If a physicist was to create an equation to predict the chance that a fair fly-ball would hit the top of the perimeter fence and bounce back into play, then factors that would probably feature in the modelling include layout of the field, trajectory of the ball, velocity on leaving the bat, air pressure, and wind speed and direction. She (yes, not all physicists are men) might want, for extra credits or some other perfectly valid reason, to tailor the formula for British baseball, in which case the existence of fencing in the first place would need to be established, as indeed would the material used.
One final parameter to be thrown into the mix would be the batter’s shirt. If it had “Arrows” across the chest then the probability would immediately sore.
About this time last year I was reporting on the occurrence of just such a freak event in a game between the Essex Arrows and Lakenheath Diamondbacks on the old diamond at Grovehill, Hemel Hempstead. The unlucky player was Essex’s Luke Foley.
A couple of Sundays back, Essex were playing at the same facility, this time on the new diamond. Barry Wiles, just as Luke had done a year earlier, looked to have tacked on a home run to the Arrows’ mounting volley of hits. But the ball dipped unexpectedly and caromed off the field-facing corner of the squared off top of the home-run fence and back into play. Barry ended up at second.
He looked a little peaved, but seemed to be taking it all in good spirits, just as Luke had back in 2011. However, his adventure on the bases was not over yet. He was given the sign to advance on a planned bunt, but the necessary contact was missed, and Ryan Bird was able to flex his fine arm from behind the dish to give Dave House plenty of time to set himself at third. The photo below shows the climax of Barry’s unhappy inning, as he is resigned to the fate that awaits him.
If Barry is anything like Luke, this might take him a little while to forget. During the half-inning in question, I managed to catch Luke’s attention in the dugout and thought I’d remind him what happened a year ago. I didn’t need to. That incident — as well as winning the game at hand, of course , which he and the team did — was on Luke’s mind. In fact, he didn’t even need to hear what I had to say, as he knew we were having the same thought.
2 comments
[…] Moreover, there was a need to smooth out the British baseball karma, and so after my look at “Frustration” from one game on 29 May, here is a consideration of “Patience” from another on […]
Nice piece Joe, I do some physics at uni and still can’t work out how the ball could change direction like that!!!
Barry’s a bit bigger than me so I’ve been ribbing him that there’s no excuse for him not lifting it over the fence!