DOCSLIB.ORG

Effects of Different Arm Slots on Shoulder Kinematics And

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Effects of Different Arm Slots on Shoulder Kinematics And EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ARM SLOTS ON SHOULDER KINEMATICS AND KINETICS DURING BASEBALL PITCHING A Thesis Presented to the faculty of the Department of Kinesiology California State University, Sacramento Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE in Kinesiology (Exercise Science) by Michael Sousa-Johnson, ATC SPRING 2017 © 2017 Michael Sousa-Johnson ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ARM SLOTS ON SHOULDER KINEMATICS AND KINETICS DURING BASEBALL PITCHING A Thesis by Michael Sousa-Johnson Approved by: __________________________________, Committee Chair Dr. Rodney Imamura __________________________________, Second Reader Dr. Rafael Escamilla ____________________________ Date iii Student: Michael Sousa-Johnson I certify that this student has met the requirements for format contained in the University format manual, and that this thesis is suitable for shelving in the Library and credit is to be awarded for the thesis. __________________________, Graduate Coordinator ___________________ Dr. Daryl Parker Date Department of Kinesiology iv Abstract of EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT ARM SLOTS ON SHOULDER KINEMATICS AND KINETICS DURING BASEBALL PITCHING by Michael Sousa-Johnson INTRODUCTION: Baseball pitchers have the highest volume of throws of all baseball players. These large volumes of throwing may lead to injury of the throwing shoulder. Each pitcher has their particular throwing style and arm position they prefer, called arm slot. PUROSE: Primary aim was to compare the differences in shoulder abduction angle, lateral trunk lean, and shoulder proximal force, in each arm slot. Secondary aim was to provide evidence for defining ranges for each arm slot and bring about information of a new variable, arm slot angle. METHODS: Motion capture (240 Hz) of fourteen (14) pitchers throwing off an artificial dirt mound in a lab. Data analyzed were shoulder abduction angle, lateral trunk lean, and shoulder proximal force. RESULTS: No statistical significance found comparing shoulder abduction angle or shoulder proximal force (P > 0.05) between arm slot groups. Lateral trunk lean however was significantly different (P < 0.05) between arm slot groups. DISCUSSION: Present study was one of the first to look at differences in shoulder proximal forces between different arm slots. Limited data to shoulder kinematics and kinetics in literature; however, data has been shown that at ball release there are high amounts of force and torque occurring at the v elbow. Further research needed to look closer into the shoulder forces and torques in each arm slot, and to define ranges for each arm slot as far as arm slot angle. _______________________, Committee Chair Dr. Rodney Imamura _______________________, Date vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS To my family whom I love very much and have always been there for me when I needed them the most. To my fiancé, thank you for loving me through all the stress of graduate school and thesis process. To my colleagues and classmates who spent many hours with me in class, in labs, studying until the early hours of the morning, thank you for helping me when I most needed it. To my professors who pushed me further than I could have ever imagined myself, thank you for helping me see my potential. To my undergraduate students who helped me with data collection for this thesis, thank you very much, without you those few days would have been chaotic. To Dr. Alan Hirahara, thank you for pushing me to go above and beyond, to apply for graduate school, and getting interested in the shoulder. To Dr. Daryl Parker, thank you for being a mentor to me academically, professionally and personally. I will always hold you in highest and best regards. To Dr. Rafael Escamilla, thank you for being my toughest critic and showing me there is always more to learn and making be a better scientific writer. To Dr. Rodney Imamura, thank you for always being in my corner and telling me what I needed to hear. You have my utmost respect. And finally to my brother, without your unfortunate injury so early in your pitching career I would have never began to ask questions about injury prevention and shoulder injuries. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ................................................................................................................ x List of Figures ............................................................................................................. xi Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................1 Background ...................................................................................................... 1 Purpose ............................................................................................................. 4 Hypothesis......................................................................................................... 4 Significance....................................................................................................... 4 Definition of terms ............................................................................................ 5 Delimitations ..................................................................................................... 6 Limitations ........................................................................................................ 7 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................................................. 8 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 8 Throwing motion .............................................................................................. 9 Arm slot .......................................................................................................... 11 Injuries to the throwing shoulder .................................................................... 16 Rotator Cuff ........................................................................................ 16 Biceps Tendinopathy .......................................................................... 16 viii Labral Tears ........................................................................................ 