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High Heat
The Secret History of the Fastball and the Improbable Search for the Fastest Pitcher of All Time
Contributors
By Tim Wendel
Formats and Prices
Price
$16.99Price
$22.99 CADFormat
Format:
Trade Paperback $16.99 $22.99 CADThis item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around March 22, 2011. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.
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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. Along the way he investigates the effectiveness of early speed-testing techniques (including Bob Feller’s infamous motorcycle test), explains why today’s radar gun readings still leave plenty of room for debate, and even visits an aerodynamic testing lab outside of Birmingham, Alabama, in order to understand the mechanics that make throwing heat possible in the first place.
At its heart, High Heat is a reflection on our infatuation with the fastball—the expectation it carries, the raw ability it puts on display, and, most of all, the feats and trials of those who have attempted to master it. As Wendel puts it, “The tale of high heat can lead in several different directions at once, and the real story has more to do with triumph and tragedy that with the simple act of throwing a baseball.”
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Publishers Weekly, 1/24/11
“It's as much about hard science as putting mustard on the ball.”Toronto Globe and Mail, 3/12/11
“A book rich in the sort of anecdotes that baseball fans crave.”
WomanAroundTown.com, 3/29/11
“Wendel regales us with the quest for the fastest pitcher of all time.” BiblioBuffet.com, 4/24/11
“A delightful, informative account…High Heat isn’t a precise and orderly book. Like having a conversation with a supremely informed and eloquent fan, you’ll find the usual array of diversions and revelations and personal observations. But damned if you don’t devour the book with a smile on your face and a refreshed perspective.” Viva Tysons, March/April 2011“[An] engrossing nonfiction book exploring the secrets behind baseball’s most formidable pitch.” BaseballReflections.com, 1/17/11 “High Heat accomplishes the art of story-telling while remaining historically correct and informative…Anyone who is a SABR member, baseball historian, or avid fan of the game would truly enjoy the book…A wonderful read.”
- On Sale
- Mar 22, 2011
- Page Count
- 304 pages
- Publisher
- Da Capo Press
- ISBN-13
- 9780306819704
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