And You Thought The Baseball Prospectus Guys Were Nerdy

Because cancer, AIDS, Alzheimer's and Robin Williams have all been cured, scientists are now tackling the big issues: How To Hit A Baseball. (Because you know these dorks were cut from the tee-ball team.) In an article in American Scientist magazine, three eggheads explain the physics of baseball, specifically in regard to the extreme difficult of hitting a 95-mph fastball. It's actually a fascinating piece, particularly its conclusion:

In conclusion, the pitcher should use a four-seam grip for fastballs and curveballs to remove the perceptual clue of the two red stripes and the flicker. Then, he should use the two-seam grip for the slider, to remove the clue of the red dot. These techniques could make a fearsome pitcher even more difficult to hit. But if you're in luck, he hasn't read this article.

In other words: Ball Fast! Hard To Smash Ball!

Predicting A Baseball's Path [American Scientist]