Ty Stofflet

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Aug 21, 2008
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With all due respect to someone's post on another thread about Eddie Feigner being the best ever... I have a 4 copies of Ty Stofflet's book if anyone wants to buy one. Eddie was a great showman, no doubt. But best ever? I'd have to strongly disagree that one. If anyone wants one, I'll sell for $20 each and I will pay for shipping out of that. It's a great book.

Bill
 
Feb 19, 2009
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So Ty would be your nominee for best ever or are there others that one could make a case for (I'm a men's FP ignoramus)? I'm pretty sure my dd's pitching/hitting coach played with Ty back in the day.
 
Jan 18, 2010
4,284
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In your face
Thank you for the respect. Thought you might enjoy this article from the Washington post.


Mr. Feigner 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 miles per hour -- or, according to some accounts, 114 miles per hour. The fastest documented pitch thrown by a major league pitcher is 103 miles per hour.

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. He struck out all six -- Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills, and Harmon Killebrew -- in succession. All but Wills were inducted into the Hall of Fame.

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.

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. Since the standard softball mound is only 46 feet from home plate, Mr. Feigner would often give his opponents a chance by pitching from second base or, on occasion, from center field.
 
Jan 18, 2010
4,284
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In your face
A Buddy reminded me of the article, Sports Illustrated 1979. I didn't know much about Stofflet. Maybe because in 1979 I was 6 years old. I guess Feigner was a childhood hero to me and those are hard to let go. haha



By now a lot of you are saying there's one name missing from this discussion. All this business about Stofflet and Dudley and the oldtimers just doesn't cut it. It's like the television critics praising some guy from Masterpiece Theatre, when every housewife from here to Red Bank, N.J. knows that Fonzie is the best actor in the world. And to the masses, there is only one Softball pitcher—Eddie Feigner, the crewcut, potbellied magician who barnstorms the country as the King of The King and His Court.

A brief comparison shows why Feigner is Fonzie and Stofflet the guy from Masterpiece Theatre. For one thing, almost everybody has seen, or at least read or heard about, Feigner. He made his reputation by traveling all across America. His act is equal parts bluster, theater and sport, but the fact remains that Feigner can make a softball talk. On the mound, he is Marques Haynes and Meadowlark Lemon, and he's still out there today, at age 54.

Feigner once asked Stofflet to go on tour with him, to step in on those nights when the road was too long and the arm too weary, to be, in effect, the King's vassal. Stofflet said no thank you. It wouldn't have worked out anyway, because it would be almost impossible to find two more disparate individuals than Feigner and Stofflet.

If Feigner is the King of the Road, then Stofflet is the Prince of the Front Porch. While Stofflet stumblingly avoids the question of who's No. 1, Eddie Feigner says things like, "It is a good feeling to know that I am the only one of my kind in the history of the world." Feigner not only believes he is the greatest, but also that he's the only candidate in the running.
 
Jan 12, 2010
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Both of these guys are from before my time, but I don't think you can compare them in the same way. Eddie Feigner was without a doubt a great pitcher, but is primarily known for "Harlem Globetrotter" type of play. I don't mean any disrespect by that at all. No doubt, he played against serious contenders in the beginning, but changed his focus to play more of an exhibition-type schedule for most of his career. Ty Stofflet played true fastpitch from the day he started until the day he stopped. Both had an achieved mythical proportion during their time. Was one better than the other? I have my own beliefs - but both were great.
 
May 4, 2009
874
18
Baltimore
Eddie Feigner was a good fastpitch pitcher, Ty was great. If you saw Ty in his prime, any thoughts about Eddie being better would have disappeared right then and there. Eddie Feigner nor any other fastpitch pitcher threw 100mph. If you ever saw someone throw 85 mph that is truly smoking. Eddie Feigner played with a grey ball that was a couple of ounces lighter than the regulation ball. I pitched against him in 1985 and he brought his own ball to the mound and took it back with him at the end of the inning. His pitches were just like any other softball pitcher and there were no "dancing pitches" that I recall. Throwing from second base and being blindfolded is something any competent pitcher can do. Even I can do it. Feigner had a good act and it was fun to watch. End of story.
 
Jan 18, 2010
4,284
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In your face
My dad said he remembers Feigner and Ty played against each other twice. ( he thinks twice ) He said Ty's team beat Eddie's both times. But I wondered if Ty played with a full team and Eddie with just his court? That would be an unfair matchup.
 
May 13, 2008
29
3
Raleigh NC
Eddie Feigner was a good fastpitch pitcher, Ty was great. If you saw Ty in his prime, any thoughts about Eddie being better would have disappeared right then and there. Eddie Feigner nor any other fastpitch pitcher threw 100mph. If you ever saw someone throw 85 mph that is truly smoking. Eddie Feigner played with a grey ball that was a couple of ounces lighter than the regulation ball. I pitched against him in 1985 and he brought his own ball to the mound and took it back with him at the end of the inning. His pitches were just like any other softball pitcher and there were no "dancing pitches" that I recall. Throwing from second base and being blindfolded is something any competent pitcher can do. Even I can do it. Feigner had a good act and it was fun to watch. End of story.

The ball the Court uses is a DeBeer No 212-12in. "Steam Welded" Kapok center. Manufactured in Venezuela.

Ty Stofflett was a great fastball pitcher. His resume speaks for itself. He starred in a great game, unfortunately it's fan base is and has been limited.
He might be the greatest pitcher that no one knows. The ladies that play this game today; most of them don't even realize that fastpitch was first a men's game.

Eddie Feigner was a great showman, who promoted himself and our sport everywhere he went. Being fortunate enough to participate as a member of the Court for
10 plus years, I have met thousands of fans of our game, who all tell the same story; how they remember the Court coming to their town, and the magic they saw that night.

Comparing them is looking at apples and oranges.

Honoring both of them and all the memories they gave is more appropriate.
 

MTR

Jun 22, 2008
3,438
48
Anyone declaring anything or anyone the "greatest" ever or of all time always scares me. Lists are often falacy as those providing input often only know what is in front of them and what has been presented to them.

There are often too many variables, just like the case of Stofflet and Feigner. Both were some of the best at what they did. Like umpires and players from multiple levels of the games of baseball, softball, football, basketball, etc., they may be good, even the greatest at what they do, but the greatest ever? Not everyone chooses to go pro or become showmen. And being a showman, in no way, shape or form diminishes an individual's skills or abilities.

People laugh when you talk about the Harlem Globetrotters in the same breath as NBA players, but those behind-the-back 40' shots do not go in the basket because the Washington Generals are the other team. Like it or not, the HG are just as professional, and possibly more skilled, as an NBA player. They have just chosen a different path and considering all the crap expected of an NBAer, can you blame them?

There is too much perception in today's world and too many people believe everything they read. For example, many people believe Jackie Robinson was the first colored/negro/black/african-american to play at the top level of the game of baseball. Modern day perception, but it just isn't true.

Don't get me wrong, Robinson carried an unpopular banner against great odds and fear for life situations. Robinson deserves every bit of the credit bestowed upon him. But the point is most people prefer to and choose to believe popular report.
 

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