Slide, Slide, Slippity Slide

   Parents have a responsibility to their children. Part of this includes knowing the answers to the millions of questions that children ask. As a teacher, I am often asked why we have to study a particular topic. An easy answer is "You'll have children someday....they'll have to know this stuff, too....therefore, they'll ask you...so learn this, so that your kids won't think you are a moron in 20 years."

   My daughter is nearing T-Ball age, and with any new sport will come questions about its' rules, conduct, and so forth. As my readers know, I have a fairly good grasp of sporting info. Still, there is stuff that I don't know. I don't know why football teams don't punt for field goals more often, like Burt Reynolds did in that prison movie. I have difficulty explaining Quarterback ratings. I also don't know the answer to the Slide Quandry. I aim to figure that out today.

   What I am referring to is baseball sliding. Why is this important? It isn't. Go see Farhenheit 911 (the temperature at which bush catches fire) if you want to change the world. I'm just here to talk baseball skill.

   Many times as a child, I saw Mike Greenwell run to first base, trying to beat out a weak grounder. As he neared the base, he would launch himself into a head-first dive. My father would scream "No NO NO!!" as he did it. I gradually became aware that sliding into first base is viewed as a Faux Pas, and that it is considered faster to run through the base.

   One has the option of running through first base. On all the other bases, one has to stop on the bag. Does the option of running through first base make sliding to first base bad strategy? That is what we are here to discuss.

   Sprinters are not known for diving through the finish line, and actually try to stay as vertical as possible. They don't have to touch a base, though. Sliding takes from the speed of running, and is probably most effective when avoiding a tag.

   Still, can sliding get you to touch that base faster than running? Every coach, TV analyst, and player that I have ever heard speak on the subject insists that sliding to first base slows you down. Yet, players slide into every base except first. A vertical target means more of the runner is in the tag area, as opposed to the upper torso/leg/extended arm that is there when sliding.

   I did find 2 interesting notes when searching for info on this matter. First....ESPN did a study. They chose a group of ballers who were known for first base slides. They timed them on how long it took for them to get to first base with a slide, and compared it to how long it took them to sprint through. Generally, the slide saved a quarter second or so- a lifetime in a game of inches.

   The second interesting tidbit was an observation from a non-player. He pointed out that the runners sometimes realize that their stride is such that it won't put the foot on the bag. They are either forced to shorten their stride- which costs speed- or risk injuring themselves with a sudden giant step at the bag. In that instance, one might benefit from throwing the whole body at the base.

   A baseball player has spent a lifetime hitting the ball, and running to bases. They have seen hundreds- thousands- of throws to first base. They probably have a pretty good idea if they will be put out from the moment the infielder scoops up the ball. Any thought put towards the slide quandry simply takes away from the ability of that athlete to act instinctively. There's a reason so many athletes are dumb, you know....they're dumb all the way to the bank.

   This leads into the sub-argument. Is it better to slide head-first or with your legs extended? As in the "slide or not to slide" question, there are matters of physics involved...resistance, momentum, kinetic energy and so forth. I got through college science by cheating off my Asian lab partner, so I won't begin to wrestle with that part of the question. I can tell you what I've read, though.

   For starters, the American Journal of Sports Medicine(http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0918/is_3_28/ai_63034923 ), in a shocking waste of taxpayer dollars, developed the position that head-first slides are far more dangerous than coming in with the spikes up. One is exposed to more potential injury, especially in the head/neck/arm areas. The actual injury rate is higher for feet first slides (7.3 out of 1000 slides, as compared to 3.53 for head-first), but the degree of potential injury for a head first slide is far greater. The majority of injuries for HF slides is  broken-finger themed, while leg-leaders tend to sprain a lot of ankles. Softball has a higher rate of injury, btw.

   Quick notes, not backed up by research:

- one is less likely to have their face slapped with a glove on national TV if they lead with their feet.

- a shortstop will leap after tagging second on a double play throw, to avoid being taken out by the runner. He is less likely to land on one's Big Unit if the baserunner is sliding tummy-down.

- one can slide into first on an errant throw that takes the first baseman off the bag, forcing him to apply a tag. This is another good way to get spikes to the face.

- Ty Cobb used to use intimidation to further his cause. Ty made a point of sharpening his spikes as he sat on the bench, in full view of the opposing infielders. He was known to have injured a few men with his slides. Pete Rose nearly killed a catcher with a head first shoulder tackle/slide in the 1970 All Star Game.

- Little League rules prohibit head-first sliding, except in cases of rundowns or pickoff attempts.

- The Houston Astros have a minor league policy that any player who slides head-first will be removed from the game at once.

   Swing for the fences, kids....less thought involved.