17 Posterior Labral Tears ......................................................................... 17 SLAP tears .......................................................................................... 18 Linking biceps and labrum.............................................................................. 18 EMG studies and biceps.................................................................................. 20 Conclusion ...................................................................................................... 21 3. METHODS ........................................................................................................... 22 Subject characteristics ..................................................................................... 22 Study design .................................................................................................... 23 Equipment ........................................................................................... 23 Testing Procedures .............................................................................. 23 Group Placement ................................................................................. 23 Data Collection ................................................................................... 24 Data Reduction.................................................................................... 26 Variables ............................................................................................. 27 Data analysis ................................................................................................... 27 4. RESULTS ............................................................................................................. 28 5. DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................... 30 Appendix A. INFORMED CONSENT FORM .......................................................... 34 Appendix B. HEALTH HISTORY FORM ................................................................ 37 References ................................................................................................................... 39 ix LIST OF TABLES Tables Page 1. Subject characteristics ....................................................................................... 22 2. Arm slot group comparison .............................................................................. 24 x LIST OF FIGURES Figures Page 1. Definition of “Arm slot angle” ........................................................................... 6 2. Phases of throwing ............................................................................................. 9 3. Overhead arm slot ............................................................................................. 13 4. Three-quarter arm slot....................................................................................... 14 5. Sidearm arm slot ............................................................................................... 15 6. Anatomy of the shoulder girdle .......................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Jan-29-2021-Digital
    Collegiate Baseball The Voice Of Amateur Baseball Started In 1958 At The Request Of Our Nation’s Baseball Coaches Vol. 64, No. 2 Friday, Jan. 29, 2021 $4.00 Innovative Products Win Top Awards Four special inventions 2021 Winners are tremendous advances for game of baseball. Best Of Show By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. Editor/Collegiate Baseball Awarded By Collegiate Baseball F n u io n t c a t REENSBORO, N.C. — Four i v o o n n a n innovative products at the recent l I i t y American Baseball Coaches G Association Convention virtual trade show were awarded Best of Show B u certificates by Collegiate Baseball. i l y t t nd i T v o i Now in its 22 year, the Best of Show t L a a e r s t C awards encompass a wide variety of concepts and applications that are new to baseball. They must have been introduced to baseball during the past year. The committee closely examined each nomination that was submitted. A number of superb inventions just missed being named winners as 147 exhibitors showed their merchandise at SUPERB PROTECTION — Truletic batting gloves, with input from two hand surgeons, are a breakthrough in protection for hamate bone fractures as well 2021 ABCA Virtual Convention See PROTECTIVE , Page 2 as shielding the back, lower half of the hand with a hard plastic plate. Phase 1B Rollout Impacts Frontline Essential Workers Coaches Now Can Receive COVID-19 Vaccine CDC policy allows 19 protocols to be determined on a conference-by-conference basis,” coaches to receive said Keilitz.
    [Show full text]
  • Describing Baseball Pitch Movement with Right-Hand Rules
    Computers in Biology and Medicine 37 (2007) 1001–1008 www.intl.elsevierhealth.com/journals/cobm Describing baseball pitch movement with right-hand rules A. Terry Bahilla,∗, David G. Baldwinb aSystems and Industrial Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721-0020, USA bP.O. Box 190 Yachats, OR 97498, USA Received 21 July 2005; received in revised form 30 May 2006; accepted 5 June 2006 Abstract The right-hand rules show the direction of the spin-induced deflection of baseball pitches: thus, they explain the movement of the fastball, curveball, slider and screwball. The direction of deflection is described by a pair of right-hand rules commonly used in science and engineering. Our new model for the magnitude of the lateral spin-induced deflection of the ball considers the orientation of the axis of rotation of the ball relative to the direction in which the ball is moving. This paper also describes how models based on somatic metaphors might provide variability in a pitcher’s repertoire. ᭧ 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Curveball; Pitch deflection; Screwball; Slider; Modeling; Forces on a baseball; Science of baseball 1. Introduction The angular rule describes angular relationships of entities rel- ative to a given axis and the coordinate rule establishes a local If a major league baseball pitcher is asked to describe the coordinate system, often based on the axis derived from the flight of one of his pitches; he usually illustrates the trajectory angular rule. using his pitching hand, much like a kid or a jet pilot demon- Well-known examples of right-hand rules used in science strating the yaw, pitch and roll of an airplane.
