The Softball Thread

[Gefiltefish 9]

Sorry about that Chadd! Thanks for the merge...

Thanks for the advice J22. I may search for a slighly used bat on eBay, but your suggestions guides me what to look for.

[mack 44]

The good thing about used is it's had time to break in. I've had bats "rolled" before so it quickens the break-in process as composite bats take a while to get the full extent of their capability.

[mik3 1]

Played for the first time of the season today. Play football and hockey all year long, nothing makes my calves burn like softball/baseball.

[K9 Unit 1]

was wondering what sites you guys use to buy bats, more specifically out of production bats? i've been looking for a Combat Anti Virus 26 or 27 oz. BA but some of the prices are just ridiculous and then there's the shipping to canada

[hrbekroenick 0]

was wondering what sites you guys use to buy bats, more specifically out of production bats? i've been looking for a Combat Anti Virus 26 or 27 oz. BA but some of the prices are just ridiculous and then there's the shipping to canada

This is the first I have seen of this thread. Go to www.softballfans.com it is like a SB version of this board, and the guys that run the site have an actual store in Michigan there. I have met so many people playing ball from that site.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Bumping an old one with a new question for those who know the Bat Regs for ASA/SPN Slo-Pitch. Miken RZR (Model SPRZRA). That's good for this year, right? Will it still be legal next year?

Saw one one sale today...marked down from $179 to $75 (this weekend only)...was thinking about grabbing one but would like to get more than one year out it.

It's marked ASA 2004...but I know they are doing a new marking starting this year.

[mack 44]

Our league hasn't posted a new list but I know it's flown in the past. Then again, our league has let my original Synergy and Stealth in as long as it's not a tourney.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Ours is hit and miss...some umps check every game...some teams know what to look for, and will ask the ump to check. Some teams just don't care.

But at the year end tourney they will check for sure. Don't want to play with a bat all year then lose it for the final weekend.

[mack 44]

We get a couple guys who will go thru each bat, but even then sometimes they don't pull any aside. We just got moved to a new field and I swear it's like 500' to CF and damn near 400' in the power alleys. As soon as it gets cleaned up from snow melting I want to see if we can muscle any out of it. Either way, it looks like I'm playing CF this year.

[RadioGaGa 162]

That new bat is gonna have some pop once it "wakes up"

[badger_14 601]

My team survived a triple-header today - 12, 2:30, and 3:45. And serious props to my pitchers for pitching the latter two games in the most ridiculous wind imaginable. Plenty of dust for all.

[RadioGaGa 162]

My happy, heads up ball moment of the season:

Playing second last week....guy hits a bomb into the gap. He tears around first, TOTALLY misses second, not even close to touching the bag.

LF runs down the ball (no fences...they can roll and roll and roll). He throws to the SS who has gone out for the cutoff. I know he wants to try for home...no chance he's getting the guy. I'm screaming TWO TWO!!!!

He tosses to me, on the bag.

Umpie is right behind me. "Out at 2".

NO ONE else on our team, or their team had any clue what was happening. Guy didn't say a word. he knew he missed the bag totally.

[Souldriver 64]

Didn't know this subforum even existed and I just made a post about softball. If a mod sees the other post feel free to move or delete it. So here it goes ..

.....So I started filling in regularly for my friends rec softball team and have been playing well. But the problem is all my stuff is from my teenage years playing baseball and it's either town apart or starting to dry rot. I was looking at new gloves for playing mostly 2nd or catcher and I have no idea how to shoose them. It's not like the wealth of knowledge I built from playing hockey. If any one can give me info it would be great.

Also, can anyone recommend a good forum for baseball/slowpitch softball ? Something like MSH where its good for asking things like "should I get xx or xx glove?" And people will actually help and not call me a noob......

