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APRIL 01, 2013
19
Throw thePerfect
Knuckleball
Theknuckleball isbaseball’swhitewhale, a
pitchsounpredictable thatevenumpireshave
troublecallingballsandstrikeswhen it is thrown.
Because theknuckleball reliesonmovement
more thanspeed, pitcherswhohave it in their
repertoireoftenhave longercareersand faster
recoveries. It’snoteasy to throw, butHall of
Famehurler
Phil“Knucksie”Niekro
walkedus
through thepitch thathelpedhim rackup318
wins— 121of themcomingafterhe turned40.
Firstoff, though, Knucksie says,
thegoalof
thepitch is tominimize rotationon theball
,
whichwill lead to theball “doing itsown thing.”
With that inmind, grababall.
HOW TO
STEP 1:
Hold the
ballwithyourwhole
hand so that your
fingerswraparound¾
of the surface.
STEP2:
Bend the
knucklesof your
pointer andmiddle
fingers, laying the
knuckleson theball.
STEP3:
Raise those
two fingers slightly
andpressyour
fingernails into theball’s
seams. Your knuckles
shouldbepointing
up, and the restof
your fingers shouldbe
stabilizingyourgrip.
STEP4:
The release
iswheremanypeople
makemistakes. Don’t
push theball outof
yourhand—wind
upand release
it asyouwoulda
fastball.Although the
knuckleball is thrownat top speedsof only
80mph in themajors, justpushing itwon’tgive
theball enoughoomph toget itover theplate.
STEP5:
Feel the
breezeof thebat
comingacross the
plate inaclean strike.
—ETHAN ROUEN
{ MINOR LEAGUE }
NamingRights
SURELYYOUREMEMBER
DerekJeterof theGreensboroHornets,Albert
Pujolsof thePeoriaChiefs,PeteRoseof theMaconPeaches—evenHank
AaronoftheEauClaireBears.Foras longasmajor leaguebaseballhasbeen
ournationalpastime,minorleagueplayhashelpeduspassthetime.Theyare
ourotherboysof summer: youngguyswhoswingby foraweek, amonth, a
seasonormore,often failingbutoccasionallysucceeding inaquesttomake
ittothemajors.ClassAAAistheclosest leveltobecomingabig leaguer.The
stepladder ascends fromRookieLeagueandShort-SeasonClassA (SS)
up toClassA,ClassA-AdvancedandClassAA to, finally,ClassAAA.But
whatreallygotusscratchingourheadsaswe lookedoverthemorethan200
teamswerethenames,whichrangefromfuntoclassytodownrightweird.So,
naturally,wecouldn’thelpbutstartpickingfavorites.Andthenitwasborn—a
top20 list ofminor league teamnames
(aswell as theiraliates).And
yes, theRichmond,Va.,FlyingSquirrels justbarelymissedthecut.
20.
RenoAces
(Reno,Nev.; ClassAAA,Arizona
Diamondbacks). Shuffleupanddeal.
19.
SanAntonioMissions
(SanAntonio;ClassAA,
SanDiegoPadres). Can’t forget thatAlamo.
18.
AugustaGreenJackets
(Augusta, Ga.;
ClassA, SanFranciscoGiants). Local golf links.
17.
PortlandSeaDogs
(Portland,Maine;ClassAA,
BostonRedSox).Awetpupsmells, but it’scute.
16.
LehighValley IronPigs
(Allentown, Pa.; Class
AAA, PhiladelphiaPhillies).As inpig iron.
15.
IdahoFallsChukars
(IdahoFalls, Idaho;
Rookie, KansasCityRoyals).A real gamebird.
14.
Albuquerque Isotopes
(Albuquerque,N.M.;
ClassAAA, LosAngelesDodgers). There’s
nomusical called
Darn Isotopes
, buthey, it’s
unique.
13.
TulsaDrillers
(Tulsa,Okla.;ClassAA,Colorado
Rockies). Threeoil strikesandyou’resafe.
12.
SavannahSandGnats
(Savannah, Ga.;
ClassA,NewYorkMets).Not tobeconfusedwith
the
Today
showco-host.
11.
OmahaStormChasers
(Omaha,Neb.;
ClassAAA, Royals). Theirgamesaren’tonThe
WeatherChannel.
10.
LansingLugnuts
(Lansing,Mich.; ClassA,
TorontoBlueJays).Awheel finename.
9.
CedarRapidsKernels
(CedarRapids, Iowa;
ClassA,MinnesotaTwins).Appropriatelycorny.
8.
HickoryCrawdads
(Hickory,N.C.; ClassA,
TexasRangers). Go, crawdaddy.
7.
BeloitSnappers
(Beloit,Wis.; ClassA,Oakland
A’s). Townonceknown for itsaffinity for turtles.
6.
Kannapolis Intimidators
(Kannapolis,N.C.;
ClassA, ChicagoWhiteSox). Tookpart-owner
DaleEarnhardt’snickname.
5.
ArkansasTravelers
(LittleRock,Ark.; Class
AA, LosAngelesAngelsofAnaheim). Froman
old folk tune.
4.
NashvilleSounds
(Nashville, Tenn.; Class
AAA,MilwaukeeBrewers).As self-explanatory
as itgets.
3.
ChattanoogaLookouts
(Chattanooga, Tenn.;
ClassAA, Dodgers).Anod toLookoutMountain.
2.
AshevilleTourists
(Asheville,N.C.; ClassA,
Rockies). In the samepark since 1924.
1.
ToledoMudHens
(Toledo,Ohio; ClassAAA,
DetroitTigers).Oneof theoldest andbest.
—MIKE DOWNEY
ToledoMudHens
Albuquerque Isotopes
