The Glenwood post., 1912-10-12
SUBSCRIPTION RATES {:
A. J. DICKSON, Editor and Proprietor
NEW DISCOVERY IN PHYSICS
You Can Throw a Baseball Further il
Denver Than in New York

Hugh s. Fullerton writes very IN
teresting article on the "Physics of
BascDall,'' IN the October American
Magazine. Followiag . an extract:
Every move in bail game afrsrds
a problem. There are basic conditions
which, in themselves, are worthy OF
study. Consider atmospheric pressure.
Did you know that a man who can
throw a baseball $50 feet on the Polo
grounds, New York, on a dead calm
400 feet on the Denver ball park? Did
you realize that a tall foul hit
straight up at Philadelphia will not
rise to within 10 feet of the height i
would have risen under exactly the
same initial power in Colorado Springs!
Did you know that the San Francisco
outfielders play on an average of 10
feet closer to the home plate than they
would dare play in Phoenix, Ariz,2
Did you know that a fast curve ball
will break four or five inches farther
in the same distance at Chicago than 1t
will at Albuquerque, N. NJ?
''There is a professor in physics
down east and in university which
turns out good ball teams at that, who
disputes these things. He can take The
theorem of acceleration OF fluidic mo-
tion ont back of the laboratory and
make it jump through hoops, but he is
wrong in this. Any player who ever
played in the Western league will
funk him on the proposition quicker
than the professor did who gave me
my finals in physics. The Western
league has for many years been an ex-
tremely interesting organization 70
baseball people because Tip O'Neil Is
president and Bill O'Rourke owns the
Omaha club, but it is vastly more in
teresting to the student of physics,
especially if he happens also to be in
terested in baseball. In the Western
he can find queer problems in statis-
tics, Usually two cities-Denver, and
either Pueblo or Colorado Springs,
often all three are in the league, and
are located in a rarefied atmosphere.
The other cities are situated down in
the Mississippi valley region, where
the atmosphere pressure is heavy.
study the averages year alter year anu
you will lind the mountain cubs at or
near the top in bait ng, and almost al
ways leading in long hits. They play
more than half their games in the rare
fled atmosphere. over One-third OF ali
tAe long h.ts made in the eight cities
viii be found to have been made in
the two mountain parks. Put twelve
batters at st. Joseph, for instance. II
their aggregate batting average is 250
there, one may be certain tney will hit
close 20 10 in eioher Denver OF Pueb-
10. The difference Is accounted for by
the double TACT that pitched ball will
not curve as far in rarefiel as in heavy
atmosphere, and that, when it is hit, it
will travel much farther l have seen
pitchers who seemed to possess all tn !,
speed of d Walter Johnson while work
ing at Denver who lost it when they
came down three Thousand feet. One
of the best known pitchers in the
country today owes the fact of his
major league existence to Denver's
rarefied atmosphere. The scout who
was sent to see him reported that he
had word of speed and good control,
but that his curve and slow ball needed
further education. He was purchased
on the speed recommendation, ani
when he reported he turned out to be
slow ball pitcher with an excellent
slow curve. The manager, who wanted
speed, was angry, but before he could
sell the pitcher, his slow twisters be-
came so effective that he was kept
and developed into a wonder"