Posted in Alan Shelby's Rice Update today are links to a heartwarming article and video about former Rice curve-baller extraordinaire Eddie Degerman, who earned his M.D. degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine on May 27.
I remember Eddie's excellent 12-6 curveball. I remember talking to him after a game in which he struck out many batters who were swinging at it even though the pitch was hitting the dirt (and fortunately our catcher was doing a great job of picking the ball out of the dirt). He said, as long as they keep swinging at it, I'm going to keep throwing it in the dirt.
(06-08-2017 09:28 PM)Barney Wrote: Great story indeed, and what a lovely wife and daughter. Congratulations!
He was great fun to watch as a pitcher -- that huge curveball.
The first in a long line of spiked curveball pitchers @ Rice.
(06-08-2017 09:28 PM)Barney Wrote: Great story indeed, and what a lovely wife and daughter. Congratulations!
He was great fun to watch as a pitcher -- that huge curveball.
The first in a long line of spiked curveball pitchers @ Rice.
Pretty sure the spike curveball was around before Degerman (I feel like Jesse Kurtz-Nichol or Jeff Nicholls threw one). And are you sure Degerman threw one? His seemed more Zito-esque.
Regardless, he was a ton of fun to watch and it is great hearing about former Rice athletes who go on to achieve academic and professional success!
(06-08-2017 09:28 PM)Barney Wrote: Great story indeed, and what a lovely wife and daughter. Congratulations!
He was great fun to watch as a pitcher -- that huge curveball.
The first in a long line of spiked curveball pitchers @ Rice.
Pretty sure the spike curveball was around before Degerman (I feel like Jesse Kurtz-Nichol or Jeff Nicholls threw one). And are you sure Degerman threw one? His seemed more Zito-esque.
Regardless, he was a ton of fun to watch and it is great hearing about former Rice athletes who go on to achieve academic and professional success!
Eddie's was definitely the 12-6 spiked curve. On a side note, he was arguably the second best college pitcher in 2006, after Brad Lincoln. Did Nicholls throw one? Humber's was close, but more like 10-4 than than the 12-6 hammer. Of our more recent pitchers-- mostly closers (Duffy, Benak, Reckling, Lammond, Ditman, Otto)-- they all threw the spiked curveball...and both Canterino and Myers developed spiked curveballs this year. Cingrani, Chargois, Ber-ry, Kubitza and Duplantier all threw the slider as their primary breaking pitch I believe.
(This post was last modified: 06-08-2017 11:20 PM by waltgreenberg.)
(06-08-2017 09:39 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote: The first in a long line of spiked curveball pitchers @ Rice.
Pretty sure the spike curveball was around before Degerman (I feel like Jesse Kurtz-Nichol or Jeff Nicholls threw one). And are you sure Degerman threw one? His seemed more Zito-esque.
Regardless, he was a ton of fun to watch and it is great hearing about former Rice athletes who go on to achieve academic and professional success!
Eddie's was definitely the 12-6 spiked curve. On a side note, he was arguably the second best college pitcher in 2006, after Brad Lincoln. Did Nicholls throw one? Humber's was close, but more like 10-4 than than the 12-6 hammer. Of our more recent pitchers-- mostly closers (Duffy, Benak, Reckling, Lammond, Ditman, Otto)-- they all threw the spiked curveball...and both Canterino and Myers developed spiked curveballs this year. Cingrani, Chargois, Ber-ry, Kubitza and Duplantier all threw the slider as their primary breaking pitch I believe.
The break on the pitch doesn't matter, what defines a spike curve is the grip. So a pitcher can throw a spike curve (aka knuckle curve) with 12-6 break or 10-4 break. Heck, you can throw it sidearm and turn it into a slider. I didn't pitch at Rice and I was a crappy pitcher in high school, but the only curve I threw was a spike curve! Learned it from my best friend in high school who called it a drop ball.
(06-08-2017 09:39 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote: The first in a long line of spiked curveball pitchers @ Rice.
Pretty sure the spike curveball was around before Degerman (I feel like Jesse Kurtz-Nichol or Jeff Nicholls threw one). And are you sure Degerman threw one? His seemed more Zito-esque.
