Pitchers Personalities

[_MIA_]

I stayed in the circle as long as I could, he started to walk out to break up the meeting. As he got close enough, I said for everyone out there to hear "I know, I know, he's missing a lot. He must've been the look out at Pearl Harbor!!" And, by God, Spock broke out laughing so hard I thought we were going to have to make a pitching change!!! We won the game.

Bill

Blindness in umpires is a detriment, a hearing impairement on the otherhand is a good quality to possess

 

[joe720]

DD's 13 been pitching for a few years now. Totally stone faced in the circle. K,BB, or HBP would never know without looking at umps call.

 

[radness]

So, I've read all the comments with interest. I think this was a really cool and unique topic.

I've seen guys foaming at the mouth with intensity, and I've seen guys who look like they rolled out of a Cheech and Chong bus relaxed. And there's something to be said for both "styles".... the intensity pitcher makes the other team wonder what they are actually feeling and thinking. Never showing emotion if they throw the best pitch of the day or the worst, hit someone in the head, throw it over the backstop, or throw the backbreaking change up that makes the crowd collectively "Ooooooh". The laid back pitcher shows quite obviously that nothing phases them, a LONG homerun is met with a laughter at missing the location. This pitcher can laugh at their mistakes, and the other team is left thinking they can't be "rattled". Don't forget about the cocky pitcher either, several posters have mentioned their DD's having a little swagger on a gpitI'mrt pitch thrown. Add in some trash talking and you have the cocky pitcher. LIke a riseball fouled straight back over the catcher's head, where the hitter is angry that they just missed it. The cocky pitcher will show with fingers how close the hitter was to it, adding "yea, you just missed it, swing harder!". Or after several strikeouts telling the coach when walking off the field between innings, "They're just swatting at flies coach!!!" "Tell 'em to leave the bat and hope the ump misses 4 balls before I get 3 strikes".

For me personally, I paid more attention to my INNER self instead of outer. I needed the self confidence that if this person is a great dropball hitter, "Lets see him hit MY dropball!!!!" But also balancing that to not pitch to their strength, it's a distinction with a difference. Sometimes the Inner and Outer selves mirror each other, sometimes we can't hide our feelings and thoughts on our faces. This is why sports psychology is one of the most overlooked aspect of athlete training. Getting that INNER confidence that will display outwards in whatever character traits she has.

Funny story, last year our teams #1 pitcher (who is like a Star Trek Vulcan, no emotion and stoic... and I lovingly referred to her as "Spock") was pitching to a very old umpire who kept missing balls on the corners and really great pitches that should've been strikes. I could see this was rattling her and I made a visit about the 4th inning to the circle. I called the whole infield in and asked what's up, the catcher (who spoke for the group) gave me a profanity laced tirade of how bad the umpire was. I stayed in the circle as long as I could, he started to walk out to break up the meeting. As he got close enough, I said for everyone out there to hear "I know, I know, he's missing a lot. He must've been the look out at Pearl Harbor!!" And, by God, Spock broke out laughing so hard I thought we were going to have to make a pitching change!!! We won the game.

Bill

Bill, Outstanding read!

Respect on the field is very important!!!
Equally important to the pitchers pressence is the batter's pressence!
Here is a fun story to that point.

Was at bat playing National title defending UCLA.
Their pitcher threw a phenomenal change up!!
I swung, strong balanced body rotation, level bat thru the zone.
About 2 feet too soon
...stepped out of the box...

UCLA fans were laughing.

Remember looking down at our coach seeing his determined face clapping his hands
"here we go, here we go"

Looked back at the pitcher
she was not laughing .
she was not smiling.
she looked strong. cold as ice.

I remember thinking, good you better be serious.
Cuz I'm ready to RIP IT !!

The next pitch was a very high rise ball. Atleast a foot or more over my head in the batter's box.

I turned on it, drove a line drive over the 3rd basemans head.
Base hit.

After the game the UCLA pitcher and one of our pitchers who each other were talking. Our pitcher called me over, UCLA pitcher wants to meet you. (I'm sorry I cannot remember her name for the story.) As I walked over to greet the UCLA pitcher she was smiling.
Not just smiling but I could tell she was a happy bubbly person. I was smiling too.

She said with a smile "I just wanted to tell you I dont like having to pitch to you."

I said," wow" in amazement
"Even after i swung two feet too soon?!" smiling....

She replied
"I knew when I threw that pitch over your head it was too close to you. "

I replied
"Its always great to be on the field with a competitor."

We shook hands, happy to have been on the field together!

Game face with,
Sportsmanship,
&
Camaraderie
= RESPECT


Thanks for posting everybody!

KEEP IT GOING!
KEEP SOFTBALL GROWING!

 

[Hillhouse]

Once I laughed at a guy who swung poorly on a change up, actually falling down he swung so hard. The crowd "oooh'd and awe'd" as he got up and dusted himself off. I don't recall what the next pitch was, but he simply let go of the bat when he swung. I never laughed in that situation again while in the circle!!!! Lesson learned.

Off subject, but I'm always amazed at why NCAA pitchers (although I called hit nearly every game last year) don't throw multiple change ups in a row. It's a very rare occurrence. In the story you referenced, I think I'd have gone back to back with the same pitch (maybe 3 in a row?) . But as Donnie Baker would say, "hindsight is 50-50".

Bill

 

[chinamigarden]

My dd had multiple pitching personalities. Some days she was stoic and blank faced as she pitched. Other days she was laughing at jokes the 3rd baseman was telling her. She always, always wanted to field any and all balls she could get to.

Some teams would try to get under her skin and she would be a quiet assassin, and other days she would comment back after a strikeout. I remember several times over her career, of some wildness getting her into trouble and the opponents started to get in at her trying to throw her off. And she would shut
them down and then comment To whoever was talking as she walked off the field. More then once she stared down a third base coach after a strike out, when earlier he told the batter “she doesn’t want to pitch to you”.

Honestly this is the stuff I miss the most. Two times stand out in her pitching Career both times when she was 16-17, there were bases loaded and no outs. One of those silly innings a walk, an error, a hit batter and now you got big trouble. These two times someone started talking from the dugout. Both times 10 pitches and 3 Ks later she is staring into the dugout and walking off the field. Both times I was thinking how they did us a favor by giving her someone else to be pissed at.

(And I won’t go into how many times 3-0 when she was batting and a mom would yell out “she doesn’t want to swing the bat just throw it down the middle” that was usually fun as well.)

She was who ever she needed to be that day to be her best.

 

[radness]

Once I laughed at a guy who swung poorly on a change up, actually falling down he swung so hard. The crowd "oooh'd and awe'd" as he got up and dusted himself off. I don't recall what the next pitch was, but he simply let go of the bat when he swung. I never laughed in that situation again while in the circle!!!! Lesson learned.

Off subject, but I'm always amazed at why NCAA pitchers (although I called hit nearly every game last year) don't throw multiple change ups in a row. It's a very rare occurrence. In the story you referenced, I think I'd have gone back to back with the same pitch (maybe 3 in a row?) . But as Donnie Baker would say, "hindsight is 50-50".

Bill

Ohhh flying bat not good!
Any umpire comment after that?

Change ups make every other pitch faster!
Got to mix them in.
Even bounce 'em in the dirt if uncertain of throwing a floater meat pitch.


Do believe in story i shared that was a waist pitch....
Not a brush back.
Which goes to the point of some peoples strategy swing at only good pitches.

My philosophy need to be able to hit everything and anything!

Thats the fun of competition.
Strategies VS Skill