Capt. K

The starter for Silsbee, I believe his name is Wolcott, has a crazy hitch in his delivery!! That little hop to the mound has to be tough on hitters to figure out.

bearbacker, if I am not mistaken some of those Bear players use the weighted ball program don't they??? But hey that is a topic that has been beat to death so we will leave it alone here. I simply asked a question, nothing more...nothing less. Good luck to both teams, it sounds like the games have already begun. Did someone see my radar gun laying around..... This is like shooting fish in a barrel...HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!! Capt. K

bearbacker what has Hodgy said that was an outright falsehood?? Don't you think that a guy with a good curveball or slider is a tough pitcher to hit against? Relax a little bit and back off the conspiracy theory, Oh wait I think I hear the black helicopters now.... ;D

Hey batter up, if the " potential to get hurt exists with weighted balls then why throw them/" What about a curve ball? What about a slider? What about too many innings? What about not enough rest between appearances? Why even throw at all if the potential to get hurt is there? Things that make you go HMMMMMMMMM....... Capt. K

As far as the reference to Haymon, Powell, and Cloeren here are the facts on 2 of them. Haymon had Tommy John before he ever started the weighted ball program. Cloeren never had Tommy John surgery. I personally don't know Powell so I will leave that one alone. Just like officer Friday says "just the facts". Capt. K

I will agree with JDawg03 that this can argued until the cows come home, only question is if weighted balls caused these guys to have arm problems how come they continue to employ the method? Would anyone care to start naming the guys who don't use the program that have had arm problems??? I didn't think so. Poor mechanics, too many pitches, unknown medical conditions, and so on can all cause arm problems. No doctor, guru, or any other so called expert can positively pin point that using weighted balls is the exact cause of any of these problems. All it is speculation and opinion. Again I go back to why these guys would continue on the program?? I guarantee you when Derek Cloeren torched Lamar last year people wondered what he had been doing to get so strong and develop so much stamina. Same can be said from the college of Sienna in New York when Mcneese #1 starter Derek Blacksher crushed them this year and has continued to throw well this spring. This debate back and forth is thought provoking and enjoyable and I wish no hard feelings towards anyone, all I want is for both sides to be represented. As far "the doc" is concerned in a previous post the "K" stands for strikeout which is something you probably heard about as a batter many times. Regards, Capt. K

Bleacher Creature, folks who subscribe to the weighted ball theory believe that the use of the heavier balls builds up stamina, muscle around critical joints like the shoulder and elbow, and velocity. There are athletes who have natural ability and are able to throw no matter what style of training they use, that is just God given. All I know for a fact is that you can look at the records of the guys in the weighted ball program and see historical data that supports the program. I don't know if Nolan actually threw weighted balls in a regimented program but I would definitely say a football weighs more than a baseball. Capt. K

Hey MIF04, try your research again about which programs are using weighted balls. There are too many D-1 colleges using them to list right here and the Washington Nationals as well as the Philadelphia Phillies are also believers of the "hype". Just because some folks don't subscribe to the program does not mean it's wrong, different techniques can be used to gain the same results. Tom House was big into his pitchers throwing footballs for arm strength, he had a pretty good right hander throwing for him named Nolan Ryan, you may have heard of the guy. I will agree that if done improperly injury can occur, but that holds true with guys who don't use weighted balls as well. All I can say is if you want to find a common thread with some of the best pitchers in the area (Angelle, Harwood, Haymon) you need look no further than over in Orange where they use the weighted ball program, all of these guys train in the same place and you can't argue with the results. Capt. K