Saw my first Men's Fastpitch games this weekend

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Nov 3, 2012
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Was at my DDs showcase tournament in Elkhart, IN, and happening at the same time, a Men' fastpitch tournament was going on. I was splitting time watching my DD play and the men. Here's my observations:

1. Im 47, and that sucks that this is the first time I've seen a fastpitch tournament. The players were a mixture of some hardcore old school guys, in there 40s and 50s and some young athletic guys. And they were all having a good time. My wife who doesn't read DFP, commented "Men play fastpitch?".

2. I want to play. Like I said , Im 47. I stopped playing baseball in little league. I might be past my prime, but my DD pitches and Ive been to every lesson, so Ive learned a thing or two. But I never practiced it. Dohhh! But Im tempted to start, a late career. I talked to one of the guys, they said they're trying to groom some young pitchers. Young is a relative term. Colonel Sanders didn't start his fast food chain until his 70s. Never to young to start something new.

3. The girls were surprised by the men's style pitching. They also haven't seen a men's game, and the pitchers were leaping. I told them that's legal in the men's game. My DD who throws in the low 60s and thought she was just as fast as the guys. I kind of agree with her, I wish I had my pocket radar to time them. But she did notice that the guys were getting more break on the balls, and they had wicked spin.

4.They were scoring more runs than in the girls games. Definitely more offensive. Maybe its because of the shortage of young pitchers in the men's game. But they had some big guys swinging hard, and hitting the ball hard. The aggressive swings really stood out, as compared to the girls.

5. One of the catchers didn't have shin guards or a chest protector. Just had a facemask and no helmet. Based on the lack of protective equipment, I bet he didn't have other protection for lower extremities. Tough guy. I thought about going to the car and getting my shin guards that I wear when my DD pitches, and let his guy borrow them. I guess Im not that tough. His teammates said he was a very smart guy in law enforcement. I guess tough and somewhat smart guy.

6. Too bad slow pitch or whatever has almost made the men's game extinct. Its a fun fast game, and in my humble bias opinion, its more entertaining than baseball. Also wish I could of seen Hillhouse pitch. Maybe hell make come back and Ill get a chance.
 
Last edited:
Jun 11, 2013
2,619
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I remember being at our Little League picnic in upstate NY as a kid. We were just playing a little pickup softball game and this cop drives up and asks to pitch a few. He just starts
firing pitches you could barely see. They starts throwing curve balls that curved multiple feet. It turns out that he was the best local pitcher in the area and according to the locals once beat the King and his Court. I stood for one pitch and just gave the bat to the next kid.
 
Feb 7, 2013
3,188
48
You will see a lot of former baseball players (college/semi pro) play fastpitch around my area and they adapt to the game very well.
 
Oct 2, 2015
615
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Played for ~ 10 years in leagues and tournaments in the 80's and 90's...
Going up to Canada and getting our butts kicked was actually a high point...those guys were crazy about fast pitch!
And the pitching was amazing!
 
Nov 16, 2015
184
18
I was playing in a men's tournament up in Fargo quite a few years back. I was talking with a guy up there and he said that the men's game is the best kept secret in the US. Unfortunately, he was right.

My 2 favorite tourneys to play in were the ASA Major and the ISC. If you are in the area, check them out.

ASA Major is in South Bend, IN Aug 3-6. ISC is in Rockford MI from Aug 12-19. You will have a chance to see the best of the best at these tourneys.
 
Mar 22, 2015
52
8
I remember being at our Little League picnic in upstate NY as a kid. We were just playing a little pickup softball game and this cop drives up and asks to pitch a few. He just starts
firing pitches you could barely see. They starts throwing curve balls that curved multiple feet. It turns out that he was the best local pitcher in the area and according to the locals once beat the King and his Court. I stood for one pitch and just gave the bat to the next kid.

What part of upstate? That might have been my DD's coach's grandfather.
 
Sep 14, 2011
768
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Glendale, AZ
Men's FP is a great game. Unfortunately, it is also a dying game.

There are still some pockets left around the country, especially in the midwest, where you will find active Men's FP.

To me, two things have contributed to the decline of the game...Slow Pitch, where anybody can go buy a $300+ bat and crank the ball over the fence, and the rise of travel and club baseball.

I grew up in the 70s in Arizona, at that time there was a 12 team league with locations around the state that played throughout the summer. Our summer Saturday nights were spent at a Men's FP DH at the local field. Most of the teams had several local HS and College baseball players that would play FP throughout the summer. Now those same kids would play with a travel baseball team. Several of them told me that the shorter, quicker swing developed in the FP game helped in their baseball games when they were in a situation where they needed to make contact to move a runner or put the ball in play.

The other issue is, as you learned, the lack of younger men learning how to pitch. I am able to umpire one or two Men's FP events a year and almost all of the pitchers are in their 40s and 50s. The windmill style of pitching is a more natural arm motion than overhand, so there is not so much wear and tear on the shoulder and elbow joints. The men also tend to have bigger hands and that helps make the ball move so much more and creates those big breaks and wicked spins you saw. Back in the heyday, most games were much more pitching and defense oriented...I'm talking games with finals of 1-0 or 2-1 that took about 65 minutes to play a 7 inning game. As the pitchers have gotten older and with the composite bats, there has been a rise in the offensive output. The catchers have always been considered the toughest guys on the team and you will rarely see a Men's FP catcher in full gear. The rules only require them to wear a mask, that's all they are going to wear. Up until sometime in the mid 80s, I believe, batting helmets were not required in the Men's FP game!

If you have the opportunity to see the USA SB Men's Major or the ISC, do it....the very cream of the crop in Men's FP. I am umpiring a Men's FP tournament this weekend and really looking forward to it.
 

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