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Vulcan Changeup
In baseball, the vulcan changeup pitch (otherwise known as a vulcan or trekkie) is a type of changeup; it closely resembles a forkball and split-finger fastball. It is a variation of the circle changeup, and when mastered can be extremely effective. Much like a forkball, the vulcan is gripped between two fingers on the hand, but rather than the middle and index finger as with the forkball or split-finger fastball, it sits in between the middle and ring fingers to make a v-shape ( Vulcan salute) when releasing to the catcher. It is thrown with fastball arm speed but by pronating the hand by turning the thumb down, to get good downward movement on it. The pitch is uncommon in Major League Baseball. Ian Kennedy throws this style of changeup instead of others because he "found it more comfortable and had more movement". Among the others who have thrown it are John Gant, former relievers Randy Tomlin and Joe Nelson, and most notably former all-star closer Éric Gagné, for whom the v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding team, called the pitcher, throws a ball that a player on the batting team, called the batter, tries to hit with a bat. The objective of the offensive team (batting team) is to hit the ball into the field of play, away from the other team's players, allowing its players to run the bases, having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called " runs". The objective of the defensive team (referred to as the fielding team) is to prevent batters from becoming runners, and to prevent runners' advance around the bases. A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate (the place where the player started as a batter). The principal objective of the batting team is to have a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Nelson
Joseph George Nelson (born October 25, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. High school Nelson attended St. Joseph's High School in Alameda, California. At St. Joseph, Nelson played basketball with NBA star Jason Kidd. College After two seasons at Seminole State College from –-, he transferred to the University of San Francisco. In a switch to pitching at USF, he went undefeated, recording five saves. Professional career Atlanta Braves After being selected twice by the Toronto Blue Jays in the and 1994 amateur drafts, he was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the fourth round of the . Nelson made it to the majors in , seeing two stints of an inning apiece in mop-up duty, where his ERA was 36.00. Boston Red Sox Released by the Braves the following summer, he was signed by the Boston Red Sox and quickly released after four appearances for Double-A Trenton. Nelson re-signed with the Red Sox in the spring of , and was promoted to the majors in June as bull ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Original Series
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship and its crew. It later acquired the retronym of ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' (''TOS'') to distinguish the show within the media franchise that it began. The show is set in the Milky Way galaxy, circa 2266–2269. The ship and crew are led by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer and Science Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Chief Medical Officer Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley). Shatner's voice-over introduction during each episode's opening credits stated the starship's purpose: Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship ''Enterprise''. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before. Norway Productions and Desilu Productions produced the series from September 1966 to December 1967. Param ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to live by logic and reason with as little interference from emotion as possible. Known for their pronounced eyebrows and pointed ears, they originate from the fictional planet Vulcan. In the ''Star Trek'' universe, they were the first extraterrestrial species to make contact with humans. The most notable portrayal of a Vulcan is by actor Leonard Nimoy, who first played the character Mr. Spock (picture shown at right) in '' Star Trek: The Original Series'' (1966–1969). "Pointy ears", the " Vulcan salute" (hand gesture) and the "Vulcan nerve pinch" are aspects of this fictional race that have entered popular culture. Development The Vulcan, Spock, first appeared in the original 1965 ''Star Trek'' pilot, " The Cage", shown to studio execu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sports Illustrated
''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellence twice. It is also known for its annual swimsuit issue, which has been published since 1964, and has spawned other complementary media works and products. Owned until 2018 by Time Inc., it was sold to Authentic Brands Group (ABG) following the sale of Time Inc. to Meredith Corporation. The Arena Group (formerly theMaven, Inc.) was subsequently awarded a 10-year license to operate the ''Sports Illustrated''-branded editorial operations, while ABG licenses the brand for other non-editorial ventures and products. History Establishment There were two magazines named ''Sports Illustrated'' before the current magazine was launched on August 9, 1954. In 1936, Stuart Scheftel created ''Sports Illustrated'' with a target market of sportsmen. He publis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mork & Mindy
''Mork & Mindy'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from September 14, 1978, to May 27, 1982. A spin-off after a highly successful episode of ''Happy Days'', "My Favorite Orkan", it starred Robin Williams as Mork, an extraterrestrial who comes to Earth from the planet Ork, and Pam Dawber as Mindy McConnell, his human friend, roommate, and eventual love interest. History Premise and initial success Mork first appears in the ''Happy Days'' season five episode " My Favorite Orkan", which aired in February 1978 and is a take on the 1960s sitcom ''My Favorite Martian''. The show wanted to feature a spaceman in order to capitalize on the popularity of the recently released ''Star Wars'' film. Williams' character, Mork, attempts to take Richie Cunningham back to his planet of Ork as a specimen but is foiled by Fonzie. In the initial broadcast, it turned out to be a dream of Richie's. But when Mork proved popular, the syndicated version was re-edited to show Mork era ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spock
