The best, to the best

Nolan Ryan was a great pitcher.   Tony Kornheiser is a great writer.  And so when Tony Kornheiser profiles Nolan Ryan, even 31 years ago for Inside Sports, you figured they would avoid cliches like the plauge.  And yet...and yet...

This is what is now important to Nolan Ryan as far as baseball is concerned — that he is a pitcher, not a thrower.

Thanks, Zach

Sometimes a writer's job is not just to tell you what happened, but explain what happened.  Or, in this case of Zachary Levine writing about Astros pitcher Brett Myers for the Houston Chronicle's blog. explain what was said:

“I just think I pitched a little bit more, used my head a little bit better,” Myers said, using “pitched” as a contrast to simply throwing.

Thank you, Zach. Without your help, I would have been confused something awful.  Why would throwing more pitches, which I would have thought he meant by "pitched a little bit more," help someone?  I thought they wanted to be efficient, to pitch less.  I am still confused, however, as to how he did it with his head.  Did he throw it with his head?  Or just use his head for other things, like stopping the ball after it was hit?  Help me, Zach!

Minor Miracle

Some players are blessed with the pure athletic ability that allows them to get to the Majors on Stuff, and then their eyes are opened.  Some, like St. Lucie Mets (A) pitcher Scott Moviel need to see the light a little lower down the ladder, as he told TCPalm.com reporter Laurel Pfahler:

I'm pitching now, not just throwing, and it's starting to come along well for me.

With an attitude like that, we'll see Moviel in Sheati Park soon enough!  Of course, the way the Mets are pitching, we might see me pitching for them soon.

What's better than saying it? SAYING IT!

Mavo, a commenter on the San Jose Mercury News Giants blog "Extra Baggs" (from either Carl Steward, according to the "posted by, or Andrew Baggarly, of the blog title) wants you to know that Tim Lincecum pitched a good game today.  He also wants you to know he did not "throw" a good game today.  But how to get that across to the average reader, who might miss the subtlety of "pitching, not throwing"?  The answer, of course, CAPS, the currency of the commenter:

What a dominating PITCHING performance from Timmy today! And I mean PITCHING … not just throwing!!

And he remembered the cardinal rule of commenting: when in doubt, use exclamation points!  POINTS, not POINT!!

Cole in your Stocking

How do you know you've made it?  Is it when you make the All-Star game?  Win the World Series?  Heck, win the World Series MVP?  Nope.  It's when you make it to the Hall of Fame...the CLICHE Hall of Fame.  Welcome, Mr. Cole Hamels, thanks to your pitching coach, Rich Dubee, and/or Matt Gelb, Philadelphia Enquirer Phillies beat man:

The 24-year-old kid who won a World Series MVP by throwing a fastball and change-up has become, in Dubee's estimation, a pitcher - not a thrower. 

Whether Dubee used those words or not, one way or another, you, Cole Hamels, have made The Big Time.

Over the Hurdle

When you're managing the worst team in baseball over the last decade+, why not break out the worst cliche in baseball?  Pirates manager Clint Hurdle on James McDonald:

He needs to pitch. I don't think he's been pitching. There's been more throwing going on.

Double bonus for Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Colin Dunlap throwing (not pitching) it into his headline:

Pirates Notebook: McDonald must pitch, not throw, says Hurdle

Going South

As old school as Rays Manager Joe Maddon's glasses are, so are his cliches, this time to the St. Pete's Times about Wade Davis:

So as of right now, I'm liking what he's doing. I like the feel. He's using all of his pitches. He's pitching. He's not just out there throwing.

Yahoo and the Yanks

Yahoo's Joba Chamberlain fantasy advice (through Rotowire) features our favorite chestnut:

Recommendation: Unlike fellow Yankee Phil Hughes, however, there's no real reason to be concerned about Chamberlain's velocity, as he's reached 96 mph multiple times this season. He believes he's become more of a "pitcher" and less of the throw-as-hard-as-possible "thrower" he was when he was first called up. He has pitched very well at times this year, and although he's also had three shaky outings, he remains the Yankees' first choice in the seventh inning.

Was WFNY listening?

Following up on the PD's lead, Tribe blog Wait For Next Year threw this out on their 4.17.11 post:

 What separates Tomlin from others though is his ability to “pitch”, not simply throw as some pitchers do.

(Nod, again, to Nikhil Rao on the notification)

Leading Off: The Plain Dealer

Cleveland Plain Dealer headline from 4.4.11:

Pitching, not throwing, at the heart of Cleveland Indians starter Josh Tomlin's formula for success

(Thanks to Nikhil Rao for the heads up)