    [Show full text]
  • Deer WATER MIAMI, FLA (UPI)--A CUBAN EXILE REPORT CLAIMED THAT RUSSIA HAS BUILT DEEP SAIGON (UPI)--A TWIN-ENGINE U.S
    JOGJ TODE LOW TIDE 5-7-64 2 3 AT 0704 3.8 AT 0117 1·5 AT 1943 4.4 AT 1309 GLASS VOL 5 NO. 1706 KWAJALEIN, MARSHALL ISLANDS WEDNESDAY 6 MAY I 64 B~ITISH COMMANDOES AVENGE DECAPITATICN'OF THEIR CCMRADES ADEN (UPI)--BRITISH COMMANDOES, IN- KILLED OR WOUNDED IN THE FIGHTING IN THE CARRYING ROYAL AIR FORCE HUNTER JETS CENSED BY REPORTS THAT GUERR I LLAS DE- I BR I T I SH PROTECTORATE ON THE ARAB I AN PEN" THE TROOPS DESCENDED FROM 5,000-FOOT CAPITATED TWO OF THEIR COMRADES, SWEP INSULA HIGH MOUNTAIN RIDGES INTO THE VALLEY DOWN FROM THE ADEN MOUNTAINS TODAY TO STEPPING UP THEIR ATTACK ON THE YEMEN- BASIN AND COVERED FIVE MILES OF RUGGED! CAPTURE GUERRILLA GUNPOSTS. BACKED REBELS, THE BRITISH TROOPS MADE TERRAIN TO PENETRATE REBEL-HELD TER- I SEVERAL ARAB REBELS WERE REPORTED THEIR ADVANCE UNDER SUPPORT OF ROCKET- RITORY. , ExiLES SAY DEEr WATER MIAMI, FLA (UPI)--A CUBAN EXILE REPORT CLAIMED THAT RUSSIA HAS BUILT DEEP SAIGON (UPI)--A TWIN-ENGINE U.S. ARMY WATER SUBMARINE PENS IN MATANZAS BAY, ON THE NORTHERN COAST OF CUBA, AND "MORE TRANSPORT PLANE CRASHED TODAY SHORTLY THAN 15,000" SOVIET-BLOC SOLDIERS AND MILITARY TECHNICIANS ARE STILL ON THE IS- AFTER TAKING OFF FROM AN HIEP AIRSTRIP, LAND J KILLING TEN AMERICANS AND FIVE VIETNAM- A COPY OF THE REPORT WAS SENT TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE U.S. JOINT CHIEFS OF ESE SOLDIERS. STAFF, GEN MAXWELL D. TAYLOR, LAST WEEK, ACCORDING TO NESTOR CARBONELL JR. CAR~ AN AMERICAN MILITARY SPOKESMAN SAID BONELL SAID HE PREPARED IT FROM INFORM~TION OBTAINED BY VARIOUS EXILE ORGANIZA- THE CAUSE OF THE CRASH WAS NOT
    [Show full text]
  • Predictors of Throwing Velocity in Youth and Adolescent Pitchers
    J Shoulder Elbow Surg (2015) -, 1-7 1 56 2 57 3 58 4 59 www.elsevier.com/locate/ymse 5 60 6 61 7 62 8 63 9 64 10 Predictors of throwing velocity in youth and 65 11 66 12 adolescent pitchers 67 13 68 14 69 15 Q2 Terrance Sgroi, DPT, MTCa, Peter N. Chalmers,MDb,*, Andrew J. Riff,MDb, 70 16 Matthew Lesniak, DPTa, Eli T. Sayegh,BSc, Markus A. Wimmer, PhDb, 71 17 b b b 72 18 Nikhil N. Verma,MD, Brian J. Cole, MD, MBA , Anthony A. Romeo,MD 73 19 74 20 75 Q1 a 21 Accelerated Rehabilitation Centers Ltd, Chicago, IL, USA 76 bDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA 22 c 77 23 College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA 78 24 79 25 80 Background: Shoulder and elbow injuries are a common cause of pain, dysfunction, and inability to play 26 in overhead throwers. Pitch velocity plays an integral part in the etiology of these injuries; however, the 81 27 demographic and biomechanical correlates with throwing velocity remain poorly understood. We hypoth- 82 28 esized that pitchers with higher velocity would have shared demographic and kinematic characteristics. 83 29 Methods: Normal preseason youth and adolescent pitchers underwent dual-orthogonal high-speed video 84 30 analysis while pitch velocity was collected with a radar gun. Demographic and pitching history data 85 31 were also collected. Kinematic data and observational mechanics were recorded. Multivariate regression 86 32 analysis was performed. 87 33 Results: A total of 420 pitchers were included, with a mean pitching velocity of 64 Æ 10 mph.
