Pitching: It's more than just velocity

As the world looked on in horror,  MLB pitching scouts looked for potential...

MLB pitching scouts have taken a interest in the shoe hurling Journalist, Muntadhar al-Zeidi as a big league pitcher. Using a computer simulation program that superimposes a baseball on any hurled object, several scouts have determined Muntadhar's shoe speed and rotation would translate into triple-digit  baseball velocities.

In Iraq, baseball has not become the national past-time it is in the United States, "mostly because Iraqi's have only experience with the wrong end of a bat", said Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, Saddam Hussein's former-interior minister.

Zeidi has a wonderful high release, and notice just how well his lower body faces the batter or in this case the President of the United States. It appears if the dirty, smelly sandal had been in fact a baseball, he's would actually be throwing a split finger fast ball.

"His pitching shows a ton of potential when viewed through the proprietary "PITCH-SIM" program.  There's end over end rotation but he is able to have the shoe or ball break away from the President's head," said a MLB scout wishing to remain anonymous.    "...If Kennedy had the "duck move" Bush exhibits avoiding the bean ball, JFK might have a larger presidential library today", said Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the post "game" wrap up.

What scouts look for, Muntadhar al-Zeidi has....

Regardless of how alluring it is to light up the radar gun, good scouts look for much more than velocity from pitchers. As a starting point, scouts start by looking at a pitcher's strength, stamina, agility and aggressiveness, and then look at things like arm action and delivery. Sure it's nice to throw hard, but scouts are also looking for movement and deception.  Muntadhar al-Zeidi  has it all in spades.

""You're looking for a guy to be strong down the road and be able to eat innings," says one Major League scout. "You want a reliant arm that is going to last. A guy with a big, durable body and a strong lower half."

"There aren't many true No. 1 Major League starters out there -- powerful guys with focus and presence -- but Zeidi is what we're all looking for," says the scout.

Drafting the Phnom maybe problematic as he could be charged with attempted murder and face up to 15 years in jail for admitting to an investigating judge that he tried to attack Bush, a spokesman for Iraq's High Judicial Council said. 

Perhaps injury prone? Relatives claimed the 28-year-old journalist, who has a deep hatred of the United States, was hospitalized with a broken arm, broken ribs and internal bleeding.

 The real ultimate insult to BUSH however: ww

 

 

 

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