Ok since I see you guys are pretty knowedgable maybe I'll ask here as well. My glove is pretty much dissintergrating from dry rot after years in my bag and I'm about to buy a new one for some slow pitch. I'm looking in the $40-50 range and I see 3 options. The Easton natural elite, Easton rival, and mizuno franchise. Any opinions on these? Also I'm thinking 13" as I think 14 would be too large.

I'm also not sure how hand size plays into this I use a warrior franchise 13 which has a nice wide feel.

[Stewie 721]

you dont want a wide fit in your baseball glove =) I havent played too much softball, but i dont think you need a specialized glove too much for any softball position like you would in baseball, just infield or outfield. Infield i would maybe suggest a 12.5.

[Souldriver 64]

Hmm maybe I'll look into that size as well. And yeah I wasn't suggesting a wide fit just trying to show my hand shape and what fits me well, if that is even a thing in baseball/softball gloves. Fit and fit preference is such a huge thing in hockey I just assume it is in every thing.

With the gloves are there certain things I should look for or avoid? I'm guessing with those gloves I listed theyre decent but there must be so much I don't know about picking a glove.

[Stewie 721]

glove fit is usually semi adjustable, theres a strap on most to get the wrist locked better. its really hard buying a glove in actuality, much harder than a pair of hockey gloves, because everything you try on is going to be stiff as hell. in a rec softball league, you will probably be ok with just about any manufacturer, but make sure you put in a lot of work conditioning and breaking in the glove. Whenever i got a new baseball mit, id sit on it any chance i got, and then take some wiffle softballs and straps to work the pocket overnight.

[Souldriver 64]

Yeah I remember as a kid working the "tony Gwynn" glove my dad got me and he got me all the right oils and taught me how to work it in and the old ball and rubberband trick. I still have a bit of rawlings oil left from those years. Do you guys suggest anythinghing else, I'm thinking of picking up that lanolin stuff suggested in the hockey glove thread.

But I guess gloves don't really have a rabid following per brand such as the hockey stuff, geez are we hockey guys that odd? I think I'll be looking at the Easton natural and the mizuno franchise bc they are going to be less and reviews are saying they're both good gloves. Somethinghing about that light natural leather look of the NE keeps drawing me in.

[Souldriver 64]

If you can find them, Easton Black Magic bat (circa 2001)... great aluminum bat. Nice lead-bead loaded "Mother load" end cap, great pop..

I have an Easton black magic from my little league days still in my bag, but it was for baseball though. I think my sister had the softball version though, or she may have had a better bat bc my dad always spent a little more for his "little girl". And the magic was considered a value bat.

Right now one of the guys has a dimariano stadium series, the white one with the balanced load. Even though I'm a strong guy I like it bc it doesn't put strain on my shoulders swinging and it really has great balance.

I got to say I wish I could use wood in my league but they don't allow it. I have a wood bat I restored as a kid and I use it for warmups and somewhere in my garage I have a softball bat made from Adirondack wood. But then again new bats are soo loaded it's scary at times how the ball flies off.

Also is there a way to slow myself down, I've been used to balls flying by all my life now I'm trying to hold back for a lob, I do get hard hits each time but only a hand few are really great. I tried even stepping up in the box but the places we play have DEEP holes especially in the rh batters box. Like a good 4-5 inches deep

[Stewie 721]

wood bats are a bad idea for softball anyways. i dont think they make wood softball bats, and softball and baseball bats are entirely different based on differences in the ball and pitching style both.

a big difference in hockey sticks vs gloves, is there really hasnt been much of a general construction change in gloves over the years. still mostly made of leather, and basically the same design and similar performances. you dont have load points, flex profiles, textures, etc.

[Chadd 916]

I used to use a wood bat from time to time when playing slow pitch softball. It made it a lot easier to control the direction of the ball when we played at larger parks or smaller parks with a home run limit.

[Souldriver 64]

Yeah the wood bat I have is old thus it being Adirondack wood. I'm pretty sure the Adirondacks have been off limits for wood for a while either that or they don't use that wood for bats anymore. Trying to remember things I may have (mis)heard as a child is tough.

