[From Fred Nickols (980114.1710 EST)]
Glad to know that Rick is modeling outfielder behavior. I'm no modeler
so I keep on pondering. When I get a chance, I'll go out and run the demo.
My ruminations took me back to the sea lions.
In a couple of the fish-tossing incidents, the sea lion turned and
headed laterally, but appeared to keep its eye on the fish. In one case,
if memory serves, the sea lion turned its back on (what was to me) an
obviously over-thrown fish. That suggests some kind of prediction.
I never did play much ball myself but I did play a little in the outfield
while in the Navy. I can recall a few hits where I said to myself, "Damn,
I can't get to it." If memory serves, those incidents occurred when the
ball took off at an angle and with a velocity that I could "see in my mind's
eye" described a trajectory with an end point (space and time) which
outstripped my running abilities.
What accounts for that -- in PCT terms? Can I have a predicted perception,
not unlike the "imagined perceptions" I've seen referenced here from time
to time. If so, might that support a "prediction" on the part of the
ballplayer?
Regards,
Fred Nickols
The Distance Consulting Company
nickols@worldnet.att.net
http://home.att.net/~nickols/distance.html