The Softball Thread

[chef_ducky 0]

you are my new hero!

[sitzlejd 0]

Beer league softball is f'ing fun. For some reason it's really big here in Cincy and my buds and I usually play a couple leagues. Of course I also play summer hockey and you can prolly guess which one wins out when there's a conflict of schedule ;)

[flyguy1697 0]

Play with my boys all the time. We tried getting in a league this year but we just end up having 20 or so people (coed) come out and we split it into two teams and play during the spring and through out the summer. I have a blast and there is nothing I would rather do on a 65 degree night then drink some brew, pack a dip and hang out playing softball. Makes me want this shitty weather to end so I can hit the diamond already.

[davis 0]

I played softball pretty much all my life, and joined both the men's and co-ed league last summer. I'm not much of a drinker but it's still always a good time...especially with the ladies in the short-shorts.

It's pretty easy to find a game of ball here too, seeing as pretty much everyone plays. No better way to spend a summer afternoon.

[TBLfan 25]

Question: Am I the only long-time baseball player that has issues playing softball?

My biggest issue is fielding the ball, it doesn't react like a baseball.

Second issue is that the ball seems to go farther if you don't swing for the fences, it makes no sense... I give it a HR swing and it flys to center, I give it a bloop into the alley swing and it's over or near the fence. <_<

[-brady2 0]

Question: Am I the only long-time baseball player that has issues playing softball?

My biggest issue is fielding the ball, it doesn't react like a baseball.

Second issue is that the ball seems to go farther if you don't swing for the fences, it makes no sense... I give it a HR swing and it flys to center, I give it a bloop into the alley swing and it's over or near the fence. <_<

No, i agree, i usually play 2nd base and i can't play there at all in softball, it's just too different. I guess i'm better at it now because the softball girls team practices on a field right next to ours and we used to always hang around there cause thats where the hotties were at, and eventually i kind of figured it out.

The swinging i kind of notced too, i just try it to hit more square then with power and it flys, yet when it feels like id have WTP on the ball in real baseball i pop out.

[TBLfan 25]

I look retarted batting in softball, I use the Sheffield tactic to slow my hands down... I just cant unteach the muscle memory.

In baseball, I played either RF, 2nd and once was a catcher. I like 2nd best but the first baseman complained that I kept hurting his hand... I'm not used to first base being 15 feet to my left. They moved me to third. The spin and lack of bouce(sometimes) makes it really difficult. On the bright side I dont have to hope that the pitcher ducks in time. *shrug*

[-brady2 0]

I look retarted batting in softball, I use the Sheffield tactic to slow my hands down... I just cant unteach the muscle memory.

In baseball, I played either RF, 2nd and once was a catcher. I like 2nd best but the first baseman complained that I kept hurting his hand... I'm not used to first base being 15 feet to my left. They moved me to third. The spin and lack of bouce(sometimes) makes it really difficult. On the bright side I dont have to hope that the pitcher ducks in time. *shrug*

Yeah, doesn't sheffield swear that his batting "style" speeds up his swing? and he has unreal batspeed.

[TBLfan 25]

His hands are REALLY fast. It slows my hands down because I have to turn the head of the bat from in front of my head, around and through the strike zone. I switch hit and both ways I have to use the same swing or my timing is soooo far off. I end up double stepping and obviously you get no weight transfer that way so it turns into a slap hit.

[mack 44]

No, as I alluded to in my post it's a rough transition from 90+ fastballs to friggin' slow pitch softball. I finally got it all down but it does require re-learning things and that sucked. New stance and everything, plus you realise there's no place for switch-hitting at all.

It's also apparently really rough for fast-pitch to slow-pitch transition. One of our bosses had a daughter who played fast-pitch at her college and in the summers she'd join the team, but it took about 2 weeks to get the timing down for her. And she still sucked.

[TBLfan 25]

Oh there is definitely a reason to switch hit, IF the opposing team shifts.

[mack 44]

No, not at all because they'll play you to pull just the same. It's all about placement, so whatever hand you have more control in should be the only one you use.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I played softball with a guy last year that comes from a long fastball history. He kept saying "I can't hit this damn bloop ball shit" and he'd keep popping them up.

