(Humor) Some consolation for baseball fans...

[Dr. Harry]

A-Rod may not be juiced. But the ball is.

That's an interesting idea. Perhaps it could be tested by looking at the general rate of home run production. What's happening with that?

That would be an interesting alternative to:

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/mlb_credits_hank_aaron_with_50

Instead, we could have "All pitchers must throw between 85 - 87 mph" until the record* falls.

 

[Lewis526]

That's an interesting idea. Perhaps it could be tested by looking at the general rate of home run production. What's happening with that?

Here's one interesting article:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4845

My question about whether the balls themselves are juiced, though, would be best answered by testing the balls themselves in a controlled environment, sort of how golf balls are tested. The problem is, where are you going to find hundreds of 15-year-old mint condition MLB baseballs to be the "control" group?

 

[Dr. Harry]

Here's one interesting article:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=4845

My question about whether the balls themselves are juiced, though, would be best answered by testing the balls themselves in a controlled environment, sort of how golf balls are tested. The problem is, where are you going to find hundreds of 15-year-old mint condition MLB baseballs to be the "control" group?

True enough. It might also be hard to track any effect with all of the other variables involved: height of the mound, physical developement techiques for pithers and/or hitters, trends in the sizes of ballparks ...