Whether it's a slide step or a high leg kick home, what moves first....the front leg.  Exaclty the motion used to deliver the ball which is an abbreviated leg kick quickening the delivery home.  Hand speed should be the same on all pitches.  A pitcher doesn't speed up his arm speed during a slide step, he seperates a split second sooner enabling his arm to catch up with or be on time with his quicker lower half.  i agree that hey may not be that effective although I am curious to see a good one. if a kid has good arm action and hand speed he would not have to resort to a knuckleball. 
I wasn't suggesting he throws a knuckleball to first but you can lob the ball over to first and keep runners honest with quick feet and varying the amount of time you hold the ball before going home.  I think it would be a team by team basis as far as a knuckleballer's effectiveness goes.  Some better contact gap-gap teams would probably have better success and patience than a free-swinging club.  More oftentimes than not, I would agree with the lack of effectiveness but you never know.   

infielddad,
I'm not saying it can be effective in college.  I am curious to know why you think knuckleballers can't slide step.  I meant varying the delivery home as in the length of time between the moment he comes set and moment he starts his motion home (slides step).  Yes the front foot does come up off the ground as it would with any other pitcher, the difference between pitchers you can run on and pitchers you can't is the amount of time from that point to the moment the catcher receives that ball.  Don't you think coaches would want guys with less velocity (takes longer for the ball to travel to the catcher once it has been delivered) to quicken their delivery home?  Does a knuckleballer fall into this catergory or is he just an someone all to his own and he has to be slow home with absolutley no pick-off me to keep the runners honest?   The idea is to limit stolen bases by controling the parts of the game that you have control over i.e. quickness to the plate, varying looks, multiple pick moves, and quick feet.  yes passed balls and wild pitches are going to happen. 

the type of pitcher (knuckleballer, powerguy, etc.) doesn't dictate the type of lead or jump you can get.  Sure the ball takes longer to reach homeplate but he who's to say a 80-82 guy doesn't have quicker feet and release on his move to first or quicker delivery home then a guy who throws 90.  Oftentimes power pitchers have high leg kicks slowing their delivery home.  Holding runners is all about varying your time home, not getting into a consistent pattern that other teams can pickup, thus getting great/early jumps.  It has little to do with the type of pitcher as opposed to who is on the mound meaning:  time of delivery home, type of move, quickness of feet, overall mound presence, varying patterns.   Knuckleballer is easier to steal off of cause of flight of ball and the ability (or lack there of) of the catcher to handle the pitch on a consistent basis. 

My buddy who plays for a NWC team told me about Linfield College having a knuckleballer. 

DT48 and R & P -

Sign me up, I couldn't agree more.   Go Johnnies!

DT48 - i understand where you are coming from, i think we all do.  All cat fans are frustrated with the loss.  You're right, people should stop saying he runs like DRuss cause those kind of comparisions are unfair for any kid and don't give DRuss his deserving credit for the amazing back he was.  Do you think that the other backs we have are better than the starter?  Last time I checked we haven't a back since Jenkins/Tford.  I think the staff has done it's best with the hand they were left with.  Just curious who the "vet back linfield had on the bench" was?

Snapper45,
I agree with the white on white.  Been a while.  You coming to the game on saturday?

DT48,
I could not agree with you more, well said.


Looks like there will be a leak in the catdome as the weather forecast is calling for a high of 57 and 70% chance of rain on gameday.  

new region rankings are posted on the Daily Dose

pineconefan -

likewise 

Not concerned about karma, just the W on Sat.  D will get after it and fly to the ball.


pineconefan
"Salty D?  .......Linfield allowed 21??? to PLU? ?"

Score was 44-7 with 6 minutes left in the game, sounds pretty good to me.   Backups gave up one score late and back-up qb threw pick to the house even later in the game.  Don't let the final score fool ya.  Also tell your fellow posters......Maybe just maybe the salty D had something to do those picks in last year's LINFIELD-whitworth game. 

new to the board but not to the website or nwc football.  just wanted to say hi.