High Heat and Curveballs

Sorry for the brief absence; I've been immersed in all things Steeler, but now I'm (almost) fully prepared to jump head-first into the 2009 season, with pitchers and catchers set to report to camp next Friday (2/13).

I was in attendance (naturally) for this year's PirateFest, really just to see what Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington had to say during their Q&A session. I think that was probably the first time I've been impressed while listening to someone from the Pirates' management team explain what the heck is going on with this moribund franchise.

I also have some thoughts on Hinske vs. Doug Mientkiewicz, and the free agent market (how come Ben Sheets doesn't have a job yet?!) , but we'll get to those later.

For now, since my love for pitch f/x is well known, here's a great article from Josh Kalk about Ted Lilly, his lollipop curveball, and when to throw the high heat. Fascinating stuff.