Best softball story

[badmonkey]

I have found some very nice softballs/baseballs laying around fields..it just amazes me that people leave them. I know exactly how many softballs (67), baseballs (41) and wiffles (38) we have and whenever we hit I make sure we have all of them accounted for...Yes I am strange but like you baseballs were like gold growing up, as was your glove and bat.

How times change. Baseballs were like gold growing up. DD and I are relegated to practicing in the (way too small to be practicing in) front yard. Yesterday we pitched a little. We use the nice balls for that. She hopped one in and I couldn't handle it. Out into the street and down the storm drain to the sewer. We unbox another ball. It lasted about 15 pitches before another one went down the sewer. $18.00 down the drain in about 10 minutes.
"Hey, lets set up the bownet and hit instead."

I'm ordering more balls destined for the sewer today.

 

[_MIA_]

How times change. Baseballs were like gold growing up. DD and I are relegated to practicing in the (way too small to be practicing in) front yard. Yesterday we pitched a little. We use the nice balls for that. She hopped one in and I couldn't handle it. Out into the street and down the storm drain to the sewer. We unbox another ball. It lasted about 15 pitches before another one went down the sewer. $18.00 down the drain in about 10 minutes.
"Hey, lets set up the bownet and hit instead."

I'm ordering more balls destined for the sewer today.

Ugghh..that would have driven me crazy. I have had a few wiffles go down the sewer drain and even that drives me nuts...oh and you might to set up the bownet behind you when she pitches next time

 

[BigSkyHi]

How times change. Baseballs were like gold growing up. DD and I are relegated to practicing in the (way too small to be practicing in) front yard. Yesterday we pitched a little. We use the nice balls for that. She hopped one in and I couldn't handle it. Out into the street and down the storm drain to the sewer. We unbox another ball. It lasted about 15 pitches before another one went down the sewer. $18.00 down the drain in about 10 minutes.
"Hey, lets set up the bownet and hit instead."

I'm ordering more balls destined for the sewer today.

Sounds like a bownet is needed behind the catcher lol

 

[flash277]

When I was a kid, I had MAYBE two baseballs to my name. Whenever they went out with me, I did not come home until I had whatever balls I left with. Every LL team I was on was the same: coach came out with X number of balls, and no on left the field until x balls were accounted for, and they were used until the covers came off, not slightly unstiched, came completely OFF (and then the coach would hit them over our fence in an attempted show of macho, yes, back then it was "macho" they were going for).

FFWD to today, I have an orange bucket of baseballs that is about 90% full (~50-60 balls?). I have purchased maybe 4 of these, and coaches gave DS about another 2-4. EVERY time DS goes to an open field where BB practice is capable of being held, he will come back with a ball, if not a BB, it's a LAX ball, often times, both.

I have purchased several dozen SBs, but that's so our teams have nice balls for throwing. I have about 3 buckets of hitting balls, 90% of which have also been found not purchased.

On the other side of that, I think I have only "lost" about a half dozen balls (BB and SB combined) to the environment, and I think most of those were in Chula Vista where they were stuck in cacti with a risk of rattlesnakes and our games were getting ready to start. All other attrition of balls I can attribute to being "borrowed" during practices (probably from some guy who has a bucket of balls he has never purchased?!!?).

I think I played ball with you as a kid.....There was this kid who always had a ball, so we play, but sometimes he'd go home early and leave us the ball......Sure enough, 10 minute later he'd be back saying his mom said he had to bring his ball home.

 

[Lemond]

I think I played ball with you as a kid.....There was this kid who always had a ball, so we play, but sometimes he'd go home early and leave us the ball......Sure enough, 10 minute later he'd be back saying his mom said he had to bring his ball home.

Nope, wasn't me! I was always in the last group to leave the field, even if it meant getting in trouble!

 

[YOCOACH]

Years ago I was coaching a 10U rec team. We were the last team making the playoffs due to a win by us and a loss by another team we were tied with record-wise. The girls were pumped! The team then proceeded to win throughout playoffs and made it to the championship series which was the best of three, 7 inning games.

We split the first two. The last inning of the final game we were up 5-4 with two outs and runners on 1st and 2nd. The batter takes it to a 3-2 count and the last pitch, hits a small pop-up down the third base line in foul territory. My catcher comes out of her crouch, blasts off toward the ball and lays out, diving to make the catch for the final out. Now, I had been working with her the entire season on catching so I'm beaming with pride for her since this is something we never worked on yet (diving for the ball) and seemed to come naturally to her. The team goes nuts and runs over surrounding the catcher and ends up inadvertently pig-piling her. The parents, of course, were going wild and cheering their heads off. In the meantime, the catcher's parents were just glowing with pride for their DD.

At the after-game celebration/team meeting, I heap praise on the entire team and especially my catcher. As we're standing in line to get our trophies, I go up to the catcher and once again tell her what a great play she made. She looked at me kind of strangely and said, " Coach, I tripped!"

 

[YOCOACH]

Another play I remember from that time period is one of the most phenomenal plays I've ever seen from a younger player even though I've been coaching TB for many years and have seen more than my fair share of them. I'm sure that every coach has had to face that rec coach who was super competitive, thought his team was in the NPF and absolutely had to win, if not outright destroy you at all costs. You know the type...intentionally walking batters, playing the stalling game, continue to steal bases and score even though they were up 19-1, etc. etc. The play that was made was against his team knocking him out of the playoffs in the quarterfinals and to this day, 10 years later, still won't talk to me. Here's how it went down.

