N.Y. Times: Glanville: Hitting Curves (of All Sorts) (RR)

Doug Glanville’s latest gem.

The curveball reality hit me all at once. I thought I could race through the minor league system on quick hands and exceptional coordination. That was until I ran into Gregg Olson, a pitcher who at one time was a dominant force in the Baltimore Orioles bullpen. He was known for his knee-buckling curveball, and he didn’t disappoint. The first time I saw it, I thought, “This is not good.” That was the moment I became determined to learn how to hit a curveball for fear of ever again feeling like a frozen popsicle, the way I did when I first saw Olson’s Zeus-like hammer.

So, during an off-season instructional camp with the Chicago Cubs, I set up a pitching machine to send me the nastiest curveball it could throw. It took a while, but eventually I was able to carve the ball into right field and add to my skill set the ability to at least make decent contact with it.

What I found was that your approach doesn’t have to be any different from the one you use when dealing with — indulge me for a second — any other curveball life throws at you. We spend so much time cruising along, looking to hit the straight and dependable fastball, that the audacity of something different can cause us to forget any and every tactic that once gave us comfort and success.

Thanks to ShysterBall.