After a couple games he started to get the hang of it and CRANKED a ball as far as I've ever seen a ball hit. On a field with no outfield fence, so the poor bastards in the field were still chasing it as he rounded 3rd.

[mack 44]

We'd be in leagues where a team gets allowed 3 HRs (over the fence of course) before they start penalising them with an out. Some teams are gracious about beating the shit out of us and just jogging to first on balls hit to the fence, but some teams just keep running it up and those games end ugly.

[RadioGaGa 162]

We'd be in leagues where a team gets allowed 3 HRs (over the fence of course) before they start penalising them with an out. Some teams are gracious about beating the shit out of us and just jogging to first on balls hit to the fence, but some teams just keep running it up and those games end ugly.

We played in a league that only had 1 park (or the 3 that we used) that had a fence. The rule at that park was the first one over would count...everything after that was a single. We didn't have anyone that could clear that fence, and I think there were only 2 or 3 in the entire league that year.

[TBLfan 25]

No, not at all because they'll play you to pull just the same. It's all about placement, so whatever hand you have more control in should be the only one you use.

Most of the guys (that I've played against) don't quite know positioning and they set up wrong against a lefthanded batter. I've seen gaaaapping holes down the third base line and opposite field power alley. Sometimes they will put a not-so-good player in RF because most balls get pulled. If you watch a team you can figure them out. First at-bat for me is normally LH. If they set up right I'll bat RH because I can place the ball better.

[flyguy1697 0]

This may sound like a weird question but do you guys play wooden bat or composite? We play wooden since all of my friends are big baseball players and they crank the ball using wooden bats so I wouldn't even want to know what they could do with one of those light slow pitch Easton Stealth softball bats. We play on a regular high school baseball field and its pretty hard to hit a homer with a wooden bat on one of these fields if your like me. But then again for my friends, its nothing for them to hit the ball some 400 feet.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I ain't seen me a wood bat around these here parts since I could hide in the corn fields standing up.

(if you don't read that in a real old prospector/cowboy voice it doesn't make any sense)

To answer the question. Comps all the way around here.

[Doctor Hook 0]

Only thing I dislike about beer league softball is it can have some of the shittiest dudes on the planet. I'm talking zubaz, wraparound shades, Underarmour hat. Y'all know the dooshes who had a tryout with the Sox but blew out an ACL and think Theo Epstein is in the stands.

At least dudes like that in hockey can get punched in the face.

[-brady2 0]

Only thing I dislike about beer league softball is it can have some of the shittiest dudes on the planet. I'm talking zubaz, wraparound shades, Underarmour hat. Y'all know the dooshes who had a tryout with the Sox but blew out an ACL and think Theo Epstein is in the stands.

At least dudes like that in hockey can get punched in the face.

Yeah, during the red eye there was a guy with a brutal handelbar mustache, adn he was a jerk and ended up clothes lining my assistant baseball coach who is insanely competitive and 22 or so, the guy was such a dick too, and one random drunk guy in the stands yelled out; Frank Zappa called, he wants his mustache back.

It was fucking hilarious

what are zubaz?

Edited April 4, 2008 by -brady2

[AnthonyJTa 0]

what are zubaz?

The official flag of Saugus and Revere

[mack 44]

No, not at all because they'll play you to pull just the same. It's all about placement, so whatever hand you have more control in should be the only one you use.

Most of the guys (that I've played against) don't quite know positioning and they set up wrong against a lefthanded batter. I've seen gaaaapping holes down the third base line and opposite field power alley. Sometimes they will put a not-so-good player in RF because most balls get pulled. If you watch a team you can figure them out. First at-bat for me is normally LH. If they set up right I'll bat RH because I can place the ball better.

Yeah, I go LH all the time and can get away with one good pull because they'll have some old lady in RF, but then they put on the Switch and then I'm trying to go down the LF line.

Flyguy-

Woodies in softball? I don't think I've ever seen that, but the summer baseball league I played in during the summers in college were woodie. Well, our team was the only one for one year and we got spanked, then everyone switched.

[-brady2 0]

in canada team alberta and any national competitions are wood so i've been playing with wood a bit.

[Doctor Hook 0]

so i've been playing with wood a bit.

That's what she said.

Man I'm amped to swat some big balls.

[mack 44]

You're just like your mother.