18°c Overcast
14°c Cloudy periods
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Batter up! Geoff Kirbyson tries out for the Goldeyes
Geoff didn't end up with a very good batting percentage at the end of the day.
Baseball is hard.
Not only that, it's the hardest sport around to actually play. If you think about it, the physics of hitting a round ball with a round bat give you a minuscule sweet spot to put the ball in play. Oh yeah, and the ball is whipping at you at 90 miles per hour. And curving. Or coming at your head.
This isn't to say hockey and football aren't difficult but sometimes you can tee the puck up before you shoot it or the quarterback will place the ball in your hands before you run with it. Nobody will dispute that winning the Stanley Cup is the hardest thing to win in sports or that dominating the line of scrimmage on a football field can be utterly exhausting.
Sure, there's no clock in baseball so there's a fair amount of standing around but that doesn't change the physics of the game.
With that in mind, the Free Press asked the Goldeyes if they could demonstrate what makes baseball so difficult. Pitcher Ace Walker, shortstop Price Kendall and catcher Luis Alen volunteered to give reporter Geoff Kirbyson his own spring training.
Apparently, coaching his son's peewee team did nothing to prepare him for Walker's stuff. From this vantage point, he can understand why the best players in the world fail seven out of 10 times. But on the extremely rare occasion that he connected and heard the crack of the bat on the ball, it was glorious.
More Latest News
- Back to Top
- Return to Latest News
More Latest News
(1 of 36 articles for today)
Local anti-Monsanto protesters critical of 'Franken-food'
4:38 PM 0They didn’t come out in the numbers organizers had hoped for, but the anti-Monsanto message got out anyway.
About 100 people ...
View Related
Poll
Most Popular Latest News
- Police searching for suspect who woke sleeping teen
- Evidence ignored in dangerous driving acquital, appeal court told
- Teachers vote to donate $1.5M to human rights museum
- Overnight stabbings probed
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Doctor charged with sexually assaulting teen at HSC
- Rare comic book featuring debut of Superman found insulating abandoned house in Minnesota
- MTS becomes takeover target
- Traffic backed up on Trans-Canada near Richer
- After LA synchronizes all stoplights traffic moves a bit better but the road war endures
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Winnipeg woman camps out in front of legislature to protest child welfare
- Rainfall warning issued for southern Manitoba
- Two men now facing first-degree murder charges in Tim Bosma test drive death
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Seattle man dribbling soccer ball to Brazil killed by car on Oregon Coast
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- 87-year-old woman tells jurors, 'Somebody had to stand up to' Donald Trump
- Driver crashes into tree near golf course
- Arrests made after raids on local head shops
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- News of city's $17-million winner leaks out on FB
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Driver horrified by scene in rearview mirror after load hits I-5 bridge, road falls into river
- Youth faces murder charge in Pauingassi First Nation death
- Islamic life showcased
- Charges laid against Sharon Home over resident's death
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Unjust justice: Still no aboriginal court in Manitoba
- PC white grape juice recalled nationally over undeclared sulphites
- Protesters 'March Against Monsanto' across US, in over 50 countries in anti-GMO rally
- New owner for lumber stores
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Prominent Canadians back petition to rename Victoria Day to honour aboriginals
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Marsh Madness: Photographers Fred Greenslade and Joe Bryksa capture spring migration's grandeur at Delta Marsh
- Skin picking gets status as distinct disorder, should help sufferers access help
- Order of Manitoba recipients announced
- New owner for lumber stores
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Chiropractor guilty of sexually assaulting, beating ex-girlfriend
- 'Revenge of the redheads': Ginger-haired Montrealers gather in celebration
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Dogs can experience separation anxiety and depression just like humans
- Passengers from diverted flight to leave Winnipeg Thursday night
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- MTS to sell Allstream to Egyptian investment group, focus on Manitoba market
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.