Tag: mlb

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

Windy Days & Baseball

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

#15 Lenten Reflections

Last week (and tonight) it was a crazy windy day at the Lake Pointe Baseball Complex in Emerson, GA. As I sat watching our son’s games, my hair whipped all over the place. No hair tie. Which is rare for me, like most girls or women with ponytail-ready hair, my wrist dons at least one hair tie. But that morning during class, I had a 4-year-old student who found it comforting and perhaps delicious to suck on the ends of her hair. So I helped put her damp, yet shiny hair in a very high ponytail so she could sing along to our Spanish songs.

Anyway, as I watched pitchers struggle and fly balls change direction like the wind in a sail, I wondered how these gales affected the game. So I did some research and discovered a guy named John Farley, the Chief Technology Officer for Weather Applied Metrics (see this link for an information video). The company measures weather impacts on baseball (and sports in general) using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling, standard trajectory physics, and other meteorological analysis. In short, they study sports and wind.

According to Farley,

“If the wind is blowing hard, that’s the most significant impact. A headwind, combined with a downdraft, can shorten a fly ball hit to the wall by as much as 60 feet. A tailwind, combined with an updraft can lengthen it by as much as 45 feet.”

He went on to say since baseballs absorb moisture from the air “the difference in distance between very dry air and very wet air is roughly 50 feet. That’s because a wet ball is slightly heavier and spongier, so it doesn’t come off the bat as fast. On a hotter day, the air is less dense and so a ball can travel as much as 30 feet farther, compared to a cold day.”

I got kind of lost in the technical jargon, but if I had to play in the wind, I’d prefer a tailwind on a hot day.

Windy at Wrigley Field

I found an example of a windy day at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Apparently, when the wind is blowing the field is considered a “pitcher’s park”. The better the pitchers, the lower the score. When the wind is blowing out, especially if it is a brisk wind, Wrigley Field becomes a launching pad.

According to The Philidelphia Tale blog, one of the wildest games ever was played in 1979 between the Cubs and the Phillies. The Phillies staked starter Randy Lerch to a seven-run lead in the top of the first inning. He never made it through the bottom of the first. Long fly balls turned into home runs. Short fly balls approached or reached the warning track. Flares flew over the infield and landed well short of outfielders playing near the warning track.

A parade of pitchers from both teams got shelled and watched ERAs soar. The Phillies finally won the game 23–22.

Players take on the wind: Look at the Flag for guidance

Larry Bowa, Phillies shortstop: “I remember the flag was stiff. After I left (Philadelphia) and played there (1982-85), I never saw the flag there ever blow like that. It was nonstop. Usually late in the game, it would stop a little bit.”

Ray Burris, Cubs relief pitcher: “When I would drive into the ballpark on Addison Ave., there was a business that had a United States flag on it. I would always check that flag to see which way that wind was blowing. When it was blowing straight toward the expressway, that was good (for pitchers). That meant the wind was blowing straight in from center field to home plate. Now it was going to take a cannon to get that ball out of there, but if it was blowing toward Lake Michigan, oh my goodness. It was unbelievable. That was just the elements you had to deal with.”

Mike Schmidt, Phillies third baseman: “There were days you played at Wrigley Field you couldn’t even think about a home run, wind would be blowing straight in. You could kill a ball and it would barely make the warning track and it’d have no chance. I’ve seen home run balls get caught at shortstop before. That’s what is unique and fun about Wrigley Field. When you get up in the morning and you’re downtown, you know which way the wind is going to blow from the flags on the buildings.”

What I learned:

It’s been one week since the last windy game and here I sit again on the third base line at Field 9. Rain is coming down, the flag is flying straight out and it’s about 38 degrees. The wind is whipping everything in site, the boys are on the field warming up and you would think it was a sunny day the way they are jogging around and yelling, “We love the cold!” I say a silent prayer that the one thing the wind (and coaches) can’t whip away is Zavier’s confidence.

I couldn’t be more grateful to have a destination. To be lucky enough to come and see my son play his last season of high school baseball. All I can do now is pray he plays, plays well, and when (yes, I said when) he hits the ball, I hope the wind is on his side.

Thanks for joining me, I am so grateful to you all-

❤️Lucretia

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

The Beauty of Community + 40-year-old baseball glove found

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

#6 – Lenten Reflections

“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King

Since you all are on this daily journey with me, I wanted to give you an update on the baseball equipment that was stolen from my son’s locker room over the weekend. Unfortunately, the items were not found, nor were the culprits.

However, what was revealed was priceless. In less than 24 hours — numerous baseball teams, alumni, neighbors, and families reached out and donated equipment and money to help get the team ready for our Monday night game.