So back to relevance I purchased the Easton natural elite nes13 13" for myself. I went into a sports authority to try the fit between mizuno and Easton out and they surprisingly had a nes glove there both the old logo model with the cow in the palm and the new vector logo one with the words natural elite in the palm. I tried that on in all sizes as well as a couple of mizunos and the easton 13"er just felt good on my hand, it was a little softer but the fit was just better for me. The mizuno ones were nice but how it felt on my hand wasn't, it was very tight on my fingers which initially felt nice but in reality it was pulling my fingers and my hand in a way that was leading to cramping and it just wasn't for me. If I didn't have beefy ass hands and fingers then it would be ok. One of the mizunos were so off to me that I couldn't get it on right even after opening the wrist fully. The gloves sent bad, just not for me.

So the new won me over I guess. I also picked the newer one with the new vector logo on it bc it felt a little softer/broken in from the start. It also felt like it was a tad lighter though that may just be a mental thing. But I'm really loving getting a glove that still has that lighter tan color to it, it reminds me of little league everything now is either brown or black.

[Souldriver 64]

So my friend got the same exact glove as mine and I'm noticing some big differences in the two. My gloves threading is tighter around the webbing but it seems to be a bit "softer" as in the fingers are easier to bend back and the palm padding is a bit less/not nearly as thick (i got this one at sports authority bc it felt good on my hand). My friends threads are a bit looser around the webbing to where it you can see clearly through spots around the edges, but the fingers are stiffer (in q good way) and the padding is notibly thicker, to the point where the fit of the glove feels snugger bc there is more padding in the upper and lower palm.it had more padding than any of the similar gloves at SA. (he got his from homerun monkey, hockeymonkeys sister site)

Does either glove have anything wrong with them?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Played softball for the first time in 15+ years last night. I played fast pitch as a teen (I was a catcher) and one season of slow pitch after I aged out of the fast pitch league at age 19. 

Of course I had to rep MSH (this league mostly doesn’t have uniforms of any sort):

It was a bit nerve-wracking because it’s been so long and I USED to be good at it. I had no idea if I’d still be any good or if I’d be terrible. 

I got into the game quickly in the top of the first with a long fly ball to my spot in center-right field (four outfielders in this league??) Thank god I made that catch. 

Went 2-for-2 on a fielders choice and a single. These games have a 1 hour time limit and we started late because we hadn’t players showing up late so I think we only played like 5 innings. 

I quickly decided a) my cleats were way too big. I bought them back when I was fat(ter) and I’ve shrunk a shoe size since then. So I bought some new ones after the game:

In addition, I’d been using a $30 glove I bought just for playing catch with my wife. It broke in really easily because it’s all synthetic, but it’s also very clearly poor quality and the inside I found really slick because it doesn’t absorb any sweat like leather would. So I hit Amazon and picked up an older model (therefore cheaper) Nokona. Always wanted one but they were always way out of my price range. I decided to make an investment. LOL. 

This thing is going to be brutal to break in, but ill still have my crappy glove until then. 

I was also looking at bats since apparently softball bats aren’t made of aluminum anymore! But man, the types and selection and options and certifications are all pretty confusing. I’ll just use other people’s bats until I figure out what I like and what works for me. 

All in all it was a fun time and I can’t wait for next week. Oh, by the way, we got wrecked... but apparently they merged two divisions this season and this was one of the former upper division teams so it’s not surprising. You could tell they weren’t even trying. All good! 

[marka 526]

Howdy,

Super cool!

My version of this is that I played baseball all through highschool, then never afterwards.  It was fun enough to play, but never my favorite.  Fast forward 15 years or so and I was at a fair on a work outing and there was one of those "throw the ball at the target and dunk a guy" things.  So I proceeded to throw hard at the target...

... and drilled the ball directly into the ground maybe 10 feet in front of me.

🙂

Mark

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Haha nice.