Q: If Brandon Phillips hit a line-drive home run into the left-field corner and Joey Votto sliced a home run to the left-field corner to the same fan in the same seat, which ball travels farther? — Bill, New Columbus, Ky.
A: My physics professor at Kent State will tell you that I shouldn’t answer this question, but here goes. Since the balls landed in the same spot, they traveled the same 335 feet. But since Phillips’ ball was a straight line drive and Votto’s was a slice, Votto’s ball traveled farther in the air to get to its location. Now I await refutation from physics experts.
Q: Is Jeff Brantley the most annoying broadcaster ever because he can’t possibly know everything that he professes to know? If he says “right down Broadway” one more time I’m going to vomit in the street. — Jeff, Springboro
A: Get behind a mike and try to do that job. It ain’t easy. Actually, I really like Brantley. As a former pitcher, and a dang good one, he knows a lot and has a lot to share and isn’t afraid to share it. As for his Broadway expression, it’s a term pitchers used for years to say a pitch is right down the middle of the plate. Maybe he can change it to: “Right down Pete Rose Way and you can bet on it.”
About the Author