Softball... Heard of it? Play it?

DirtyMonkey · 16 Mar 2006 at 11:42

Does anyone here play softball?

I'm just about to start my 2nd season in the Manchester league here, surprisingly there are over 300 people who play every week during the summer and there are a number of leagues around the country - although most are concentrated in London.

If I wasn't a simpsons fan I probably wouldn't even have known what softball was.

Just wondering if there are any other softballers on OcUK!

Zip · 16 Mar 2006 at 11:50

My best friend is

Shes been playing for years.
Most people have heard of it down but a lot of people dont take much notice of it

G|mp · 16 Mar 2006 at 11:55

We used to play it in school

Just like baseball but with a bigger ball aint it?

Rotty · 16 Mar 2006 at 12:01

G|mp said:
We used to play it in school

Just like baseball but with a bigger ball aint it?

similar I think , baseball for girls is how I recall it

G|mp · 16 Mar 2006 at 12:07

Rotty said:
similar I think , baseball for girls is how I recall it

Aye thats the one !

With an oversized ball that was rock hard

Cue looks of WTF Softball!!!

Zip · 16 Mar 2006 at 12:10

Rotty said:
similar I think , baseball for girls is how I recall it

Actually softball is more for girls, it has bigger balls, under arm pitching and tag outs iirc

DirtyMonkey · 16 Mar 2006 at 12:18

There's different kinds which confuses the matter.

In the olmypics (although it's been dropped from 2012) the sport is women only and is played with a fast pitch underarm.

Here in Manchester its a mixed sex sport for adults, bigger balls than a baseball and it is pitched slowly underarm (slowpitch softball). Mixed teams is good fun, not often you get to get down and dirty whilst sliding hard between the legs of a woman after 5 minutes of knowing her

There is some softball in schools aroudn the uk but I think they play a combined version of the slow and fast pitch (modified pitch).

G|mp said:
Aye thats the one !

With an oversized ball that was rock hard

Cue looks of WTF Softball!!!

Yup, very true - nothing soft about it, someone broke their ankle last year after they had a ball thrown straight into it.

Nursie · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:12

Used to play at school. When we were playing we always tried to hit people on the tennis courts or hit the school windows.

bam0 · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:26

I play softball, I play in the Solent League on the south coast for the Hursley Hurricanes (although we also had an oxford team last year).

Usually play leftfield and have a really nice black leather mizuno outfield glove, haven't bought my own bat yet, that's something I need to do this season.
It's a great sport though, can't wait for this season to start indoor offseason training just isn't as much fun.

DirtyMonkey · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:29

cool - are you going to any of the tournaments this summer?

bam0 · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:36

DirtyMonkey said:
cool - are you going to any of the tournaments this summer?

Should be at the Bristol Rec, don't know about any others atm, hope to get to as many as I can.

DirtyMonkey · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:39

Well you're welcome here in Manchester! You could also take part in our world record match if you want - 5 days of solid softball to raise money for Christies (cancer) hospital.

bam0 · 16 Mar 2006 at 13:44

DirtyMonkey said:
Well you're welcome here in Manchester! You could also take part in our world record match if you want - 5 days of solid softball to raise money for Christies (cancer) hospital.

If you've got some more details on that it i'd be interested, sounds like a lot fo fun.

alexakasloth · 16 Mar 2006 at 16:06

Only played it in high school in yr 11. ****ing brilliant game, nothing beats the feeling of whacking a ball as hard as you can with a giant stick.

zenith10 · 16 Mar 2006 at 16:07

have to play it in P.E, its alright

SaBBz · 16 Mar 2006 at 16:12

Zip said:
Actually softball is more for girls, it has bigger balls, under arm pitching and tag outs iirc

That's what he said.

DirtyMonkey · 16 Mar 2006 at 16:16

I can imagine being forced to play anything in PE being crap - thats what I thought about most things we did (I remember trampolining having certain plus points, but that was more the watching than the taking part

)

I play more for the social side of things, going to tournaments around the country, having a few pints in the pub after the match...

dandoubleo · 16 Mar 2006 at 20:17

On the simpsons do they not kick it??

DirtyMonkey · 17 Mar 2006 at 20:35

dandoubleo said:
On the simpsons do they not kick it??

Nope - they play with a bat! Its the one where Mr Burns runs the power plant team and gets in a load of ringers for a game against the team from the Shelbyville plant.

Doohickey · 19 Mar 2006 at 03:37

We played it in school, but it got a bit stupid for the older years. Because it was under arm pitching, it was a fair bit slower and easier to tonk the massive ball miles, so anyone with any decent hand eye co-ordination could smack it miles, = home run every time.