TWO THINGS ARE great about this shot. One is simply the composition — the diagonal bat, just over Tiger pitcher Emma Deering’s head, the equilateral triangle formed by the ball, Emma’s glove and her right hand, and the gentle blur of everything except the pitcher that puts the subject in sharp relief. The other is a fact of athletics: One must exert oneself tremendously to do something like throw a softball accurately at 50 mph or so, but at the same time keep muscles and mind relaxed enough to do so optimally. Simply put, an athlete can’t tighten up. This particular image captures an athlete accomplishing that feat. Independent photo/Steve James