A Radical Idea for Major League Baseball
Now that another World Series is in the books and a fresh five-year labor agreement has been signed, I think it’s time that Major League Baseball owners do something that really shakes things up while appealing to the purists and modernists alike. I have a suggestion for a radical new alignment that would do just that, although it likely won’t go over too well with the self-appointed guardians of all things baseball. This new alignment would get rid of divisions and the division series and combine some of the best aspects of the old and the new. I will outline it in the paragraphs below.
Major League Baseball would be split into four eight-team leagues: the NL Traditional, the NL Contemporary, the AL Traditional, and the AL Contemporary.
The Traditional leagues would consist of the original eight NL franchises and the original eight AL franchises, respectively, that existed before expansion began in the 1960′s. In addition, interleague play would be very limited for the teams in the Traditional leagues.
The Brewers would be assigned to the AL Contemporary. The Contemporary leagues would receive one expansion team each.
The leagues would be aligned as follows:
NL Traditional: Dodgers, Reds, Cubs, Phillies, Cardinals, Pirates, Giants, and Braves.
NL Contemporary: Padres, Nationals, Astros, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Mets, Rockies, and one expansion team.
AL Traditional: Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Indians, Tigers, Athletics, Twins, White Sox.
AL Contemporary: Angels, Rangers, Blue Jays, Mariners, Royals, Devil Rays, Brewers, and one expansion team.
The regular season schedules would be as follows:
NL Traditional teams would play 15-16 games against each other, six games each against NL Contemporary teams, and six interleague games against one designated AL team.
AL Traditional teams would play 15-16 games against each other, six games each against AL Contemporary teams, and six interleague games against one designated NL team.
NL Contemporary teams would play 13-14 games against each other, six games each against NL Traditional teams, six interleague games against one designated AL team, and three interleague games each against four additional AL Contemporary teams.
AL Contemporary teams would play 13-14 games against each other, six games each against AL Traditional teams, six interleague games against one designated NL team, and three interleague games each against four additional NL Contemporary teams.
A team’s designated interleague opponent would remain the same each year for teams like the Yankees, who have a natural rival, but would rotate for teams like the Red Sox, who do not. Additional interleague games for Contemporary teams would be against opponents on a rotating basis.
Three All-star games would be played on consecutive nights: NL Traditional vs. NL Contemporary; AL Traditional vs. AL Contemporary; the winner on the first night vs. the winner on the second night.
How to Throw a Curveball
Throwing a Curveball
Now, the secret of how to throw a curveball well is not letting the batter predict or guess that you’re throwing one. Batting in baseball works a lot on prediction, seeing as the batter has to predict the way the ball is going to come to him before hitting it. So if the batter works out that you’re going to throw a curveball, then he’ll be able to predict the trajectory and will smack the ball, rendering the otherwise effective curveball, useless. And the batter will know that you might be throwing a curveball if he sees the way your gripping the ball.
So as you have a very evident grip which you need to learn to know how to throw a curveball, you have to first hide your grip from the batter using your baseball glove. Shield your throwing hand and the ball with the glove. Once you do so, here are the steps you need to follow to learn how to throw a curveball which is one of the best types of baseball pitches.
The Grip
Like I said, the curveball grip is too obvious to miss. When you want to throw a curveball, you should first learn how to grip the ball. See the seam running across the ball? The seams are not straight lines but curving lines which at one point are very far from each other and at one point very near. Now where the two seam lines are closest is where you hold the ball. Place your index finger and your middle finger on the outside of the first seam and the ring and little finger on the outside of the other seam, leaving a gap between the middle and ring fingers. Your thumb automatically places itself on the other side of the ball.
The Throw
When you pitch a curveball, the motion has to be just perfect. Wind up and drag your throwing arm back, with the glove still shielding your throwing hand. What you’re supposed to do is slightly turn the ball clockwise (for left-handed pitchers, anticlockwise) as you throw it, using your thumb and middle finger to maneuver the ball on the throw.
That is how your wrist moves. The second part of the throw is how exactly you will move your arm. To throw a curveball you need to move your arm wider than most throws. At the time of the release a lot of impact needs to come from the elbow, the main pace on the ball is generated from the elbow.
The Follow Through
The follow through is another crucial part of how to throw a curveball. Because it, in part, influences where the ball is going to go. Once you release the ball, bring your arm down towards your left leg (right leg for left handed pitchers), with the back of your hand facing forwards, towards the batter.