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Blue Dot 09: The Science And Technology Of Baseball

Nathan Stauffer
Alan Nathan is a professor emeritus and an expert on the physics of baseball.

This week on Blue Dot, we celebrate the upcoming Major League Baseball season by speaking with a few true experts on the science of the game. First, Alan Nathan tells us about the physics of baseball — like why do certain pitches break, what happens when the bat hits the ball, and why hits down the foul line always arc toward foul territory. Then it's Lee Jones, the longtime KNBR engineer who brings us San Francisco Giants baseball on the radio. He'll tell us about what goes into creating that audio image, as well as which Giants rival has the best stadium with regard to capturing sound.

Dave Schlom is the longtime host and creator of Blue Dot. From surfing to Voyager in interstellar space, rock guitar to orcas in our imperiled oceans, the topics on Blue Dot are as varied as the host’s interests and connections -- which are pretty limitless! An internationally respected space history journalist, Dave is also deeply fascinated by all aspects of the grand workings of nature’s awesome machinery on scales ranging from galactic to subatomic. And topics take in all aspects of the arts and sciences.