9AgsG (Mobile pdf) High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time Online [9AgsG.ebook] High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time Pdf Free Tim Wendel ePub | *DOC | audiobook | ebooks | Download PDF Download Now Free Download Here Download eBook #194658 in Audible 2013-04-25 2013-04-25Format: UnabridgedOriginal language:EnglishRunning time: 493 minutes | File size: 55.Mb Tim Wendel : High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time before purchasing it in order to gage whether or not it would be worth my time, and all praised High Heat: The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time: 0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent effortBy WDX2BBSometimes it's easy to wonder how a particular approach has never been covered in a book before.Tim Wendel must have wondered that at some point.Baseball fans have always tinkered with the question, "Who is the hardest thrower in baseball history?" It's irresistible, because there's no answer. We only started using speed guns on pitchers in the 1970's leaving almost a century of pitchers who went untimed.Who are the candidates? How do you tell the difference between fact and fiction? And why hasn't anyone written a book about this before?Wendel no doubt considered the last question in that paragraph before moving on to the other two. His quest is in "High Heat," and it's a fine treatment of an interesting subject.Wendel makes one interesting decision right off the bat. It would have been pretty easy to pick out a dozen candidates for the title of "fastest of all time," do short biographies and pick a winner. But the author doesn't go that way. A hint comes in the subtitle: "The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time."This really is a journey. Wendel takes along as he explores the subject in various parts of America. So we get to sit with Bob Feller as he talks about the time his fastball took part in a race against a motorcycle in an effort to judge the speed of the pitch. Or, we get to listen to Nolan Ryan talk about the subject. There's even a trip to a New York City cemetery to honor the first of the great fireballers.The most interesting story centers on Steve Dalkowski, a Connecticut legend in high school who could throw the ball incredibly hard but rarely seemed to know where it was going. Ever seen a no-hitter with 21 strikeouts and 12 walks? That was a typical day at the office.Dalkowski signed with the Orioles but never got out of the minors in the late 1950's and early 1960's, eventually turned to alcohol and dropped off the face of the earth for a while. There's a semi-happy ending there, as Dalkowski has recovered his faculties somewhat and it still well remembered in his home state.Also mixed in are other parts of the story. Wendel visited Dr. James Andrews' clinic in Alabama to get his pitching delivery by some experts -- it apparently wasn't very pretty. He also talked with the matter of a batter's fear of facing a 100 mph fast ball. That brings up the tragic story of Tony Conigliaro, the Boston slugger whose career was never the same after he was hit in the head in 1967.Tim has done a very thorough job of exploring the subject, and comes up with own answer to the question on the fastest ever. You are entitled to disagree. I'm confident that most people will find this a thorough yet easy read through a fun subject. "High Heat" would be a good addition to a baseball fan's library.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Tim Wendel brings the heat for ninety percent of this bookBy Jason KirkfieldMore than anything, this is a book about minor league legend Steve Dalkowski. The inspiration for Bull Durham's Nuke LaLoosh, Dalkowski never pitched a major league inning, but his uncontrollable speed made him infamous. In 1960, pitching for Class C Stockton, the Orioles minor leaguer registered 262 strikeouts and an equal number of walks. In his first year of professional ball, he struck out 24 in a game. Unfortunately, in that same game, he walked 18, hit four batters, threw six wild pitches, and lost 8-4. Later, he threw a one-hitter, striking out 15. You can guess the rest: he also walked 17 and wound up losing 9-8. An arm injury kept him out of the major leagues for good, then alcoholic dementia nearly killed him.I knew the book's angle going in, having read excerpts from the author on the Orioles Hangout forum. I can see how some readers might be disappointed not only in the heavy focus on a never-been like Dalkowski, but also the unusual (dis-)organizational style in which the book's narrative is presented. Notables such as Nolan Ryan are given less detail, and some pitchers like Goose Gossage or Joel Zumaya are barely discussed, despite being included in the final dozen.Wendel is a good storyteller, at his best spinning tales from baseball's forgotten past. He also earns credit for tracking down the fastballers or at least the people who knew them well. In the case of oldtimers like Walter Johnson, he gathers first-hand material. The middle chapters about beaned batsmen Ray Chapman and Tony Conigliaro are excellent, and touching. Unfortunately, the book loses steam in the final innings. In the end, even the author seems undecided about who truly was the fastest of all time.I would have liked some discussion on the physics of throwing a fastball. The author visited the American Sports Medicine Institute and couldn't even pitch 50 MPH in their lab. How do some people throw twice as fast? What is it exactly which allows a few select people to throw a ball sixty feet at one hundred miles per hour? Extra-long fingers? Double-jointed elbows? That's one mystery which didn't need to stay that way.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. High Heat delivers a blazing strikeBy Barry Sparks"The fastball remains mysterious, downright mystical," writes Tim Wendel. His search for the fastest pitcher of all-time is interesting, insightful and entertaining.Wendel looks at familiar fireballers such as Amos Rusie, Walter Johnson, Lefty Grove, Bob Feller, Satchel Paige, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Billy Wagner, Steve Dalkowski as well as relative newcomers David Price, Jobba Chamberlain and Steven Strasburg.Nolan Ryan said, "Throwing hard is a gift."Troy Percival added, "You can't teach a good fastball."Sandy Koufax said, "Every pitcher's best pitch is his fastball. It's the fastball that makes the other pitches effective."Wendel writes that fireballers enthrall us. Each struggled to find a way to make all the pieces fit and none had a perfect path to the top."Hard throwers make things look easy early on. Everyone expects them to win every game just because they can throw hard. A little torment and heartache is usually required. In every pitcher's journey, there are obstacles to overcome. How they respond, what they learn about themselves is often the tale. It takes more than being able to throw hard," he writes.Of all the pitchers in the book, Steve Dalkowski, a 5-11, 170-pound, hard-drinking lefty in the Orioles farm system, is the only one not to make the majors. And, it's probably why his story is the most interesting one. His story alone is reason enough to buy this book. Dalkowski's blazing speed and wildness are legendary.Umpire Doug Harvey said Dalkowski (ranked No. 2 on the fastest of all-time list by Wendel) brought it harder than Koufax, Gibson, Drysdale, Seaver or Marichal. Wendel names his 12 fastest pitchers of all-time at the end of the book.In addition to giving us glimpses into the struggles of many of the fastest pitchers ever, Wendel offers a history of the attempts to measure the speed of a baseball and recounts some of the most famous beanings in baseball history (Ray Chapman, Tony Conigliaro)."High Heat" benefits from Wendel's excellent writing, deft transitions, thorough research and thoughtful organization. This book is a treat for baseball fans--young and old. What is it about a quality fastball that brings us to the edge of our seats? How is it humanly possible to throw more than 100 mph? And the big question: Who is the fastest pitcher ever?Drawing on interviews with current and former players, managers, scouts, experts, and historians, Tim Wendel delivers the answers to some of the most intriguing questions about the fastball, providing insight into one of baseball's most exhilarating yet mystifying draws. In High Heat he takes us on a quest to separate verifiable fact from baseball lore, traveling from ballparks across the country to the Baseball Hall of Fame, piecing together the fascinating history of the fastball from its early development to the present form while exploring its remarkable impact on the game and the pitchers who have been blessed (or cursed) with its gift. From legends such as Nolan Ryan, Walter Johnson, Steve Dalkowski, and Satchel Paige to present-day standard bearers like Tim Lincecum, Billy Wagner, and Randy Johnson, Wendel examines the factors that make throwing heat an elusive ability that few have and even fewer can harness.