Baseball statistics have evolved from relatively simple measures (hits, runs, RBIs, earned run average) to increasingly complex and sometimes arcane metrics (scorability, runs created, seasonal notation) in recent years.  They are used by players and teams in negotiating contracts and in arbitration, by writers and sportscasters, and by fans in such pursuits as fantasy baseball. 

Mechanical engineering and physics have been applied to explain the aerodynamics of baseballs and the interaction of pitchers and batters.  And sports medicine has contributed to understanding of the capabilities and limitations of the human body in baseball and to the avoidance and treatment of injuries. 

Two things make it appropriate to bring back this two year old tidbit this week:  First, Barry Bonds just broke Mark McGwire's record for the most home runs in a season with a total of 73.  He did this like McGwire and Sosa before him broke the old record, by applying modern technology (training, performance analysis, and equipment) to improving his performance. (Sosa, by the way, ended this season with 64 and was hardly noticed outside Chicago.)  And second, the major league baseball playoffs start this week.  The original version of this, posted in October 1999, is number two on the list of top ten most popular Tech Tidbits.  The links in this version have been updated, dead links deleted, and several new links added.

Links:
= highly recommended

"The Science of Baseball" at the Exploratorium in San Francisco.  Uses baseball to teach science. Features include Shockwave games, experiments, articles on Japanese baseball, baseball biology, and more.

Adam Kleinbaum's article on "The Physics of Baseball" in the Harvard Science Review.  Devoted mainly to pitching, but also discusses the aerodynamics of fly balls. (Follow link to Winter 1997 issue.)

SABR:  The Society for American Baseball Research.  Home of the most serious (some might say obsessed) aficionados of baseball statistics.

Syllabus for Prof. Kenneth Ross's course on the "Statistics and Mathematics of Baseball," to be offered at the U. of Oregon in Spring 2000.

Explanation of the physics behind the "sweet spot" on a bat, by Rod Cross at the U. of Sydney, Australia

Think Quest's "Baseball:  The Game and Beyond."  Includes sections of varying complexity on calculating how far a batted ball will travel, the physiology of a swing, why a curve ball curves, etc.

Alan Nathan, professor of physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, has an excellent site devoted to the physics of baseball, an area of research in which he made some important contributions.

"NIST Proves It:  The Ball Does Curve," and other research on baseball from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, a unit of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

"Technology and Baseball" -- Joe Lavin's Humor Column, May 18, 2001.  Not all that humorous, but interesting observations on video analysis, electronic scouting, and a handheld computer called "Sportmaster Pro."

"Technology a 'Hit' in Baseball," by James Foglio, The Institute (published by IEEE), July 2001.  How Major League Baseball is using digital technology, including the "Umpire Information System," reportedly based on U.S. missile tracking technology.

"Technology Hits a Home Run at Giants' Pac Bell Park," by Stephanie Sanborn, InfoWorld, May 12, 2001.  Barry Bonds hit more.  Here are some sites devoted to him:

Louisville Slugger.  A very commercial site with demos showing the advantages of the company's latest products, such as the TPX Air³ with 3 air chambers that "triples the incremental pressure at impact" to improve performance.  See also, Wilson Sporting Goods' "Game Improvement Technologies."

Baseball at MIT.  Everything you always wanted to know about baseball at the Institute.  Includes a stats calculation page.  Just plug in your statistics and it cranks out your averages.

Baseball in science fiction.  A bibliography with links to a few reviews and a bunch of Amazon "buy" buttons.

John Skilton's Baseball Links.com claims nearly 6,000 links to everything about baseball.  There are many on statistics, but there's no "science" category and searches on "science," "physics," and "technology" turned up little of interest.