    [Show full text]
  • Washington Rush Manual
    BASEBALL THE RUSH WAY Washington Rush Baseball “Team Manual” Developed, Written & Designed by Red Alert Baseball, LLC About the Developer This Team Manual was the creation of Rob Bowen, Owner and Founder of Red Alert Baseball. Copyright © 2013 Red Alert Baseball, LLC. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials on these pages are copyrighted by Red Alert Baseball, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of these pages, either text or image may be used for any purpose other than personal use. Therefore, reproduction, modification, storage in a retrieval system or retransmission, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical or otherwise, for reasons other than personal use, is strictly prohibited without prior written permission. For any questions or inquiries about this Manual, please contact Rob Bowen via email at [email protected]. Make sure to visit RedAlertBaseball.com for other great services Red Alert Baseball has to offer. You can also follow Red Alert Baseball on our Social Media pages. We provide free info, articles, and drills so you can improve your game. On Twitter: @RedAlertCrew On Facebook: www.Facebook.com/RedAlertBaseball On You Tube: Rob Bowen, Red Alert Baseball Washington Rush Team Manual Developed & Designed by Red Alert Baseball About the Developer Rob Bowen is a former Switch-Hitting Major League Catcher that played for the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, and the Oakland Athletics. He spent 10 years in professional baseball, including 5 seasons of those in the Major Leagues. Rob broke into the big leagues at the young age of 22 and also had the opportunity to play with the Minnesota Twins and the San Diego Padres in the post season.
    [Show full text]
  • Brandon Belt
    BRANDON BELT • Born April 20, 1988, in Nacogdoches, Texas, in a house his father built. • Parents are Darrell and Janice (pronounced Ja-neece). He has one younger brother, Cameron. Father is a geometry teacher at Brandon’s high school, Hudson High in Lufkin. His mother is a hairdresser. • As a senior at Hudson High, Belt earned district MVP, All-State and All-Amer- ica honors. Standout pitcher – thought he’d make the major leagues in that position. • Had a verbal agreement with Cubs coming out of high school to be drafted in high rounds and paid high-round money. But Cubs didn’t come through and Red Sox drafted him the 11th round. Disappointed, Belt went to college instead. “Everything I went through happened for a reason,’’ he says. “I’m so happy I went to college. I matured so much as a baseball player and as a person and I made so many friends.’’ • Played one year for San Jacinto College in Houston before transferring to University of Texas. (Same two colleges Roger Clemens attended.) Majored in education. Helped propel Texas to the College World Series in 2009, where the Longhorns lost in the Championship game to LSU. • Injuries as a junior at University of Texas forced him to give up pitching altogether. When his hitting dropped off – he was barely hitting .300 two thirds into his junior year – Brandon sank to the lowest point in his life. He had always wanted to be pro baseball player and now he was wondering if he would make it. Then his grandfather, James Peter- son, died.
