Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Pounding the Pavement For A Suspect

We all know what a slam dunk is away from the hardwood--a challenge so easy as to not really even be a challenge anymore. Get a craft beer-loving client to go to lunch at the new joint that features 812 microbrews? Slam dunk! Ask for a raise after pouring the overserved boss's boss into a cab at the holiday party? Slam dunk!

Not as well known--the slam dunk has a baseball equivalent. While the slam dunk elicits a very vertical image--Jordan soaring through the air like an Eagle, or little Spud Webb telling gravity to shove its perpetual come-back-to-earth nature up its arse, the baseball counterpart hugs the ground.

In fact, it is a ground ball, and you've probably heard it in this context if you dabble in law enforcement.

Wrote the NY Times about a homicide case on a famous street in broad daylight that remains unsolved:

“You got ground balls and you got mysteries,” said John Cornicello, who used to command homicide detectives in Brooklyn. “A ground ball is husband stabs wife and maybe stays on the scene. This is a mystery.”

Perhaps the gumshoes need a good sinker specialist to get that sorely needed ground ball.