Regardless, he was a ton of fun to watch and it is great hearing about former Rice athletes who go on to achieve academic and professional success!
Eddie's was definitely the 12-6 spiked curve. On a side note, he was arguably the second best college pitcher in 2006, after Brad Lincoln. Did Nicholls throw one? Humber's was close, but more like 10-4 than than the 12-6 hammer. Of our more recent pitchers-- mostly closers (Duffy, Benak, Reckling, Lammond, Ditman, Otto)-- they all threw the spiked curveball...and both Canterino and Myers developed spiked curveballs this year. Cingrani, Chargois, Ber-ry, Kubitza and Duplantier all threw the slider as their primary breaking pitch I believe.
The break on the pitch doesn't matter, what defines a spike curve is the grip. So a pitcher can throw a spike curve (aka knuckle curve) with 12-6 break or 10-4 break. Heck, you can throw it sidearm and turn it into a slider. I didn't pitch at Rice and I was a crappy pitcher in high school, but the only curve I threw was a spike curve! Learned it from my best friend in high school who called it a drop ball.
??? Bigs, we have very different definition of what a spiked curveball is then. Since when is a spiked curveball a knuckle curve?
(06-08-2017 09:39 PM)waltgreenberg Wrote: The first in a long line of spiked curveball pitchers @ Rice.
Pretty sure the spike curveball was around before Degerman (I feel like Jesse Kurtz-Nichol or Jeff Nicholls threw one). And are you sure Degerman threw one? His seemed more Zito-esque.
Regardless, he was a ton of fun to watch and it is great hearing about former Rice athletes who go on to achieve academic and professional success!
Eddie's was definitely the 12-6 spiked curve. On a side note, he was arguably the second best college pitcher in 2006, after Brad Lincoln. Did Nicholls throw one? Humber's was close, but more like 10-4 than than the 12-6 hammer. Of our more recent pitchers-- mostly closers (Duffy, Benak, Reckling, Lammond, Ditman, Otto)-- they all threw the spiked curveball...and both Canterino and Myers developed spiked curveballs this year. Cingrani, Chargois, Ber-ry, Kubitza and Duplantier all threw the slider as their primary breaking pitch I believe.
The break on the pitch doesn't matter, what defines a spike curve is the grip. So a pitcher can throw a spike curve (aka knuckle curve) with 12-6 break or 10-4 break. Heck, you can throw it sidearm and turn it into a slider. I didn't pitch at Rice and I was a crappy pitcher in high school, but the only curve I threw was a spike curve! Learned it from my best friend in high school who called it a drop ball.
??? Bigs, we have very different definition of what a spiked curveball is then. Since when is a spiked curveball a knuckle curve?
(06-08-2017 10:02 PM)mrbig Wrote: Pretty sure the spike curveball was around before Degerman (I feel like Jesse Kurtz-Nichol or Jeff Nicholls threw one). And are you sure Degerman threw one? His seemed more Zito-esque.
Regardless, he was a ton of fun to watch and it is great hearing about former Rice athletes who go on to achieve academic and professional success!
Eddie's was definitely the 12-6 spiked curve. On a side note, he was arguably the second best college pitcher in 2006, after Brad Lincoln. Did Nicholls throw one? Humber's was close, but more like 10-4 than than the 12-6 hammer. Of our more recent pitchers-- mostly closers (Duffy, Benak, Reckling, Lammond, Ditman, Otto)-- they all threw the spiked curveball...and both Canterino and Myers developed spiked curveballs this year. Cingrani, Chargois, Ber-ry, Kubitza and Duplantier all threw the slider as their primary breaking pitch I believe.
The break on the pitch doesn't matter, what defines a spike curve is the grip. So a pitcher can throw a spike curve (aka knuckle curve) with 12-6 break or 10-4 break. Heck, you can throw it sidearm and turn it into a slider. I didn't pitch at Rice and I was a crappy pitcher in high school, but the only curve I threw was a spike curve! Learned it from my best friend in high school who called it a drop ball.
??? Bigs, we have very different definition of what a spiked curveball is then. Since when is a spiked curveball a knuckle curve?