Supporting the economy one gadget at a time

[CoreSoftball20]

Hahaha, or be able to pinch run

 

[badmonkey]

Ain't that the truth! Same could be said for some kids in the box, you ask yourself "why did her parents just spend $400 on a bat??"

I bought because she liked the freakin colors!!! They're her favorite!

You got a better way to pick a bat, smarty pants?

 

[ANNASDAD]

I bought because she liked the freakin colors!!! They're her favorite!

You got a better way to pick a bat, smarty pants?

Well now that you put it that way........

 

[Lemond]

@CoreSoftball20 Hey when you are the 14th pitcher on the roster you better make yourself useful somehow

Had one of those games in LL. It was the only game I ever pitched in, along with every single kid that showed up to play that day. No one cared how badly we lost, which was really bad, we were all just very thankful to be done with the game,

 

[Eric F]

I bought because she liked the freakin colors!!! They're her favorite!

You got a better way to pick a bat, smarty pants?

I could hand my 15yo the latest, greatest, hottest bat in the history of all bats. If she doesn't like the way it looks or sounds, she won't use it.

 

[uncdrew]

OK, I'm guilty! I like gadgets. Plus, I'm bored from not being able to be out at the fields. Plus, I've probable saved enough gas and worked enough OT this year month that it's OK to spurge a little. Oh, and I'm trying to find ANYthing that will help me get the kids get off their butts and do something related to their sports.

So, in an effort to support the economy, I was considering trying to convince my DW that something like the Blast Motion bat sensor would help both of the kids improve their hitting. (They're on sale through their website for $75 right now.)

1. Talk me into or out of it. Anyone have enough experience with them to recommend them or warn me away? Is the $75 sale price enough to change your mind one way or the other? (The sole intent for me to buy this or something similar is to understand how DD's swing velocity changes from tee to live pitches, See thread here for why: https://www.discussfastpitch.com/threads/one-year-later-any-progress.38042/ I am much less interested in the actual velocity, although noting improvement would be nice.)

2. What gadget is next on your list to convince your spouse would really help your DD (or DS or you) improve her game? Bonus points if it is actually something for your spouse. @ANNASDAD gloves do not count as gadgets, @CoreSoftball20 sorry, neither do bats.

Just bought one yesterday myself.

We were very fortunate to have Andrea Duran (Team USA member, Olympic Champ, etc. etc.) coach our team a few practices. She is a rep for them, and she's in the video on their site.

Hard for me to pull the trigger at $150. But at $75 it was time to get it. We'll see if it's any good. But like our cheap-o Bushnell radar gun (also about $75), it's just to benchmark things for the next few years.

 

[uncdrew]

Oh, and I've been at the cages when other dad's who had one were showing it off. So I've heard them rant and rave about it and have fun with it. And these are dads like me - played ball in high school, coached a few rec and travel teams, know the game pretty well.

That gave me confidence that if nothing else, I'd enjoy it. And honestly, I take the family to a movie and it's $75 easy. And we haven't done that in a long time.

 

[badmonkey]

I could hand my 15yo the latest, greatest, hottest bat in the history of all bats. If she doesn't like the way it looks or sounds, she won't use it.

Everyone says that feel is really important. My experience with golf equipment is that sound is as much, or maybe more a part of "feel" than what is actually perceived through your sense of touch.

So yeah, it had better sound good.



And be blue.

 

[Axe]

Took the plunge for $75 and glad I did. Good motivational tool for DD, especially during the quarantine. She's tracking her swings and stats. Love the video capabilities. Now I just have to resist the urge of the $60 a year premium package (although I'll probably at least do the 30 day trial).

 

[erniekru]

As and android user, I skipped the blast and went with the Garmin Impact. Easy to use, doesn't charge for extra stuff like extra players, etc. I'm using it to be able to remind my kids the difference between HR swings and contact swings. Also, really nice to keep track of total swings. I'm happy