I had just moved up from 10U to 12U rec. I kept the girls who aged up with me since they requested it of the league, inherited a team of 6 and drafted the rest. Out of the 6 I inherited, one girl had a real head for the game and was a truly gifted athlete. She became my SS. Anyway, we made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs that year and had to face "that" coach and his team. Up until that point, my team had never beaten his team at the 10U level and had only beaten his team once out of 4 times we faced him during the regular season.

Quarterfinals at the time were best of 3, 7 inning games. Once again we split the first 2 games. It was the final game of the series and we were the home team winning the coin toss. It was the last inning, no outs, we were winning 3-1 and "that" coach was already fuming. First up is his DD, the #3 batter and she hits a line shot to the LC gap for a double. Their #4 batter comes to the plate. I thought it was time to turn the tables on him. Up until that point, I had never intentionally walked a batter in my life but this girl hit the ball a ton and hit often; so I intentionally walked her. This got him even more PO'd. #5 batter comes to the plate with runners on1st and 2nd and #5 being the go-ahead run and he tells her to swing away. By now, he's so mad that he says it openly; not even using signals any longer. The #5 batter takes the first pitch and smokes a line drive just over my shortstop's head. At the last second, my SS jumps as high as she could and snags a snow cone for out #1. The coach's DD who was on 2nd thought the ball was getting through and takes off for 3rd. My SS tags her for out #2 then fires a rocket to 1st beating the runner back by a 1/2 step for out #3. It was the only unassisted triple play I have ever seen that wasn't done by paid professionals. The other coach was so red I thought his head was going to explode. After the game, he wouldn't even shake hands.

We went on to the finals and got our butts handed to us in the first 2 games losing by a ton of runs each game. But to my team, it felt like we won the World Series that year by taking his team down.

 

[TopCatDad]

Beating a NC HS powerhouse on their senior night. They were 19-0 until that night... It was awfully quiet when we left.

They turned the score board of quick that night!!

If your from NC you know...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ANNASDAD]

A

Another play I remember from that time period is one of the most phenomenal plays I've ever seen from a younger player even though I've been coaching TB for many years and have seen more than my fair share of them. I'm sure that every coach has had to face that rec coach who was super competitive, thought his team was in the NPF and absolutely had to win, if not outright destroy you at all costs. You know the type...intentionally walking batters, playing the stalling game, continue to steal bases and score even though they were up 19-1, etc. etc. The play that was made was against his team knocking him out of the playoffs in the quarterfinals and to this day, 10 years later, still won't talk to me. Here's how it went down.

I had just moved up from 10U to 12U rec. I kept the girls who aged up with me since they requested it of the league, inherited a team of 6 and drafted the rest. Out of the 6 I inherited, one girl had a real head for the game and was a truly gifted athlete. She became my SS. Anyway, we made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs that year and had to face "that" coach and his team. Up until that point, my team had never beaten his team at the 10U level and had only beaten his team once out of 4 times we faced him during the regular season.

Quarterfinals at the time were best of 3, 7 inning games. Once again we split the first 2 games. It was the final game of the series and we were the home team winning the coin toss. It was the last inning, no outs, we were winning 3-1 and "that" coach was already fuming. First up is his DD, the #3 batter and she hits a line shot to the LC gap for a double. Their #4 batter comes to the plate. I thought it was time to turn the tables on him. Up until that point, I had never intentionally walked a batter in my life but this girl hit the ball a ton and hit often; so I intentionally walked her. This got him even more PO'd. #5 batter comes to the plate with runners on1st and 2nd and #5 being the go-ahead run and he tells her to swing away. By now, he's so mad that he says it openly; not even using signals any longer. The #5 batter takes the first pitch and smokes a line drive just over my shortstop's head. At the last second, my SS jumps as high as she could and snags a snow cone for out #1. The coach's DD who was on 2nd thought the ball was getting through and takes off for 3rd. My SS tags her for out #2 then fires a rocket to 1st beating the runner back by a 1/2 step for out #3. It was the only unassisted triple play I have ever seen that wasn't done by paid professionals. The other coach was so red I thought his head was going to explode. After the game, he wouldn't even shake hands.

We went on to the finals and got our butts handed to us in the first 2 games losing by a ton of runs each game. But to my team, it felt like we won the World Series that year by taking his team down.

And THAT my friend is what makes this game with a stick and a ball so great, a single play you’ll never forget!

 

[tamss13]

The girls played a tournament in Corpus Christi. It was a four day weekend and the girls were not allowed to swim or play in the sand at the beach.....due to the parents wanted to ensure they were 100% ready.....game ready. It it didn't help that they lost the 1st game in the double elimination portion of the tournament. So the girls battled hard and ended one game out of the championship. In that semi final our girls were up 1 no time left, one out. When the other team does a sacrifice fly. Our girls catch and and relay it home....our catcher tags her....we win.....it was so exciting we all were wow what a play..... As the catcher jumps up to celebrate the ball comes out the empire changes the call to safe.....tie game the girls go on to lose. The girls are upset and crying the parents are pissed the empires went out the other exit they did not want to walk past us. As the girls are huddled up crying.......one girl yells out what time is it. a parent says close to 3pm. another girl ask "did everyone have to keep their rooms for another night" as parents we were puzzled but one parent replied "well yes" then the girls started jumping and celebrating.......what happen??? you lost a game you should have won...you were sad and less than a second you are happy. what is going on...my daughter yells "now we can go to the beach!" because they extended their playing into the evening - forced all the parents to extend their rooms and they lost early enough to make it to the beach for a few hours...so we ended up bar-be-cueing on the beach and to this day my daughter talks about that one tournament......not the games but the party afterwards......