Vintage MLB footage.

I happened to catch an episode of Keith Obermann's show last week which included the above segment with Jonah Keri.  While the news of MLB considering making adjustments to the strike zone is very significant, let's talk about the recently released 1920s film of some of baseball's all time greats.

Coming from a era where live film is rare, close up footage of Dazzy Vance, Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth and Walter Johnson is something to cherish.  This clip is all the more special for containing shots of three of the original five members of the baseball hall of fame (Cobb, Ruth and Johnson; missing are Christy Matthewson and Honus Wagner).

While Ruth has always been considered somewhat of a demigod in baseball lore, I've always been intrigued by the legend of Johnson.  As can be seen in the film footage, Johnson used a side arm sling shot delivery and is known to be the fastest throwing pitcher of his time by a wide margin.  I've always figured that in a time where most pitchers probably threw in the 70 to 80 mph range, Johnson was able to bring it closer to 90 mph. 

The legend has become more myth now, with stories of Johnson's fastball reaching 100mph.  I guess that's part of the fun of any oral history, over time the story takes on a life of it's own. 

Here's a recount by Ty Cobb on his first time seeing Walter Johnson pitch.

 "On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington. Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us. ... He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty, with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves, and with a sidearm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance. ... One of the Tigers imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon: 'Get the pitchfork ready, Joe—your hayseed's on his way back to the barn.' ... The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn't touch him. ... every one of us knew we'd met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park."