Men's Fastpitch world championship: warning, getting on my soap box!!
- Thread starter Hillhouse
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We went to the Hall of Fame Tournament this year (my first time in OKC). We took the girls through the ASA Hall of Fame and the girls were wondering why there were so many "guys", I had to explain to them that Men's FP used to be huge, and while they see 60+ MPH, I don't think they can realize the 70-75 MPH pitch. They did get a kick out of seeing those '70's photos with hair styles tho.
- Sep 29, 2014
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I have heard awesome stories from my dad about playing fastpitch softball in the Army and Air Froce in the 60's and 70's...how the King and his Court visited the troops while he was stationed in Germany he even has pictures in a scrapbook.
Biggest reason I think is basically two sides of the same coin. How can you find ANY pitching when no man I know has even heard of men's fastpitch softball. Any boy with ability plays baseball growing up and by the time they realize their potential (HS, NCAA or MLB) they have not even considered softball. On the flip side if you find a couple kids who did take it up who really wants to watch a guy pitch a shutout every game which happens if the other team has never seen 70+ mph. Then slow pitch creeps in allows players of all abilities to play as well as being extremely competitive if you want to be for men between 20-40 yrs old and there you have it.
Biggest reason I think is basically two sides of the same coin. How can you find ANY pitching when no man I know has even heard of men's fastpitch softball. Any boy with ability plays baseball growing up and by the time they realize their potential (HS, NCAA or MLB) they have not even considered softball. On the flip side if you find a couple kids who did take it up who really wants to watch a guy pitch a shutout every game which happens if the other team has never seen 70+ mph. Then slow pitch creeps in allows players of all abilities to play as well as being extremely competitive if you want to be for men between 20-40 yrs old and there you have it.
Years ago when Bo Jackson was playing NFL and MLB there was a t-shirt I saw, maybe it's still in my closet , it said on the front "Bo knows football, Bo Knows Baseball", on the back it said "Bo doesn't know Fastpitch".
or this too:
By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Eddie Feigner, a crowd-pleasing softball pitcher and showman who toured the world for 55 years as The King and His Court, died Feb. 9 from complications of dementia at Cogburn Health and Rehabilitation facility in Huntsville, Ala. He was 81.
Mr. Feigner (pronounced FAY-ner) was, beyond dispute, the greatest softball pitcher who ever lived. In a barnstorming career that began in 1946, he and his four-man team were all but unbeatable.
At his peak, Mr. Feigner threw a softball harder than any major league pitcher has ever thrown a baseball. His underhand fastball was once timed at 104 mph -- or, according to some accounts, 114 mph. The fastest documented pitch ever thrown by a major league pitcher is 103 mph.
Pitching in hundreds of games each year against local all-star teams, Mr. Feigner won 95 percent of the time. He and his "court," which included only a catcher, first baseman and shortstop, played everywhere from Yankee Stadium to the Great Wall of China, with countless military bases, rodeo arenas and cow pastures in between. He appeared in all 50 states and in 98 foreign countries.
In a 1967 exhibition at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Mr. Feigner faced a lineup of six Major League Baseball players (five of whom were later elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame). He struck out all six -- Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Harmon Killebrew -- in succession.
Mr. Feigner kept meticulous records of his victories (9,743), strikeouts (141,517), no-hitters (930) and perfect games (238). An excellent hitter as well, he once slugged 83 home runs in a 250-game exhibition season.
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Beyond the staggering numbers, Mr. Feigner created his most lasting impressions with a series of remarkable pitching stunts. He could strike out players while blindfolded (8,698 times) or while pitching behind his back or between his legs. He had a curveball that would dip 18 inches. To give his opponents a chance, he often pitched from second base or, on occasion, from center field.
One batter who faced Mr. Feigner described the experience to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper: "I was waiting for a pitch, heard a noise, watched the catcher throw the ball back. It was incredible. There was no way to get the bat off my shoulder before the ball got there. I don't know how anybody ever hit the guy."
That was when Mr. Feigner was 59 years old.