    [Show full text]
  • Upper Extremity Physeal Injury in Young Baseball Pitchers
    Property of JTE Multimedia LLC; all rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication and/or distribution of this content is strictly prohibited. Saltzman_proof CLINICAL FEATURES Upper Extremity Physeal Injury in Young Baseball Pitchers Bryan M. Saltzman, MD1 DOI: Peter N. Chalmers, MD1 Randy Mascarenhas, MD, Abstract: Adolescent baseball players, especially pitchers, are at increased risk for shoulder and FRCSC2 elbow injuries as their level of competition increases. The intersection of the adolescent growth Brian J. Cole, MD, MBA3 spurt with the high levels of elbow valgus and shoulder rotational torques placed upon the arm during overhand pitching predisposes the shoulder and elbow to physeal injuries. Little League Anthony A. Romeo, MD3 shoulder and Little League elbow syndromes most commonly represent pathology at the physeal 1Resident, Department of Orthopedic regions of the proximal and distal humerus and proximal ulna sustained from repetitive loads Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL; 2Sports Medicine caused by overhead throwing. There is a growing understanding that these injuries occur on a Fellow, Department of Orthopedic wide spectrum from delayed physeal closure and physeal widening to acute transphyseal fracture. Surgery, Rush University Medical Although operative intervention is infrequently required, patient and parent counseling can be Center, Chicago, IL; 3Professor of Orthopedic Surgery, Department of complex. Health care professionals who care for adolescent baseball players also can play an Orthopedic Surgery, Rush University important role in prevention. Appropriate counseling requires a comprehensive understanding of Medical Center, Chicago, IL the clinical, radiographic, and biomechanical aspects of these injuries. This review summarizes these major concepts, focusing on the best available evidence from recent biomechanical and clinical studies on shoulder and elbow injuries in adolescent baseball pitchers.
    [Show full text]
  • The Story of Baseball Medicine...Is a Story of How We Arrived at Today and Where We Are Going Tomorrow
    A Review Paper The Process of Progress in Medicine, in Sports Medicine, and in Baseball Medicine Frank W. Jobe, MD, and Marilyn M. Pink, PhD, PT ome years ago, a mentor once said “I’m not inter- Ancient Greece ested in what you know as much as I’m interested The time of the Ancient Greeks was around 500 BC. in how you think.” That was a very curious state- Herodicus is one of the first progressive medical practitio- ment for an orthopedic surgeon. Doesn’t a surgeon ners of whom we know. Herodicus was a “gymnast”—a Shave to know the facts of the human body? Wasn’t that physician who interested himself in all phases of an ath- “what” I knew? lete’s training. Literally, gymnase in Greek means naked. Now, when at the opposite end of the career spectrum, And, it was Herodicus himself who recommended that the the wisdom behind those words is apparent. “How we athletes exercise and compete in the nude in order to keep think” determines the progress we’ll make. “What we as cool as possible and to perspire freely in the humidity. think” is that which we memorized to get through medical school and is good only for today. With that in mind, the story of baseball medicine is not “...the story of baseball just a story of baseball statistics—rather, it is a story of medicine...is a story of how how we arrived at today and where we are going tomor- row. If we are wise, we can learn from the story: we won’t we arrived at today and need to repeat history, but rather we can look at the com- where we are going tomorrow.” monalities in the progressive steps and invent our future.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis of the Gyroball by Alan Nathan and Dave Baldwin
    **BRJ_#36_v11:Layout 1 12/11/07 8:49 AM Page 77 An Analysis of the Gyroball by Alan Nathan and Dave Baldwin aseball has been around for over 150 years, and THE MECHANICS OF THE GYROBALL during that time many thousands of pitchers, The trajectory of a pitch in flight is governed by Bhoping to find the unhittable pitch, have exper - the gravitational force, drag force, and the Magnus imented with grip, delivery, and release of the ball. force on a spinning ball. Gravity makes the ball drop Consequently, rarely is there anything new under the by three to four feet—the slower the pitch, the longer sun in the modern game. When a potentially new gravity acts and the greater the drop. The drag force pitch comes along, therefore, it can generate a great results from air resistance to the movement of the ball. deal of uncritical excitement and media attention. It acts to slow the pitch. The Magnus force deflects Such was the case with a recent, highly touted “inno - the ball, the direction and magnitude of the deflection vation” called the “gyroball.” depending on the spin rate, the speed of the pitch, and The gyroball was the brainchild of Kazushi Tezuka, the orientation of the spin axis. This force causes the a Japanese pitching coach, and Ryutaro Himeno, a ball to break in the direction that the leading hemi - Japanese computer scientist who determined the sphere (face) of the ball is turning. The Magnus force properties of the pitch through elaborate simulations. is largest when the spin axis and trajectory are at Their book (in Japanese only), Makyuu no Shoutai 90° to each other and is exactly zero when they are (Roughly translated as The Secret of the Demon Mira - perfectly aligned.
