Or so say the reputable American Sports Medicine Institute and Connecticut Children's Medical Center, both of which concluded independently that curveballs are no less stressful than fastballs on young pitchers' arms. In fact, curveballs are rarely at fault in arm problems for the up-and-coming tykes in Baseball America's rankings of the top elementary school players in the country.

Such a revelation, believe it or not, might be bad news for Little Leagues across the country. Curveballs will soon be like that random pretzel in the dugout, the one that everyone wants but everyone knows will be bad for them to eat during the game. Except the curveball won't be bad, and so everyone will throw it, and catchers will need their protective cups more than ever.

How, then, did baseball dads go for so long advocating against the curveball?

"Why did people believe the world was flat? Because one guy told another it was flat and it looked flat. Until someone discovered that it wasn't," he said.

Tom Friedman has seen the future of international baseball, and it's 6-year-old kids in the Dominican Republic throwing spitballs and knuckle-changes at a MLB training facility. Williamsport, watch out.

Two Studies Show That Curveball Isn't Too Stressful [New York Times]

We have this chilling eyewitness account from the comments section of the Treasure Coast Palm:

PSL Cubs were playing Northside Rattlers. It was the bottom of the 2nd inning. I was umpiring on the 1st base side. He hopped the fence in right field and ran across the outfield. Hopped the fence in left field and got "hung up" on the fence. I called a 2 ball, no strike count! Priceless.

OK then, let's canvass the local hospitals. And be on the lookout for anyone who is walking funny. Let's get out there, and be safe, people.

Whomever it was, you also have this glorious clipping for your scrapbook:

The naked man ran east across the outfield before hopping the third-base fence and getting in a small, white older model Chrysler parked in front of Port St. Lucie Elementary School.

Naked Man Streaks Ballgame In Port St. Lucie [TC Palm.com]

Mock is spending this winter coaching the Columbia Angels, a select team of 14-16 year-olds in the Houston area. His team happened to be leading 17-0 during a recent game when one of his players attempted to bunt for a base hit. So Mock did what any youth coach would do when concerned about teaching sportsmanship: He asked the opposing coach to have his pitcher drill Mock's player with a 90-mph fastball in the ribs.

So one of the guys that coached that team, I've known him for a long time, and I said, 'Hey, when this kid gets up to bat, I want y'all to put one right in his ribs, and I ain't kidding.' I was like, 'Just kind of give me one of these hand signs, let me know that this kid throws gas,' because I didn't want to bring him in when the kid throws 86 if you've got a kid that throws 91, you know?

I'm not so surprised that coach would request such a thing: I've followed the youth coaching career of Bill Romanowski too closely. What actually surprises me is that the other coach agreed to it. My response would have been more along the lines of, oh, I don't know ... "Fuck you."

As we learned in the Johnny Cash song A Boy Named Sue, life is rough, and if a man's gonna make it he's gotta be tough. But there's a difference between teaching hard life lessons and simply being a clueless douchebag, and Mock has fallen onto the wrong side of that fence, unfortunately. Look, we understand that you play for the Nationals. But that's no excuse to take your frustrations out on kids.

Garrett Mock's Coaching Tricks [DC Sports Bog]