Editor's note: An interesting article at Baseball Prospectus about the effect of pitch velocity and movement and their impact on hitters. Would have to think that the principles apply to fastpitch as well. We recommend clicking the graphic at right to see the original post of this article, which contains a number of helpful charts. The "Takeaways" at the end of the … [Read more...]

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We were saddened to learn, earlier this year, of the passing of Ender Chaparro, of Maracaibo, Venezuela, who died from complications after medical treatment, at the age of 52. As is the case with so many of the players with whom we are lucky to get to know, Maddy and I met Ender and his son Erick, both pitchers, at the AAU International tournament. Last summer, at the NAFA … [Read more...]

How many of us are connected to fastpitch because of our fathers? Most I would imagine. For me, it was my father, Harry Flanagan, that first showed me that you could throw a ball underhand as fast as you could overhand. Raising a family with seven children, he didn't have much time to play himself, at least as an adult when I knew him. But those backyard pitching sessions of … [Read more...]