    [Show full text]
  • Correlates with History of Injury in Youth and Adolescent Pitchers Peter N
    Correlates With History of Injury in Youth and Adolescent Pitchers Peter N. Chalmers, M.D., Terrance Sgroi, P.T., D.P.T., M.T.C., Andrew J. Riff, M.D., Matthew Lesniak, D.P.T., Eli T. Sayegh, B.S., Nikhil N. Verma, M.D., Brian J. Cole, M.D., M.B.A., and Anthony A. Romeo, M.D. Purpose: To determine the factors within pitcher demographic characteristics, pitching history, and pitch kinematics, including velocity, that correlate with a history of pitching-related injury. Methods: Demographic and kinematic data were collected on healthy youth and adolescent pitchers aged 9 to 22 years in preseason training during a single preseason using dual orthogonal high-speed video analysis. Pitchers who threw sidearm and those who had transitioned to another position were excluded. Players were asked whether they had ever had a pitching-related shoulder or elbow injury. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed on those variables that correlated with a history of injury. Results: Four hundred twenty pitchers were included, of whom 31% had a history of a pitching-related injury. Participant height (P ¼ .009, R2 ¼ 0.023), pitching for more than 1 team (P ¼ .019, R2 ¼ 0.018), and pitch ve- locity (P ¼ .006, R2 ¼ 0.194) served as independent correlates of injury status. A model constructed with these 3 variables could correctly predict 77% of injury histories. Within our cohort, the presence of a 10-inch increase in height was associated with an increase in a history of injury by 20% and a 10-mph increase in velocity was associated with an in- crease in the likelihood of a history of injury by 12%.
    [Show full text]
  • A Biomechanical Comparison of the Fast Ball and Curve Ball of College Baseball Pitchers
    University of the Pacific Scholarly Commons University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations Graduate School 1984 A biomechanical comparison of the fast ball and curve ball of college baseball pitchers Michael D. Otto University of the Pacific Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds Part of the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Otto, Michael D.. (1984). A biomechanical comparison of the fast ball and curve ball of college baseball pitchers. University of the Pacific, Thesis. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/2105 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A BIOMECHANICAL COMPARISON OF THE FAST BALL AND CURVE BALL OF COLLEGE BASEBALL PITCHERS A Thesis Presented to the Graduate Faculty of University of the Pacific In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Masters Degree' .,' .,._: by Michael D. Otto April 1984. This thesis, written and. submitted by .. MI Cl:lAEJ.. f). OTTO .. is approved for recommendation to the.Committee on Graduate Studies, University of the Pacific Department Chairman or Dean: .. ·.s. <11CMA.UA. s~. Thesis Committee: .· .C.hairman Acknowledgements The investigator wishes to express sincere appreciation to: The subjects of this study who gave me the privilege of being their coach. My colleagues and friends for their encouragement and prayers. Dr. Ken Beauchamp for his invaluable assistance with the. statistical analysis. Dr. John G. Boelter for his inspiration, concern, energy'· and friendship that stood as the cornerstone for this study.
    [Show full text]
  • Will She Make the Big Leagues?
    Will She Make The Big Leagues? For many people, the start of spring means the start of baseball season too. But this season is a bit different from all the ones before. As shouts of “Play ball!” are heard around big-league ballparks, there are whispers about a young Japanese girl. Might she be the first woman to play in the big leagues? Sixteen-year-old Eri Yoshida was drafted last fall by a new Japanese baseball team. In her tryout for the team, she used her knuckleball to pitch an inning of hitless ball against an all-male team. Team owners were impressed. They think she has the skills to become the first female to break into the big leagues. Yoshida has been playing baseball since she was in the second grade. When she was in junior high school, she played first base on an all-boys team. Then her father showed her video of Tim Wakefield, a knuckleball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. She watched the video and thought she could learn to throw the knuckleball too. Some people think Yoshida was signed in order to make news headlines and bring attention to a new NEWS WORD BOX team. But the team’s manager doesn’t see it that way. “Her sidearm knuckle balls dip and sway, and could be drafted impressed effective weapon an effective weapon for us,” he said. professional achieve For Yoshida, she never dreamed she might be the first woman to play professional ball. “I have only just been picked by the team and have not achieved anything yet,” she said.
    [Show full text]