world record shortest private tryout

[mad hornet]

We've been looking for a strong pitcher for our 1999/14u team and I got this call from a dad expressing interest in having his dd try out. According to dad, she is the star student of her pitching coach who has clocked her at 60. All this time I've never heard of her because she has been playing All-Star Rec on an 18u team. Now her dad feels it's time to get her back with kids her own age on a real travel team. According to dad, everyone has been after her to come play travel ball. He says all of this to me over the phone. While I'm skeptical, I'm also interested so we arrange a tryout.

So they pull up to our indoor cage and when she gets out of the car my first thought was that she was the younger sister and mom sitting in the passenger seat was actually the player who had come to tryout. That thought was quickly dashed however when dad introduced the family. She looked like she could be on a 10u team. Well dynamite comes in small packages so I checked my judgement.

I invite them in and instruct her to start stretching and warming up with dad. I have a pitching mat set up and it was at 43'. I go into the bathroom for a minute and when I come out I see that the mat has been moved up to 35'. I asked why she moved it and she said that it was too far?!?! I explained that no it was already at the correct distance and please put it back. I walked to the back of the cage and pull out my radar gun which quickly confirmed what I had already figured. Crow-hopping and slinging 45 mph, all the while dad is lavishing her with praise and then goes on to tell me this is the farthest distance she had ever pitched from. Apparently when he told me she'd been clocked at 60 I can only assume they were on the METRIC system. Lesson learned from now on I will clarify it was MILES per hour.

I can't make this up. OMG. Now I have to meet her pitching coach.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

Clearly your radar gun needs calibrated. Try using the ones they use on ESPN.

 

[mad hornet]

Clearly your radar gun needs calibrated. Try using the ones they use on ESPN.

Hey I can make anybody throw blazing heat if I change the setting to kph!

 

[rdbass]

You should have used the paid hitting coaches radar gun. No fair.

 

[Softball scholar]

I can just see the dad's awkward silent stare, when you said something like " I don't think this is going to work out".

 

[RubberBiscuit]

I would have paid GOOD money for a copy of this on video!!!!!!

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I, too, have this happen from time to time. I can almost tell by the way the dad carries on during our first telephone conversation. Some of the families drive a few hours to get here and during the first minute of overhand, I am thinking "Oh, no. This isn't good."

Or, they will bring a "great catcher" with them and she is anything but.

 

[tmolina]

We had a girl come tryout for our team, second year 12u at the time, her dad said she threw 4 different pitches. I watched her for a while then I went to talk to her about what pitches she threw and I asked her what was her best pitch, and she said "Down the middle".....She was right every pitch was straight and down the middle!

 

[mad hornet]

I can just see the dad's awkward silent stare, when you said something like " I don't think this is going to work out".

It was awkward alright. I was prepared to be awhile and run her through all the drills, but it was Friday night and there was a local High School football game to get to as well.....

I just said as politely as I could "she's not quite ready for us, but thanks for coming out".

 

[Coach JV]

I have experienced similar scenarios with pitchers wanting to join
my team. The last pitcher i had try out was a great kid and had the skills
in the circle to be my #4 pitcher, dad almost fainted when I told him.
I did help her find a team where she can get innings.....