I don’t know anyone who watches MLB’s Off the Bat on MTV, but if major leaguers faced a pitching machine that fired 186 mph fastballs at them, that could be a reason to tune in.
For now, the market of launching baseball missiles at batters is left to Japanese game shows. And the show found a good sport in former ballplayer Takeshi Yamasaki, who played 25 professional seasons in Japan and hit 403 career home runs. Yamasaki was willing to stand in against the machine at least twice, despite being completely overwhelmed by the smoke being thrown at him.
http://youtu.be/3xgvYswhjog
I’m guessing you wouldn’t find any former major leaguers willing to stand at the plate and trying to hit a baseball launched like a bazooka rocket. What would actually happen if the bat made contact? (Besides completely shatter and perhaps impale the batter, that is.) And he’d better hope that machine is damn accurate as to where the baseball is being aimed.
Actually, Jose Canseco would try this, wouldn’t he? Maybe MLB Network or MTV should try to make this happen.
