. It is almost closer to a fast pitch softball pitching motion. But they said he just overpowered batters with speed. Too bad they didn't have radar guns in those days.

 

[MarathonMike]

big time baseball junkie, first time though I ever saw his motion,...have you ever seen Juan Marichals ?

My father taught me to pitch like him.


If you've never seen Luis Tiant pitch you should check that out

July 2, 1963: Marichal outduels Spahn in 16-inning thriller | Society for American Baseball Research

At slightly past eight o’clock, Marichal took the Candlestick Park mound. Four hours and 15 innings later, he was still toiling there. And so was Warren Spahn–in a scoreless pitching duel.

In the 16th, Marichal allowed a two-out single to Menke, and then registered his 48th out of the night on Larker’s comebacker to the mound. It was Marichal’s 227th pitch.

When the Giants hit, Spahn retired Harvey Kuenn on a fly out. That brought up future Hall of Famer Mays, still hitless on the long night. Now, Mays drove Spahn’s first pitch through the teeth of the wind in left. The ball cleared the fence, and with that, a masterfully-pitched game dramatically ended. Marichal was the exhausted victor; Spahn, the valiantly defeated.

Wow! Can you imagine that happening today? If a pitcher completes a game, they practically name him a Cy Young candidate.

Yeah, but a lot of pitchers had a few great years racking up 300+ innings and their arms were shot. Koufax, McClain among them. Carlton, Gaylord and Ryan were freaks like Marichal and the Niekros were knuckleballers

Right but Koufax and McLain threw over the top. Johnson may well have been a freak. Maybe that is why no one tries to throw sidearm fastballs.

 

[Fueri]

Seems to keep the arm tighter to his body, likely reducing torque on his joints. How he got the velocity he did this way is amazing. Watching a lot of pitchers today they're just blasting away, paying no attention to their elbows and shoulders. In comparison this guy looks like he's playing a casual game of catch...

 

[Pogo]

The video is poor quality, nearly 100 years old but it is fascinating to watch Walter Johnson's motion especially the last part of the video showing his game speed motion. Watch his back leg, it never comes off the pitching rubber! I have never seen anyone pitch like that but according to history Johnson pitched 21 seasons and never had a significant arm injury and was absolutely the best pitcher of his era and possibly of all time. You would think someone would try to emulate his motion, but I don't believe I've ever seen anyone do it. Even great side-armers like Kent Tekulve brought their back leg through after the pitch and they throw slow. Johnson was a pure fastball pitcher.

I hadn't seen that, thanks. Didn't realize he was all sidearm and yet so effective.

Whenever I tried to sidearm the hitters just lit me up. Seemed like they could see it all the way.

 

[Pogo]

When I was a kid, the boys in my neighborhood used to play a game (we called it "step ball") where we threw a ball - usually a tennis ball - at the bottom step of a set of stairs - often the entry stairs of one of our houses. The thrower was considered the "batter." There were three possibilities (basically) when throwing the ball and hitting the step like this: if you struck the step slightly BELOW the corner of the step, the ball bounced out to the "fielders" as a "grounder" and if they caught it cleanly you had one out. If you threw the ball slightly ABOVE the corner of the step, the ball would carom off the next higher step and create a lazy fly ball which, if caught by the fielder, was also an out.

But if you precisely hit the corner of the step, the ball would take off, often so far that it went over the fielders' heads for a "Home Run." We scored it like baseball, of course, and played games of as many innings as it took to bore us to death. Lots of innings.

Well...

A couple of my formative years were spent playing this game, hour after hour, and as you might imagine, for best results you had to throw the ball sidearm.

So when I started playing Little League I - unknown to me - had a weird sidearm motion that caused the ball to curve to the right (like a screwball). My arm was also pretty strong. When I started pitching, this motion had the dual effect of making the ball look like it was going directly at the RH batters, and maintaining that left-to-right curve. It was devastating, but of course my control was to put it kindly, not good.

I had good success in Little League, Pony League, and my first year of Colt League (15 years old). When I turned 16, we got a new coach on the Colt team, and he refused to allow me to pitch, believing that my motion would ruin my arm. Until that time, no one had ever even mentioned to me that my throwing motion was odd -probably because I was having success. Nor did the coach explain to me what he thought was my throwing flaw or how to correct it. Ass-hole.

But having a car, a job (or two), a girlfriend and better things to do, I quit baseball and never looked back.

My throwing motion was very much like that of Walter Johnson in the video. It STILL feels natural to me to throw sidearm (I'll be 70 in a couple weeks), although when called upon to throw something (usually a softball) I throw overhand.

Oh yeah we played stepball all the time. Ball goes this far it's a double, THIS far it's a HR, etc.

