What is it about a quality fastball that brings us to the edge of our seats? How is it humanly possible to throw over 100 mph? And the big question: Who is the fastest pitcher ever?
Drawing on interviews with former and current players, managers, scouts, experts, and historians, Tim Wendel delivers the answers, investigating such legends as Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, and Steve Dalkowski alongside such present-day standard-bearers as Tim Lincecum, Billy Wagner, and Randy Johnson. Attempting to separate fact from baseball lore, Wendel travels to ballparks across the country, an aerodynamic testing lab outside of Birmingham, Alabama, and, of course, the Baseball Hall of Fame, weighing advances in science and throwing technique against the intangibles that make the ability to throw heat as elusive as a gift from above - and often just as difficult to harness. Through it all, he examines the lure at the heart of the quest - the mystique that surrounds the fastball and captivates the imagination like no other aspect of the game.
Drawing on interviews with former and current players, managers, scouts, experts, and historians, Tim Wendel delivers the answers, investigating such legends as Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, and Steve Dalkowski alongside such present-day standard-bearers as Tim Lincecum, Billy Wagner, and Randy Johnson. Attempting to separate fact from baseball lore, Wendel travels to ballparks across the country, an aerodynamic testing lab outside of Birmingham, Alabama, and, of course, the Baseball Hall of Fame, weighing advances in science and throwing technique against the intangibles that make the ability to throw heat as elusive as a gift from above - and often just as difficult to harness. Through it all, he examines the lure at the heart of the quest - the mystique that surrounds the fastball and captivates the imagination like no other aspect of the game.
Used availability for Tim Wendel's High Heat