Two questions that bug me: (1) Why can’t pitchers hit? (2) Why do catchers tell the pitchers how to throw? –Earl Adkins, San Rafael, California
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As for pitchers, they can’t hit for basically one reason: they don’t bat often enough to get good at it. A National League starting pitcher would be lucky to get a hundred at bats a year, whereas a regular position player might chalk up five hundred or more. The fact that starters are being yanked earlier in the game today makes things worse. With only so much coaching time to spread around, most NL clubs don’t even have their pitchers take batting practice except on the days they’re pitching. (AL pitchers, of course, don’t routinely bat at all because of the designated hitter rule.)
Why don’t we see guys like that anymore? Mainly because pitchers have become victims of their own success. What with split-fingered fastballs and all, pitching has become a sophisticated art. Batting averages have dropped even for the best hitters. For a part-time slugger like a pitcher, the situation is hopeless. These days you can hope to become good at hitting or pitching, but not both.
A loosely strung racket is less predictable. The strings form a pocket under the ball’s impact. If the ball hits the racket off center, the pocket will be shallower and more lopsided than if it hits dead on. This affects the way the ball bounces and makes aiming tougher. The pros, who don’t need the extra power, go for tightness to get more accurate ball placement.
