Why do baseball players look slow?

Adair, Robert Kemp. The Physics of Baseball. New York: Harper & Row, 1990. Print.

Baseball players look so slow when they run, but why?

Ever since I was really young, I always thought baseball players looked extremely slow when they ran, in fact I still do think that. Yes, one of the other big parts of baseball is running, "They run the bases, and they run in the infield and outfield in fielding balls" (Adair, 145). I liked to compare the baseball players to world class runners, so of course they seem slow. But then I reliazed why this wasn't a fair comparison in any way, "A very fast outfielder, running on grass in a baseball uniform with baseball shoes and carrying a glove...how much time does he ose in starting?" (Adair, 146). But compare that to a sprinter starting on blocks with lightweight shoes and running shorts, of course it's not fair. So knowing this I did a little test, I ran the curve of a track as fast I could in running shorts and track spikes. Then ran the same curve again in my baseball uniform and baseball pants, my glove, and of course a stylish mariners cap. There was no competition, the restriction from baseball pants made it impossible to run, and I now understand why baseball players look slow.