Baseball - The Game and Beyond
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Bullpen Image
Bullpen
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Photo Welcome to the Bullpen! Here you'll find a wide variety of information dealing with the topics of pitches and pitching.

Do ever wonder why a curveball curves? Or do you wonder if a curveball even curves? Well, you'll find an answer to those questions here as well as some physics to go along with it. But that's not all you'll find. We also have for you descriptions of various types of pitches and we discuss how to throw them. There's even some visual aids to help you along.

All of the lessons in this section use a * rating system to inform you of the amount of physics content that each contains. However, just because a lesson has a *** rating doesn't mean that you shouldn't read it if you don't have any experience in physics. It only means that extra information such as equations are provided in the lesson for physics-buffs and are not intended to be understandable to all.

* Little League. Very little or no physics subject matter. Easy to understand.
** Minor League. Discussion of physics concepts, but still introductory level material.
*** Major League. Equations and/or problems that will take experience or studying to understand.

Curveballs
* Why does a Curveball Curve?
Pitchers throw balls so that they can fool the batters to swing at the wrong time or place. They do this by using various pitches such as the slider, curveball and screwball. But how do these pitches work? You will learn about basic theories on why curveballs curve and why fastballs "hop."

*** Why does a Curveball Curve? - The Physics Principles
So you now know fundemetal ideas on how curveballs curve. But are you ready to tackle complex equations? Learn more about Magnus Force and its effect on various pitches.

Pitching
** Pitch Simulator Applet
Play around with our Pitch Simulator to see how angle, rpm, and velocity effect fastballs, curveballs, sliders and screwballs.

* Pitch Descriptions
Are you a novice at baseball and have no clue what a screwball is? Learn about the pitches here.

* Pitching Grips
Learn how to throw different types of pitches in a quick and dirty table o' pitches.

* Pitching Better
Want to pitch better? Here is some advice on how to throw more strikes than balls.

Other Stuff
Physics Reference

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