We tend to take pitch speed measurement for granted today. It’s a common sight at MLB games, and TV coverage of women’s college softball  and even Little League softball often displays the speed of every pitch – sometimes accurately, sometimes not so much.

At the local level, speed measurement with radar guns used to be pretty much limited to pitching coaches who could afford a Jugs or Stalker gun. But the introduction of several new quality products over the past few years, such as the Glove Radar and Pocket Radar/Ball Coach, has put it into the hands of the average bucket dad or mom. Whether that’s good or bad remains to be seen.

But it wasn’t always that way, as this article from the Scoutee blog points out. (Scoutee is another new radar-based speed measurement product that in this case works with a smartphone. What will they think of next?)

Back in the day they tried all kinds of crazy set-ups and devices to measure pitch speed, including having a pitcher throw as a motorcycle raced by at 86 mph. The article provides a pretty comprehensive description of the search to accurately measure speed.

Be glad you live in the times you do. It’s far easier to annoy your daughter or players with speed measurements than it used to be!