You left out one thing though. You throw at the "away" side of the step to drive the ball away from the fielder and make him run. Not too far of an angle, because that telephone pole is the foul line.

We played wireball sometimes too though I don't remember the rules. There was a set of utility wires crossing the street. And sometimes for a goof we'd play halfball.

 

[bluzman61]

When I was a kid, the boys in my neighborhood used to play a game (we called it "step ball") where we threw a ball - usually a tennis ball - at the bottom step of a set of stairs - often the entry stairs of one of our houses. The thrower was considered the "batter." There were three possibilities (basically) when throwing the ball and hitting the step like this: if you struck the step slightly BELOW the corner of the step, the ball bounced out to the "fielders" as a "grounder" and if they caught it cleanly you had one out. If you threw the ball slightly ABOVE the corner of the step, the ball would carom off the next higher step and create a lazy fly ball which, if caught by the fielder, was also an out.

But if you precisely hit the corner of the step, the ball would take off, often so far that it went over the fielders' heads for a "Home Run." We scored it like baseball, of course, and played games of as many innings as it took to bore us to death. Lots of innings.

Well...

A couple of my formative years were spent playing this game, hour after hour, and as you might imagine, for best results you had to throw the ball sidearm.

So when I started playing Little League I - unknown to me - had a weird sidearm motion that caused the ball to curve to the right (like a screwball). My arm was also pretty strong. When I started pitching, this motion had the dual effect of making the ball look like it was going directly at the RH batters, and maintaining that left-to-right curve. It was devastating, but of course my control was to put it kindly, not good.

I had good success in Little League, Pony League, and my first year of Colt League (15 years old). When I turned 16, we got a new coach on the Colt team, and he refused to allow me to pitch, believing that my motion would ruin my arm. Until that time, no one had ever even mentioned to me that my throwing motion was odd -probably because I was having success. Nor did the coach explain to me what he thought was my throwing flaw or how to correct it. Ass-hole.

But having a car, a job (or two), a girlfriend and better things to do, I quit baseball and never looked back.

My throwing motion was very much like that of Walter Johnson in the video. It STILL feels natural to me to throw sidearm (I'll be 70 in a couple weeks), although when called upon to throw something (usually a softball) I throw overhand.

Oh yeah we played stepball all the time. Ball goes this far it's a double, THIS far it's a HR, etc.

You left out one thing though. You throw at the "away" side of the step to drive the ball away from the fielder and make him run. Not too far of an angle, because that telephone pole is the foul line.

We played wireball sometimes too though I don't remember the rules. There was a set of utility wires crossing the street. And sometimes for a goof we'd play halfball.

Those really WERE the good old days, weren't they?

 

[Pogo]

big time baseball junkie, first time though I ever saw his motion,...have you ever seen Juan Marichals ?

My father taught me to pitch like him.


If you've never seen Luis Tiant pitch you should check that out

I remember Luis Tiant and Juan Marichal very well. I liked them both I guess I've always been interested in pitchers with funky deliveries. When I pitched in little league I tried to pitch like Juan Marichal kicking my leg as high as I could. It didn't work out too well. lol

I tried to emulate Steve Carlton (but righthanded). His motion is just so fluid.

​

 

[Meathead]

big time baseball junkie, first time though I ever saw his motion,...have you ever seen Juan Marichals ?

My father taught me to pitch like him.


If you've never seen Luis Tiant pitch you should check that out

July 2, 1963: Marichal outduels Spahn in 16-inning thriller | Society for American Baseball Research

At slightly past eight o’clock, Marichal took the Candlestick Park mound. Four hours and 15 innings later, he was still toiling there. And so was Warren Spahn–in a scoreless pitching duel.

In the 16th, Marichal allowed a two-out single to Menke, and then registered his 48th out of the night on Larker’s comebacker to the mound. It was Marichal’s 227th pitch.

When the Giants hit, Spahn retired Harvey Kuenn on a fly out. That brought up future Hall of Famer Mays, still hitless on the long night. Now, Mays drove Spahn’s first pitch through the teeth of the wind in left. The ball cleared the fence, and with that, a masterfully-pitched game dramatically ended. Marichal was the exhausted victor; Spahn, the valiantly defeated.

Wow! Can you imagine that happening today? If a pitcher completes a game, they practically name him a Cy Young candidate.

Yeah, but a lot of pitchers had a few great years racking up 300+ innings and their arms were shot. Koufax, McClain among them. Carlton, Gaylord and Ryan were freaks like Marichal and the Niekros were knuckleballers

Right but Koufax and McLain threw over the top. Johnson may well have been a freak. Maybe that is why no one tries to throw sidearm fastballs.

Dizzy Dean, washed up ar 28 after 5 years averaging 300IP:Dizzy Dean Stats | Baseball-Reference.com