UMM.... Hillhouse take a look at this! Hello Elbow!?!

[Hillhouse]

This comes from softball people trying to adopt baseball terms without having any understanding of what they mean.

A "Backdoor curve," by definition, is a pitch that starts outside and clips the outside corner. So a righty can only throw a backdoor curve to a lefty (and vice versa). Our description of the plate, with inside/outside, front door/back door, are fairly self explanatory. A backdoor curve "sneaks in through the back door," so so to speak, and it makes no sense whatsoever to use that phrasing on an inside corner pitch.

It kinda reminds me of softball people thinking a right-handed hitter can drag bunt. Again, not possible unless they're running to third base, since by definition dragging means you pull something behind you (think of a ball on a string that attaches to where it hit the bat). Only lefty hitters can do this, and until very, very recently, I never once in 30+ years ever heard anybody describe a RH hitter's bunt as a drag bunt, but a bunch of softball people who didn't really know what they were talking about don't understand the term and use it incorrectly.

10000000% agree. I don't know if it's a conscience thing they do on ESPN softball broadcasts to get more baseball dad's to watch it. To me, when the announcers do this, all I can think of is the old tv show Cheers: Cliff Clavin. He would stand up and talk absolute nonsense, just trying to use big words to be the bar's know it all. But those who do understand the sport just scratch their heads at the announcers. Personally, I can't even watch it much. They make my teeth hurt from grinding them as I listen to them spew nonsense.

Now before anyone gets mad at me, I am happy the sport does so well on TV. I am happy these ladies get the opportunities that they do. Having said that, I wish some recognition for the history of the game was known by more people. EVERYTHING we see to day was built on the backbone of men's fastpitch of yesteryear. USA softball does very little to help the men's game and it shows around the country. Aren't they supposed to be the governing body for both genders? Yes, I realize college is through the NCAA, but USA softball has a direct hand in it. And besides, it helped my rant here to just throw it in like I did. lol

 

[Hillhouse]

I always thought that a backdoor curve got it's name from the fact that it is supposed to hit the back of plate. It's starts off the plate, and then breaks to clip the back of the plate. So a right handed pitcher can throw one to a right handed hitter, the initial trajectory is inside.

That's the ESPN softball definition, but not where the term actually came from.

And as I've said before, my main issue with this is, girls are led to believe this pitch needs another number on their arm bands. Instead of it just being a curveball inside, it's a whole separate pitch called the "backdoor curve" and some pitching coach put a new wing on their house with the money the raked in teaching this "new pitch".

 

[Lance Steckler]

ball break down, ball break up, change speeds, hit spots.

 

[Hillhouse]

ball break down, ball break up, change speeds, hit spots.

FACEPALM!! WOW!! Why didn't I think of this? If I had known this during my playing days I'd have been untouchable!!! haha. Sorry Lance, I'm in a sarcastic mood and I just had to say this. lol. Just humor.

 

[fastpitch91]

Just an update on this.... these ladies never wrote back to me. I'm absolutely used to female rejection but, they gals just ignored me completely. I gotta tip my cap to them for that.

A bit of diversion from this thread, but I have to ask. Bill you have a brother traveling the rounds giving clinics? I was told of a HIllhouse ( eric??) ran a clinic for a local travel organization and all the emphasis was on.. dont shoot please,... finishing high with elbow up. Rightly or wrongly the message was Hello elbow!!! I was not there so I have no idea of what was actually said but the report came from a pretty knowledgeable Dad who knows the difference. Are there 2 HIllhouse clans ? Fighting it out on the clinic wars? Just curious.

thanks ( this was about a year ago I think in NE Ohio)

 

[Bullseye]

10000000% agree. I don't know if it's a conscience thing they do on ESPN softball broadcasts to get more baseball dad's to watch it. To me, when the announcers do this, all I can think of is the old tv show Cheers: Cliff Clavin. He would stand up and talk absolute nonsense, just trying to use big words to be the bar's know it all. But those who do understand the sport just scratch their heads at the announcers. Personally, I can't even watch it much. They make my teeth hurt from grinding them as I listen to them spew nonsense.

