Men's Fastpitch question
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I'm from Aurora, played for Home Savings in 73
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We have a league in our city with a long history. In 1946, the city of Columbus started a men's fastpitch league as a recreational activity for servicemen returning from the war. The league has been in continual operation since that time and started their 68th season last night (well, they were supposed to, but a thunderstorm right before game time wiped everything out).
I played in this league for about a dozen years, first in the early 90's, then the past six years. In between was plenty of slow pitch and men's adult baseball. I had a good run- last year was the first season that I didn't play ball since 1982.
Now I'm one of the umpires for the men's fastpitch league!
I played in this league for about a dozen years, first in the early 90's, then the past six years. In between was plenty of slow pitch and men's adult baseball. I had a good run- last year was the first season that I didn't play ball since 1982.
Now I'm one of the umpires for the men's fastpitch league!
- Jun 13, 2009
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GM, If I were you I'd send Bill (Hillhouse) an email asking about this. At our lessons, he NEVER talks about himself or anything of the sort unless I find a clever way to pry answers out of him. But he has told me a lot over the years about the men's game, it's decline and how things "use to be". He comes from a unique perspective having never played baseball and only doing softball.
CG
CG
- Jun 13, 2009
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oops, I thought Greenmonsters posted that... sorry it was Goingdeep. ooops.
Greenmonsters
Wannabe Duck Boat Owner
I know its hard to keep us straight, but the easy way to do that is remember that one of us was a smart, good looking, hard working, humble catcher and the other was just a pitcher.
I always knew men played softball because of my Dad's stories. He started out as a baseball guy just like one of the previous posters said he as a 8,9 and 10 old played with his older brothers in their teens, he started out shagging balls, then as as he got older and people noticed him they would let him play when people did not show up pretty soon very early teens he was in the infield playing against men, but nobody said anything because he was that good. When he joined the Army he would still come home and play on weekends and was even scouted by a minor league organization to which he replied that he did not think his commander would approve.
Once he got shipped out oversees post war France he started playing FP and kept playing a little after me and my brother came along but stopped as he got older and started coaching us in baseball. He too tells stories of the King and his Court (which by the way I doubt was beaten by any town team).
As for me I too just never saw any opportunity as a kid it was always baseball and by the time I joined the military it was all about slow pitch. As far as pitching, I just don't think it is that big a deal to learn for someone who has played ball. I wanted to be able to really throw BP for my girls this year so I started throwing around in the back yard, I am not an expert by any means but if after spending maybe 5 or 10 hours in the back yard (a guy who had never done it in his late 40's) I felt confident enough to throw for about 20 minutes one practice I can imagine if as a 20 something I could dedicate 3 or 4 hours a week for a year or so you could get pretty good pretty quick.
Once he got shipped out oversees post war France he started playing FP and kept playing a little after me and my brother came along but stopped as he got older and started coaching us in baseball. He too tells stories of the King and his Court (which by the way I doubt was beaten by any town team).
As for me I too just never saw any opportunity as a kid it was always baseball and by the time I joined the military it was all about slow pitch. As far as pitching, I just don't think it is that big a deal to learn for someone who has played ball. I wanted to be able to really throw BP for my girls this year so I started throwing around in the back yard, I am not an expert by any means but if after spending maybe 5 or 10 hours in the back yard (a guy who had never done it in his late 40's) I felt confident enough to throw for about 20 minutes one practice I can imagine if as a 20 something I could dedicate 3 or 4 hours a week for a year or so you could get pretty good pretty quick.
I played men's fastpitch in a rural Montana league for 20ish years, from 1990 or thereabouts to 2010. Some of the pitchers in the league were old military guys, others learned about pitching the same way many people here did, by reading what they could, watching videos, grilling the older guys, and simply through repetition. One guy I know taught himself to pitch when he was about 30. He wore out one whole side of his barn by throwing softballs at it. He became a very good pitcher. He pitched for probably 10 years with his original team, then for another 4 or 5 for our team when his team folded.
Our main pitcher for many years was a former Navy man. He was still one of the most feared pitchers in the league when he retired, well into his 50's. Other guys tried their hands, but we struggled for a number of years until we picked up the guy I mentioned above, and stumbled upon a younger kid whose father had been an old Navy pitcher as well I believe. The dad taught both this kid and his sister how to pitch. She went to college on a pitching scholarship, he got to pitch in a Sunday beer league. He throws with what many here would think of as a girl's delivery, a lot like Monica Abbott, with a big bend, an arm swing, and a leap/drag. But he was very effective. He is still pitching in the league. He and his father have both helped me with my own DD.
Our main pitcher for many years was a former Navy man. He was still one of the most feared pitchers in the league when he retired, well into his 50's. Other guys tried their hands, but we struggled for a number of years until we picked up the guy I mentioned above, and stumbled upon a younger kid whose father had been an old Navy pitcher as well I believe. The dad taught both this kid and his sister how to pitch. She went to college on a pitching scholarship, he got to pitch in a Sunday beer league. He throws with what many here would think of as a girl's delivery, a lot like Monica Abbott, with a big bend, an arm swing, and a leap/drag. But he was very effective. He is still pitching in the league. He and his father have both helped me with my own DD.
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I also learned to pitch in my 30's when I joined a FP league after "retiring" from baseball. Some of the old-timers in the league would give lessons to whoever was interested. Some of them were in their 70's and still pitching. They didn't have a lot of speed anymore but had lots of movement, change of speed, and pinpoint accuracy.
Interesting side note... some of the oldtimers didn't wear a glove because in their day only the catcher and first baseman were allowed to wear gloves. Last year, we convinced the last holdout to start wearing a glove because we were worried about his safety as his reaction time slows down.
Interesting side note... some of the oldtimers didn't wear a glove because in their day only the catcher and first baseman were allowed to wear gloves. Last year, we convinced the last holdout to start wearing a glove because we were worried about his safety as his reaction time slows down.
- Feb 22, 2013
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I watched the King and his Court play a game in the Pacific Northwest about 36 years ago. They played a town team and Eddie Feigner and the boys took it to the town team. Eddie could surely throw a mean ball. I'm not sure the King and his Court got beat many times by town teams either, but when you think about it, all four players on the King and his Court could hit the ball well. If you could take your four best hitters on your travel ball team and bat them continuously without having to bat the weaker hitters, you could afford to give up a couple of runs here and there. Couple that with having a great pitcher on your team and I don't think you would lose many games either.
There was a catcher who caught for Eddie Feigner on the King and his Court from 1983 to 1988, I believe. He went on to coach a Junior College Women's Softball team in the Pacific Northwest and racked up six consecutive NorthWest Athletic Community College (NWACC) Championships from 1999 - 2004. He was an ex-men's fastpitch player who really had an effect on the women's fastpitch game, as we know it today.
If you ever have a chance to go to Provo, Utah, stop by Gail Miller softball complex on the Campus of BYU. It is a beautiful facility with ties to ex-men's fastpitch player and men's fastpitch sponsor Larry H. Miller. I believe the head women's softball coach at BYU is a former men's fastpitch shortstop who played for a team sponsored by Larry H. Miller years ago.
