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The advice given to every batter cannot, in fact, be done, say Watts (mechanical engineering, Tulane U.) and Bahill (systems engineering, U of Arizona-Tucson), because once it is closer than about five feet, the eye cannot keep up. They apply physics, psychology, physiology, and other sciences to such mysteries of baseball as curve balls, what happens when the ball hits the bat, and whether aluminum bats are more dangerous than wooden ones. They have revised and updated the 1991 edition. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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"Keep your eye on the ball!" may be good advice--but it is impossible to do. The batter can track the ball until it is about five feet in front of the plate, but then he falls behind because the ball is moving too fast. In Keep Your Eye on the Ball, Robert G. Watts and A. Terry Bahill--engineers by vocation, baseball fans by avocation--have devised a series of experiments that put some of baseball's most cherished myths to the test. By applying physics, psychology, physiology, and other scientific principles to baseball, the authors have resolved, once and for all, some of the controversial issues that have intrigued fans for decades, including: * Do curveballs really curve? Do fastballs rise? * How do knuckleballs and spitballs work? * What exactly happens when the ball hits the bat? * Does corking the bat really help a hitter? * Are aluminum bats more dangerous than wooden bats? * Can certain physiological factors help predict success for a hitter? * Why are more home runs being hit than ever before? * Are today's players better than yesterday's? Completely revised and updated to include recent statistics, new research, and additional historical commentary, Keep Your Eye on the Ball is a highly informative and entertaining guide to the science of baseball that all fans of the game--regardless of scientific background--will enjoy.
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