Now before anyone gets mad at me, I am happy the sport does so well on TV. I am happy these ladies get the opportunities that they do. Having said that, I wish some recognition for the history of the game was known by more people. EVERYTHING we see to day was built on the backbone of men's fastpitch of yesteryear. USA softball does very little to help the men's game and it shows around the country. Aren't they supposed to be the governing body for both genders? Yes, I realize college is through the NCAA, but USA softball has a direct hand in it. And besides, it helped my rant here to just throw it in like I did. lol

Chest pounding about not getting enough attention by the NCAA.
Men's fast pitch has fizzled in media and your pissed.

 

[Hillhouse]

Chest pounding about not getting enough attention by the NCAA.
Men's fast pitch has fizzled in media and your pissed.

I don't know about chest pounding, but, I think we can all be guilty of untended things.

Yes, men's fastpitch has fizzled and I'm pissed. But I think you might be confused a little about what pisses me off. To just say I'm angry about it being fizzled in the media doesn't exactly tell the story. But obviously something I wrote triggered you so, my apologies. It wasn't my intent.

 

[Hillhouse]

A bit of diversion from this thread, but I have to ask. Bill you have a brother traveling the rounds giving clinics? I was told of a HIllhouse ( eric??) ran a clinic for a local travel organization and all the emphasis was on.. dont shoot please,... finishing high with elbow up. Rightly or wrongly the message was Hello elbow!!! I was not there so I have no idea of what was actually said but the report came from a pretty knowledgeable Dad who knows the difference. Are there 2 HIllhouse clans ? Fighting it out on the clinic wars? Just curious.

thanks ( this was about a year ago I think in NE Ohio)

Well, I do have a brother. And he lives in our hometown, Erie PA, but he is not a pitching coach and doesn't do clinics.

In fact, I haven't done much in the way of clinics in about 4 years. That's when I joined a coaching staff in college, and the NCAA rules severely limit a coach doing lessons, clinics, etc. Now that the world is getting back to normal, and I'm not currently on a NCAA staff, I'm contemplating going back on the road again on weekends the way I used to. But, I know personally I have not been to NE Ohio in about 4-5 years. And I don't know an Eric Hillhouse. But that's quite interesting.

This is a prime example of why I've never done a certification program. While an argument could be made that if I had done something like that, then this coach who's mentioned may not be promoting these techniques. But, I'm a cynic. I believe people would use the certification to attract students, then teach them things I wouldn't dream of doing. So, while I wouldn't offer a certification program, that doesn't mean I wouldn't help anyone (especially coaches) who ask for my help.

 

[Bullseye]

I don't know about chest pounding, but, I think we can all be guilty of untended things.

Yes, men's fastpitch has fizzled and I'm pissed. But I think you might be confused a little about what pisses me off. To just say I'm angry about it being fizzled in the media doesn't exactly tell the story. But obviously something I wrote triggered you so, my apologies. It wasn't my intent.

Obviously something triggered you to vent recognize your pissed but are you pissed because NCAA doesn't have men's fast pitch teams?

 

[Hillhouse]

Obviously something triggered you to vent recognize your pissed but are you pissed because NCAA doesn't have men's fast pitch teams?

Firstly, I think you may have read an unintended "tone" in the message. I didn't mean for that to sound bitter necessarily. It can be easy to read an email, text etc. and pick up a tone that wasn't intended. I think maybe this is the case here. While I said what I said, and I mean what I say, I truly didn't mean for it to be snarky.

But, since you asked, it's not the NCAA's responsibility to promote any sport that isn't played in their system. While I would LOVE to see men's fastpitch in college, its probably the only thing that would revive the sport but of course it'd never happen. I've only ever heard of it played at the intermural level in college. I remember my brother being asked to pitch for one fraternity against their rivals. I guess they had intermural softball (this was late 1980's) where the frats played each other. They offered him membership if he'd pitch for them, without having to go through the hazing. lol

My beef is with USA softball, the governing body, who has done nothing to help the men's game. My other beef is with WBSC, which turned it's back on the male game. And my comment was a pie in the sky wish that ESPN would acknowledge the game, especially since there are so many colleges at D1 programs who have a long history of playing the game. Most people probably think "King and his Court" when they hear the name Men's Fastpitch and don't understand the actual history. A Huge number of people say they LOVE the game of softball and yet they don't know even know there's another side of the game they'd probably really enjoy too.