Article 4 - Visual Memory, Air Pressure Is Powerful--Air Density Is the Result

This is the fourth in a series of articles on the Visual Memory Index©.
To read the entire series to-date, click here.

So, how powerful is barometric pressure? What are we really talking about here? Looking at the Neeley Scale, how do we know these pitches do what the scale says?

Several years ago, a research engineer heard about the Neeley Scale and its application to objects flying through the air in sports. He asked if he could have stock in our company if he could convert a mortar launch computer program to duplicate the flight of a baseball. I flew to Houston, Texas, and worked with him at Paulin Research where we looked at Dr. Adair’s book and university studies in baseball flight, as well as known concepts in engineering, physics and aeronautics. Aided by an aeronautical engineer, Mr. Paulin provided me with a program that shows the effects of air density on the flight of the curveball and the four-seam fastball. Using this program, I can easily measure to 1/16 of an inch, the actual lift and curvature of these pitches based on any air density in baseball between Denver, Colorado, and sea level venues. All the other pitches will vary in accordance and percentage with these two pitches, even if, in certain cases such as the knuckleball, the action is different.

Neeley Scale - Maximum Lift and Tail Off from a straight line at ¾ arm slot on 95 mph four-seam fastball

Air Density	Heavyweights	Welterweights	Lightweights	Featherweights	Bantamweights
Neeley Scale	70’s	60’s	50’s	40’s	30’s
Max Lift	7 inches Lift	6 Inches Lift	5 Inches Lift	4 Inches Lift	3 Inches Lift
Max Tail Off	9 Inches Tail Off	8 Inches Tail Off	7 Inches Tail Off	5 Inches Tail Off	4 Inches Tail Off
Venues	California teams, Seattle, Philly, Boston, Wash., New York & Balt.	the Midwest up to 1,000 feet and warmer temps	Atlanta, Arizona, Texas, Kansas City	Denver Coors Field	Denver Coors Field

Most of us know what happens to a 3,000 pound car traveling at highway speeds, if shifted into neutral. Of course, the air resistance will immediately begin slowing the car. We are familiar with cars, air compressors, jets, winds and tornados, but these examples involve moving air or moving something against the air that we can feel, or see. To give you a concept of the invisible, still air density between the Featherweight baseball venues and the Heavyweight venues, consider this: Meteorologists measure the power of a hurricane by comparing the interior pressure to the exterior pressure surrounding the hurricane. The interior pressure of some of the most destructive hurricanes in history is measured at 850 millibars, which is the same as standard Coors Field pressure. The standard exterior pressure at sea level is measured at 1013 millibars. If a room in Coors Field on a warm day could be filled with cool sea level air, the pressure differential would put 13,000 pounds of pressure on the door.

A 6 oz. ball flying through the air at 95 mph has no chance to stay on the same track in differing climates. This makes baseball the most unpredictable game in sports. It’s no wonder we love it.

Visual Memory by Clifton Neeley, creator of the Visual Memory Index© and the web-site www.baseballvmi.com. Clifton pitched and played baseball and fast-pitch softball in the mountainous southwest Colorado area (from 4,000 feet in Grand Junction to 6,000 feet in Durango to 9,000 feet in Telluride) prior to his college experience in baseball.