Re: Baseball Question
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Not sure. I think a lot of it is over-reacting. There really shouldn't be a "norm" for each pitcher. I mean Mark Prior and Kerry Wood should be yanked after 30, yet guys like Shilling, Johnson, etc. may be more liable to throw over 120.
Plus, what I find funny is how people have this misconception that 120 pitches is "20% more than typical", where 100 is "typical". This simply isn't true.
On game day, an MLB pitcher will throw probably at least 20-30 long-tosses in the OF, THEN throw about 40 full-effort pitches in the bullpen before gametime.
This means that if a pitcher throws 100 pitches during the game, he's really thrown about 160 that night. So, throwing 120 in the game is like 180 for the night.
180-160 = 20
20/160 = 12.5%
So in reality, what is perceived as 20% overtime, is really just 12.5%.
I think the main reason is that, with today's salaries, managers do NOT want to be the one to blame for a pitcher having elbow or shoulder problems. Back in the day, the players weren't such steep "investments".
Take Dusty Baker for example: Old school type manager who has already ruined Mark Prior. Not sure if that was part of his "4 year plan" when he signed on to coach! [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]
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Pitchers don't usually throw 100% when warming up in the bullpen or when long tossing before a game.
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They throw at least 95% in the bullpen. Long tosses aren't too strenuous, but they stretch the arm out pretty well, their tosses probably get up to an excess of 120 feet.
Next time you go to an MLB game, watch the pitchers working out. Count the throws if you can. They damn near do almost as much prep. throwing as in-game throwing.
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