Spock is a Character (arts), fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. He first appeared in the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' series serving aboard the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), USS ''Enterprise'' as science officer and first officer (and Kirk's Second-in-command) and later as commanding officer of two iterations of the vessel. Spock's mixed human-Vulcan (Star Trek), Vulcan heritage serves as an important plot element in many of the character's appearances. Along with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Dr. Leonard McCoy, Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), he is one of the three Central character, central characters in the original ''Star Trek'' series and List of Star Trek films, its films. After retiring from active duty in Starfleet, Spock served as a United Federation of Planets, Federation ambassador, and later became involved in the ill-fated attempt to save Romulus (Star Trek), Romulus from a supernova, leadin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Oswalt
Roy Edward Oswalt (; born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Oswalt played for the majority of his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the Houston Astros. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Colorado Rockies. Oswalt was selected by the Astros in the 1996 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut with Houston, in 2001, finishing his rookie season with a win–loss record of 14–3. Oswalt was a back-to-back 20-game winner in 2004 and 2005. He helped lead the Astros to their first World Series appearance in 2005, and was named Most Valuable Player of the 2005 National League Championship Series (NLCS). When Oswalt left the Astros in 2010, both his wins (143) and strikeouts totals (1,593) ranked second in franchise history to Joe Niekro (144) and Nolan Ryan (1,866), respectively. Oswalt was a three-time All-Star, selected from 2005 to 2007. Early life Oswalt was born and raised in Weir, Mississippi, the son of Billy Joe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Éric Gagné
Éric Serge Gagné (; born January 7, 1976) is a Canadian former professional baseball pitcher who played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), most notably for the Los Angeles Dodgers. After signing with the Dodgers as a free agent in 1995, Gagné began his career as a starting pitcher. After he struggled in that role, the Dodgers converted Gagné from a starter to a reliever, where for three years (2002–2004) he was statistically the most outstanding closer in the game, winning the Cy Young Award in 2003. During that period, he set a major league record by converting 84 consecutive save opportunities. The phrase "Game Over" was heavily used by the Dodgers and the media in connection with his appearances to finish close games. Gagné played sparingly in 2005 and 2006 due to injury, undergoing elbow surgery in 2005 and back surgery in 2006. The Dodgers did not re-sign him after 2006, and Gagné started the 2007 season with the Texas Rangers, where he briefly enjoyed suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Randy Tomlin
Randy Leon Tomlin (born June 14, 1966) is a former left-handed starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates (1990-94). He stands 5'11" and weighs 170 pounds. In five seasons, he had a 3.43 earned run average (ERA). Tomlin grew up around Lynchburg, Virginia, and attended Liberty University. Selected by the Pirates in the 18th round of the 1988 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft, he reached the major leagues in 1990. In 1991, he finished eighth in the National League (NL) in ERA (2.98) and held the Atlanta Braves to two runs over six innings in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, earning a no decision in a 3–2 victory. The next year, he was tied for the NL lead in wins through June 22 and finished the year with the 10th-best winning percentage in the NL. Injuries limited him to 18 starts in 1993, and he had elbow surgery after the season. He only appeared in 10 games for Pittsburgh in 1994 and did not pitch at all in 1995. After two seasons in minor/independent league basebal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Changeup
A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball and fastpitch softball. The changeup is a staple off-speed pitch often used in a pitcher's arsenal, usually thrown to look like a fastball but arriving much more slowly to the plate. Its reduced speed coupled with its deceptive delivery is meant to confuse the batter's timing. It is meant to be thrown the same as a fastball, but farther back in the hand, which makes it release from the hand slower while still retaining the look of a fastball. A changeup is generally thrown to be 8–15 miles per hour slower than a fastball. If thrown correctly, the changeup will confuse the batter because the human eye cannot discern that the ball is coming significantly slower until it is around 30 feet from the plate. For example, a batter swings at the oncoming ball as if it were a 90 mph fastball, but instead the ball is coming in at 75 mph—this means they will be swinging too early to hit the ball well (also known as being "way out in f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Gant
John Michael Gant (born August 6, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, and Minnesota Twins. Early life Gant was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia, before moving to Wesley Chapel, Florida at the age of 11. He grew up an Atlanta Braves fan. Gant attended Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel. As a senior, he was 6–0 with a 1.90 ERA with two no-hitters and 107 strikeouts. He committed to play college baseball at Long Island University. Professional career New York Mets Gant was drafted by the New York Mets in the 21st round of the 2011 Major League Baseball draft out of Wiregrass Ranch High School. He signed with the Mets for $185,000, forgoing his commitment to Long Island, and made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Mets, with whom he was 0–1 with a 6.48 ERA. Gant spent 2012 wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