He often appeared on television and once knocked a cigar out of Johnny Carson's mouth with a pitch -- while wearing a blindfold. Yet Mr. Feigner had the misfortune to be supremely talented at a sport, men's fast-pitch fastball, that has all but disappeared. Sports Illustrated once called him "the most underrated athlete of his time."
"I'm a pipsqueak because I'm caught in a nothing game," Mr. Feigner said in 1972. "It's like being a world-champion noseblower."
Nevertheless, he persevered through the years, driving from one small town to the next, leaving a trail of pleased fans and baffled hitters behind. During the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, before 16,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., Mr. Feigner and his Court beat a nine-man team that included several major league players. He was 56 at the
or this too:
By Matt Schudel
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Eddie Feigner, a crowd-pleasing softball pitcher and showman who toured the world for 55 years as The King and His Court, died Feb. 9 from complications of dementia at Cogburn Health and Rehabilitation facility in Huntsville, Ala. He was 81.
Mr. Feigner (pronounced FAY-ner) was, beyond dispute, the greatest softball pitcher who ever lived. In a barnstorming career that began in 1946, he and his four-man team were all but unbeatable.
At his peak, Mr. Feigner threw a softball harder than any major league pitcher has ever thrown a baseball. His underhand fastball was once timed at 104 mph -- or, according to some accounts, 114 mph. The fastest documented pitch ever thrown by a major league pitcher is 103 mph.
Pitching in hundreds of games each year against local all-star teams, Mr. Feigner won 95 percent of the time. He and his "court," which included only a catcher, first baseman and shortstop, played everywhere from Yankee Stadium to the Great Wall of China, with countless military bases, rodeo arenas and cow pastures in between. He appeared in all 50 states and in 98 foreign countries.
In a 1967 exhibition at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Mr. Feigner faced a lineup of six Major League Baseball players (five of whom were later elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame). He struck out all six -- Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Harmon Killebrew -- in succession.
Mr. Feigner kept meticulous records of his victories (9,743), strikeouts (141,517), no-hitters (930) and perfect games (238). An excellent hitter as well, he once slugged 83 home runs in a 250-game exhibition season.
ad_icon
Beyond the staggering numbers, Mr. Feigner created his most lasting impressions with a series of remarkable pitching stunts. He could strike out players while blindfolded (8,698 times) or while pitching behind his back or between his legs. He had a curveball that would dip 18 inches. To give his opponents a chance, he often pitched from second base or, on occasion, from center field.
One batter who faced Mr. Feigner described the experience to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper: "I was waiting for a pitch, heard a noise, watched the catcher throw the ball back. It was incredible. There was no way to get the bat off my shoulder before the ball got there. I don't know how anybody ever hit the guy."
That was when Mr. Feigner was 59 years old.
He often appeared on television and once knocked a cigar out of Johnny Carson's mouth with a pitch -- while wearing a blindfold. Yet Mr. Feigner had the misfortune to be supremely talented at a sport, men's fast-pitch fastball, that has all but disappeared. Sports Illustrated once called him "the most underrated athlete of his time."
"I'm a pipsqueak because I'm caught in a nothing game," Mr. Feigner said in 1972. "It's like being a world-champion noseblower."
Nevertheless, he persevered through the years, driving from one small town to the next, leaving a trail of pleased fans and baffled hitters behind. During the 1981 Major League Baseball strike, before 16,000 fans at the Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich., Mr. Feigner and his Court beat a nine-man team that included several major league players. He was 56 at the
- Jul 14, 2008
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I know that, and you know that.......My point is people outside the sport DON'T know that........That's why the stands are empty.
- Jan 25, 2011
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you know I will be there Bill. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Emily will be coming back from Florida, so she won't make it. Emily is mad so won't make it. See you there.
- Jan 25, 2011
- 2,280
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yes, yes I can. Time to have a discussfastpitch tournament. I keep saying, how can you coach fastpitch and not be able to throw it. What helped me was sitting on a bucket listening to Bill work with my dd and going home and trying it myself.
