San Jose Mercury News (Jan. 22) -- The New England Patriots have really let the air out of the buildup to Super Bowl XLIX. Instead of getting a jump on the matchups and strategies that will be examined next week in Glendale, Arizona, the nation has fixated on “DeflateGate." As Illinois physics professor Kiel Christianson pointed out on ESPN, the drop in temperature from a warm room where footballs are being inspected to a cold field could drop the pressure within a ball because of “contraction.” Also: ESPN (video, Jan. 22).
Related story: Boston Globe (Jan. 22) -- Corked bats have been a frequent path to suspensions in Major League Baseball. Graig Nettles once lost 10 games after SuperBalls came bounding out of his shattered bat. Sluggers Albert Belle and Sammy Sosa were caught using corked bats in an effort to increase their power (although Illinois professor emeritus of physics Alan Nathan, among others, has determined that corked bats do not permit players to hit the ball farther).
Related story: The New York Times (Jan. 29) -- As the Super Bowl approaches, physicists and engineers at some of the nation’s most prestigious research institutions have been put into an unaccustomed spotlight as they try to resolve the issue of deflated footballs. “It’s probably much ado about nothing,” says Alan Nathan, a professor emeritus of physics at Illinois who is known for his work in the physics of baseball. “I would be pretty surprised if the N.F.L. takes any serious action on this.”