So thanks to the love and generosity of our community, we were back in business! And who knows, the gloves and bats may turn up someday…

Coincidentally, I stumbled upon a fascinating article about a couple who frequented a Goodwill Superstore in Florida. One day the wife glanced at some sports equipment on a shelf, and staring right at her was her son’s baseball glove he had lost 40 years ago and 1,000 miles away.

Apparently, he left it on a baseball field in Ohio after a Little League All-Star game. He had hustled over on his bike the following morning to try and find it, but no luck. Until 40 years later! His mom bought it for $1.49.

So who knows, maybe years from now these boys will get their well-worn baseball gloves back, but for now, they will be just fine. After all, they are surrounded by a loving, kind, and generous community – what a blessing.

Thanks for joining me,

~Lucretia

Quotes I love:

For every soul, seeing Him in her own way, doubtless communicates that unique vision to all the rest. That, says an old author, is why the Seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” to one another (Isaiah 6:3). The more we thus share the Heavenly Bread between us, the more we shall have.” – C.S. Lewis

Posted in Family, Faith and Fitness

Baseball Locker Room Robbed

Posted on by Lucretia Cahill

#4 Lenten Reflections – Losing a baseball glove is like losing a good friend

Our son’s High School Baseball Team’s locker room was robbed Friday night. Thousands of dollars of equipment was stolen. Bats, gloves, sunglasses, and bags.

Zavier’s glove is gone.

Let me explain Zavier. He’s just a cool kid. Huge smile, dazzling green eyes, and not a frivolous or pretentious bone in his body. Simply Zavier. What you see is what you get.

Unlike our other kiddos, who worked like crazy to save money for a car or truck, Zavier opted to buy his sister’s old car for a portion of the money he made working over the summer and save the rest for baseball gear.

So yesterday morning when Zavier returned from the batting cages, I asked how everything went and he replied, “Interesting”. Not hearing his signature, “Good” I knew something was wrong.

He went on, “We were robbed…bats, gloves, sunglasses, bags”. All gone. “Only my glove is gone”.

That is so Zavier. “Only my glove”. No stress, just the facts.

“Coach will send an email about everything,” he said.

Here’s what I know about baseball gloves:

Most people know every player has a special relationship with their glove. The hours spent breaking in a glove are endless. They start out stiff, uncomfortable, and awkward (kind of like I felt going back to work after being a stay-at-home mom). Poor gloves.

For the last two years, Zavier has worked on breaking in his Rawlings Heart of the Hide 11.5 glove. Countless catches and snags have molded its every crease and seam. He rubs oil on it when needed, doesn’t let anyone touch it (although his brother teases constantly), and in the off-season, he sets it in the same spot on the kitchen island for safekeeping. He has spent endless hours with that glove – and it was poised and ready for his senior year on the Varsity baseball team. Now it’s gone. And the season just started.

I look at this senseless and cowardly act of stealing as just sad. Not only did the thieves take the equipment, but they took the coveted commodity of time. The hours these boys spent molding their gloves, getting the bat tape just right on their bats, and caring for their baseball gear were also stolen.

So today Zavier dug up his old glove and is oiling it up as I type. Looks like it’s back in business. One thing Zavier still has is loads of love and care to give to his old Rawlings and hopefully a new glove sometime soon. For now, we’ll just move forward and (somewhat angrily) pray for the people who must have needed the equipment more than the team.

What I learned:

When I heard Zavier say “We” in “We were robbed” I immediately thought of the collective word. Usually “we” referred to our immediate family – and this time it was about his family, his beloved baseball family. These are the guys he spends hours with – every day. Working out, throwing, catching, hitting, fielding, laughing, discussing books, cleaning the field, keeping each other motivated, and maybe most importantly, seeing who can do the best impersonation of their Coach’s – long-drawn-out, calm yet stern voice. I would assume there are bonus points if you can remember his classic quotes like “You were running to the ball like a blind dog in a meat market.” That’s his “We”. His baseball family.

Like all families, there are wins and losses, joys and tragedies.

This time equipment was lost. It’s just gone. But it is just “stuff”. It can be replaced. And honestly, their spirit and love of the sport weren’t taken, and we all know sometimes in life that’s all you need to keep you going. Love.

The best news is they are all healthy and ready to play.

Final thought:

Moments like this bust me into being grateful for the day…a reminder that every morning we are at a new trailhead and can either take baby steps or big loud stomps on our day’s journey. None of us know what’s going to happen next. We can recognize the moments we loathe – saggy necks, clothes that don’t fit, baseball gloves being stolen, but we don’t need to sit in the grave with all the bad. We have a choice to look up. Look up at the sky and drink in the beauty of the day one deep breath at a time.

Let’s go Hillgrove Hawks!

Thanks for joining me,

~Lucretia