Archive for category notes

Rob Dibble’s Comments on Stephen Strasburg

Posted by Kyle in notes on August 24, 2010

In a Montreal Gazette article about Washington Nationals’ starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, Rob Dibble reportedly said this:

“OK, you throw a pitch, it bothers your arm, and you immediately call out the manager and the trainer?” asked Dibble, a former big-league reliever

“Suck it up, kid. This is your profession. You chose to be a baseball player. You can’t have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder, sore elbow.”

(emphasis mine)

Rob’s comments are completely absurd and unprofessional. We should absolutely not encourage youth pitchers to go out there and throw despite pain or abnormal feelings in any part of the body – especially the pitching arm!

Oh, and for the record:

Dibble required surgery to his pitching arm in 1994, and missed the entire season as a result. Dibble signed with the Milwaukee Brewers and also played with the Chicago White Sox. He signed with the Chicago Cubs at the end of the 1995 season, but didn’t appear in a game. He signed with the Florida Marlins for the 1996 season, but missed the entire year due to injury, and retired soon after.

Retired because your arm was surgically repaired, Rob? Suck it up, kid. This is your profession.

Anyway, I’ll talk more about Strasburg’s injury when more concrete details are released about his MRI. To comment now would be premature, as not all the information has been released. I’ll say this, though: It’s very bad news.

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My Recent Reading List

Posted by Kyle in notes on February 1, 2010

Over the past four years I’ve probably spent hundreds of hours reading research papers (full ones, not just abstracts), medical journals, and derivative materials to gain a better understanding of biomechanics, applied anatomy, and kinesiology as it relates to baseball and exercise science in general.

I’m currently doing a lot of research on how to convert 3d biomechanical models of pitchers (which we will be able to construct soon using software and four high-speed cameras that are being ordered for delivery in March) into usable data that includes things like joint loads and torques. This is a rather difficult task given the estimates that go into the methods, but what’s even more difficult to figure out are the methods themselves! Stuff like this isn’t exactly published for the layman and is typically only read by other professionals in academia, not coaches like myself.

Regardless, I continue on, seeking help on the ASMI message boards and asking multiple people in the industry and academia who are very gracious with their time.

Right now I’m focused on the following two papers and their derivative works (both are freely available):

Some of the research papers that I’ve loved in the past and continue to read over and over again are:

  • Humeral Torque in Professional Baseball Pitchers (Sabick et. al.)
  • Kinetic Comparison Among the Fastball, Curveball, Change-up, and Slider in Collegiate Baseball Pitchers (Fleisig et. al.)
  • Biomechanics of the Shoulder in Youth Baseball Pitchers (Sabick et. al.)
  • Correlation of Range of Motion and Glenohumeral Translation in Professional Baseball Pitchers (Borsa et. al.)

And one of the best papers that shapes the most of my training:

There are many others that I enjoy, but those are my favorite. Give them a shot if you’re got some time and inclination to read source material. A warning, though – it gets addicting to those with inquisitive minds!

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