What is a Baseball?

Video Transcript

"BEN GRAHAM: All right now, we're going to talk about the basic component of the game of baseball. The one thing you, absolutely, have to have to play. All these other things are optional. The ball is all important. This is your standard Major League Baseball rated ball. It's made out of leather with a cork center. It's nine inches in diameter, weighs five ounces. You also have these threads right here. Now, these are very important to the game of baseball, especially for pitchers, because pitchers are going to use these to get a good grip on the ball. This is how you throw your various types of pitches. For example, if I wanted to throw a fastball, I might lay three fingers across the top of the ball in this little horseshoe area right here. If I wanted to throw a split finger fastball, I would take one finger on either side of these two threads, get a good grip, folding my thumb underneath of it, and then, you'd have a nice wrist action falling, which sends the ball into a tumbling motion. The split finger pitch will come and fall off at the end. If you want to throw a curve ball, you use the threads, again, planting your two fingers across this thread, and also, with a whip action of your hand. Various pitches, change ups also depend on how you hold the ball. The thread is probably the most important component of the ball. Well this right here, this is the simplest and the most basic thing, and only the essential thing you have to have to play the game of baseball, the ball."