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ESPN Magazine
Interview
This just in...ESPN
Magazine called Coach Jerry Johnson for an interview on
Sunday, August 13, 2006 in regard to the New Triple Pitch
Video. The reporter for ESPN Magazine will be calling
Natalie, the pitcher in the Triple Pitch Video, and Coach
Ernie Parker for comments. The article will be debuting in
the August 31, 2006 edition of ESPN Magazine.
Pick up a copy of the ESPN
Magazine August 31, 2006 edition at a newsstand near you.
The Jump -
Tomorrows Buzz Today
ESPN Magazine Article
Soft Sale
author Alejandro De Los
Rios
 As
Jerry Johnson discovered earlier this year, there's a
simple way to invent a softball pitch that's as reliable
as the changeup, curveball and drop ball: Just combine all
three. After spending a year experimenting with different
grips and release points, the softball pitching coach at
West Virginia's Mountain State University unspooled an
offering that dropped across the plate along an 11-to-5
path while traveling off-speed.
Suspecting that he had developed a new toss, Johnson
e-mailed Ernie Parker, who has coached the likes of
Olympians Jennie Pinch and Lisa Fernandez on his national
teams.
Parker confirmed that the "triple pitch" is indeed a
brand-new and requested to see a video of it in action.
Johnson did him one better and made the drive to Parker's
home in Memphis for a live demonstration. Impressed,
Parker helped Johnson spread the word.
Then, with the aid of MSU pitcher Natalie Hanson and
catcher Jennifer Sloan, Johnson filmed a 40-minute
instructional video (19.95, available mid-September at
jerryfastpitch.com) that displays the triple pitch's two
different grips and release points.
Hanson has since thrown the triple pitch effectively in
competition, creating a worldwide buzz that has
competitors like Tanya Harding (the pitcher, not the
skater) of the Australian Olympic team calling Johnson to
inquire about its mechanics. So far, to no avail. Says
Johnson: "I can't give away the grip because then nobody
will buy the video."
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