Curt Schilling - really????

[Lenski]

A couple of guys here at work came to me during lunch the past couple of days. These are guys that played baseball and/or their boys play baseball. They both stumbled across the softball game channel surfing. One guy claimed the game was interesting. The other guy said he enjoyed watching the game. Both made comments about Schilling. One guy said he was terrible because he couldn't understand what Schilling was saying because he was stumbling on his words. The other guy liked the fact that Schilling was commenting. I don't honestly know how many games these guys actually watched. So to answer your question CB.....who knows? Neither one of these guys tuned in because Schilling was commenting, but it's a small sample. Maybe they stayed tuned in because of Schilling....one to make fun of him and one because he liked Schilling........

 

[parrot]

C'mon we aint talking Johnny Carson here, or for you younger folks Ryan Seacrest.... You really think people heard that THE INCREDIBLE CURT SCHILLING was going to announce in advance of the game and people rushed to social medi-ize this to all their friends and it double the viewership....? C'mon - yer missing the underlying story here.

Yeah. I really need to work on my persecution complex to where I can see how assigning Curt Schilling was a slight to softball.

 

[sutherlandfinch]

In fact, he asked the bold several times. He asked it about a conversation between the next hitter and a coach. (I pointed that out yesterday.) He asked it about what was being said in the circle between players. He asked it about a conversation between pitching coach and player.

You mention a "humble approach," however, I lost track of how many times he used, "I" in the broadcast. He constantly referenced what he would do. Softball and baseball are two different games. One example, was when he stated he would throw a pitch up and in and the pitcher threw a change and got a ground ball to 3B. For me, the "I" references were really annoying. BTW, did anyone notice that a few times with these types of questions, those in the booth didn't answer or changed the subject. One example was when he asked how the umpires were chosen.

Several of you continue to assert that the goal of ESPN was to bring baseball people to appreciate softball. Where is your evidence of this? I'd submit to you that softball people were the ones watching and baseball people were watching the baseball options be it college or pro.

Well........... One could argue asking Shilling to sit in was using his celebrity to attract baseball fans. I don't really think that's a stretch is it?

Shilling has recently had some national press on another issue- regarding his softball bound daughter going to college. He/ she was attacked via social media and some of the worst things imaginable were posted in regards to his under aged daughter by some incredibly sh@$$y boys @ the university she's attending. His response to the trolls was ultimately to hire investigators, file complaints and prosecute "each and every one of them"!!!! As a father of a daughter, Curt Schilling is my hero. And I never really liked him as a ballplayer.


Ultimately, I really don't care if it was a failed experiment or not. Ratings and viewership equal accessibility to all of us.

Without it, we will be back to watching ESPN 12 and complaining that game two of the superregional was interrupted by the Full Contact origami championships.

I can still remember a time when Hooter's was the biggest sponsor softball could find. I don't want the sport going back there.

Jmo

 

[Cannonball]

A couple of guys here at work came to me during lunch the past couple of days. These are guys that played baseball and/or their boys play baseball. They both stumbled across the softball game channel surfing. One guy claimed the game was interesting. The other guy said he enjoyed watching the game. Both made comments about Schilling. One guy said he was terrible because he couldn't understand what Schilling was saying because he was stumbling on his words. The other guy liked the fact that Schilling was commenting. I don't honestly know how many games these guys actually watched. So to answer your question CB.....who knows? Neither one of these guys tuned in because Schilling was commenting, but it's a small sample. Maybe they stayed tuned in because of Schilling....one to make fun of him and one because he liked Schilling........

That is a fair enough response and I don't know either. Thanks!

 

[SoCal_Dad]

ESPN - Curt Schilling addresses the twitter haters on why he's covering the WCWS

 

[SoCal_Dad]

... Regardless, the point was that most teams play a standard depth per their defensive speed. In most cases, their still remains these triangle areas on the field that can't be covered unless one gives up the power gaps and anything medium to deep. In my experience, most of the teams I've seen take the hit away like that get burned a large percentage of the time. However, that is just my observation.

Like a lot of things, I think the times it doesn't work is noticed more than the times it does work. It's a tradeoff and coaches have to evaluate the percentages and risk/reward.

Question: How far back is too far? I'm not sure whether it was on the play you discussed - on the time I recall, CF was playing 1-2 steps from the warning track and the others weren't as deep. With the fence behind them, seems to me there is a max depth from where there is little-to-no benefit in playing further back and it's more than offset by opening more space in front of them. I had the same opinion when TN's LF was playing 1-2 steps from warning track against Auburn and couldn't quite reach some balls in front of her.

 

[Cannonball]

I don't know how far is too far back. It depends upon the speed and ability of the CF. When my dd played CF in TB and HS, she played a couple of steps deeper and was really good at coming in on balls. She was also not afraid to dive. However, she didn't have the best speed. Playing slightly deeper enabled her to cut off gap balls and with her arm, no one challenged her. Well, I say no one but she threw out 11 runners her senior year. We did a drill I call "Air Raid" where I hit fly balls into those triangle areas and worked with SS, 2B and OFs on coverage. Still, as I said, there is always going to be that area that can't be covered. That is a part of the beauty of the game.

 

[tmolina]

The Red Above has nothing to do with softball. Heck, then lets have Sabrina Williams comment as well. Perhaps she can teach us a thing or two about tennis along the way. You mentioned that he was "learning about softball." That was apparent. Why would a Women's sport need a man to compare it to a man's sport? I'm not understanding this unless you think, as apparently ESPN Executives believe" that the women can't get it done on their own. Softball is not baseball. Softball pitching is not baseball pitching. Softball defense is not the same.

Per being a "snob," maybe I am but I expect women's sports to be able to stand on their own without male chauvinism. JMHO!

Who's Sabrina Williams?? Haha! I guess I should spell Daron Sutton first name right or nobody will know whom i was talking about!

 

[RubberBiscuit]

Yeah. I really need to work on my persecution complex to where I can see how assigning Curt Schilling was a slight to softball.

C'mon man, break through your haze of agnosticism

 

[Lenski]

ESPN - Curt Schilling addresses the twitter haters on why he's covering the WCWS

Nice read. Thanks SoCal_Dad!