Possible Film of "Smoky" Joe Wood Throwing Batting Practice in 1929

"Smoky" Joe Wood coaching the Yale University baseball team in 1929.
Video Reference: digital.tcl.sc.edu/digital/co...

[@thecolonel2988]

That most likely is Joe Wood. He was a coach at Yale according to Lawrence Ritter's book Glory of their Times.

[@sirjasper4501]

Yes he was, and lived in New Haven right by the university for the rest of his days

[@janetannerevans2320]

I loved that book.

[@Faded_36]

He’s got balls of steel throwing batting practice like that. Scary… dudes were built different back then

[@elainechubb971]

Very interesting. It does seem possible. And I note that the pitcher throws sidearm, like Walter Johnson, so if it's Smoky Joe Wood it would mean that for a brief time the two pitchers with the two fastest fastballs in baseball were both side-armers.

[@alaskanaking]

Smoky Joe's grandson here. I once read a quote from Walter Johnson about my grandfather's arm angle, and how he, Walter, thought it was bad for the shoulder to throw from Smoky Joe's arm angle, something like that. I don't remember the exact words nor where I read that.

[@henridevigne1096]

Joe Wood coached Yale baseball for many years.

[@alaskanaking]

It makes sense that my grandfather was throwing batting practice. That's what coaches do, and I doubt that Yale would have had any assistant coaches in those days.

[@davidbeiler7520]

I guess Yale didn't have any left-handed heavy pull hitters or they would have broken a lot of windows.

[@thomas1630]

This looks like the old Yale armory I ran track on back in the 80s, they replaced it with a new facility.

[@dthorne4602]

It is Joe Wood, it says so in the tile and that is obviously him talking to the boys. Not sure why it is seen as "possible" footage, it is.

[@spcooper94]

I wrote the title myself. I said "possible" because it does not indicate in the original source material that it is in fact Joe Wood who is throwing the batting practice

[@dthorne4602]

@@spcooper94 I thought that might be the case.looks like same guy talking is guy throwing to me.

[@Poe912]

Yale is where George he bush played!!!

[@ousamaabdu794]

Nice indoor facility for 1929

[@cherylcollette2539]

That’s Smokey Joe Wood. Walter Johnson believed Wood threw harder than him.