Speed makes softball perfect

[TheLounge]

The spring sports season is the most hectic time of the school year with eight — eight! —*sports all going on at the same time. In addition to the “Big Two”: Baseball and softball, there is boys’ tennis, boys’ golf, swimming, track and field, lacrosse and badminton. You could make it nine if you count Serra volleyball.
To put it perspective, the winter season has only three sports —*basketball, soccer and wrestling —*while the fall features six —*football, volleyball, girls’ tennis, girls’ golf, cross country and water polo.
The one saving grace of the spring season is softball. From a sports writer’s point of view, the best game you can watch is a softball pitching duel. Why? From a strictly selfish point of view, a well pitched softball game can be over in the blink of an eye. Tuesday, I watched the Mills and Carlmont softball teams take just over an hour to complete a 10-0 Carlmont win. Softball games don’t have a lot of the machinations seen during a baseball game —*batters constantly stepping out of the box to readjust gloves, cups, helmets and then looking down to the third-base coach for the signs; pitchers taking walks around the mound before every batter or switching balls because they don’t like the one they have.
The one drawback to softball is extra innings, which is always a threat when two quality teams face each other. Low-scoring, tight games between good teams always happens. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve silently wished one team, either team, to score to avoid extra innings. More often than not, my prayers are not answered. So when a softball game takes only an hour-and-15-minutes to play seven innings, it may take two hours to complete when it goes to extra innings.
***
I wasn’t sure, so I checked the Daily Journal archives at smdailyjournal.com just to confirm and I was right —*I still haven’t personally witnessed a no-hitter or perfect game.
Oh sure, I’ve seen plenty on television but I have never been in the stands for one. Heck, even my brother, who can’t stand baseball, was at the Oakland Coliseum when Nolan Ryan pitched his final no-hitter in 1991 against the Oakland A’s.
I’ve been close. In 2005, Burlingame’s Danny March took a no-hitter against Half Moon Bay into the seventh inning only to come up short.
You would think of all the softball games I’ve covered over the years, I’d have seen either a no-no or a perfect game. They happen all the time in high school softball. In the East Bay, Foothill pitcher Val Arioto threw a no-hitter and perfect game in back-to-back games last week.
I thought my luck finally changed Tuesday as I watched Carlmont’s Ashley Chinn mow down Mills batters. She was perfect through five innings and I was starting to believe I was going to get my first perfect game. I didn’t want to think about it too much, however, not wanting to jinx it. Chinn got the first two outs of the sixth before Mills’ Becca Bright pulled a pitch into the hole at shortstop. Katy Suko made a great play by getting to the ball before it rolled into left field but as she came up to throw, she saw she had no chance to throw Bright out.
Two people in the stands groaned —*the Sports Lounge and the Carlmont scorekeeper. We were probably the only two people in the stands who knew that Chinn was working on perfection.
Oh well. It’s still early in the season. I have a couple more months.
***
I’ve noticed that the stands for baseball and softball games this season are a lot fuller early in the season than in years past. Must be the combination of good weather and good ball.
Good job fans. Keep it up.


Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117. What do you think of this column? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

Comparing softball to baserball is kind of like comparing flag football to NFL football.

Consider the average batter in softball. Most hardly can bring the bat around with sufficent speed. It's the level of competition that creates these no-hitters and perfect games popping up in softball.

Now in baseball, a perfect game would be big news indeed. Even a no-hitter is a great accomplishment. When you see the size and strength of these players, their obvious skill levels, you can see that competition is both on a higher level and more consistent.

I also have to note that a hard pitched softball is coming in around 50-60 mph at best. The boys are routinely facing 80-90 mph small hardballs coming at em. How can you compare the two? What would the baseball team from Serra do with a ball coming in at 50 mph?

I know it is fashionable to put girl's sports on a par with boy's sports. But it is terribly silly to do this. The Daily News seems to favor girl's sports for some reason. I still recall Emmanuel Lee's comment that girl's volleyball is more exciting than boy's football. Huh?

[Tommy]

Roscoe,

You either haven't watched softball, or are watching the wrong team. There are girls with excellent bat speed and can hit well. Actually, it's much easier to hit in hardball than in softball. I recall watching a boys team trying to hit against a high caliber softball picther. They whiffed a lot. There is more predictability in an overhanded pitch than one thrown underhanded. It's in the mechanics of the pitcher, the release point, and the way the ball curves and drops in softball that frustrates hardball hitters. The speed of the ball and the the size and strength of the hitter makes less of a difference than you might think. A 50 mph softball thrown by a good pitcher is harder to hit than a hardball. If you don''t belive me-ask your Serra boys to challenge a softball pitcher, then come back on here and tell me I was right!
Regardless, it's a totally different game, and I agree you can't compare the two.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

Another myth. My young son attends Univ of Arizona. The Women's softball team there is always ranked one and two in the Nation.

The men's did "practice" against the #1 women's pitcher. She was invited to pitch to the men. She was able to get a few through but they soon found their "eye" and blasted the ball all over the place. I might add that no woman would face a men's pitcher. No doubt she was and is an outstanding pitcher. Of softball. But this softball is just a water-downed game.

You really think a girl softball pitcher is superior to a boy pitcher at the high school level? ? Wonder how some girls can hit off this girl then. Many of these girls hold .500 averages and better. That is not because they swing a bat better than the boys.

We like to delude ourselves in this area that women are the same as men in sports. And when I write these things it probably pops a lot of taught beliefs. I don't mind girl's sports but I don't like this reporting that compares the two or even elevates one unnecessarily.

By the way, the International Olympics is dropping softball as a sport after the next Olympics. They just could not find enough interest in it and it has slowly died off from non-interest.

Nathan Mollet griped that the boy's teams seem to take a lot of time looking at signals, stepping out of the batter box, and looking at pitches. He fails to say, that is because it's a much more refined game. One good hit can change a game. And each coach brings a game plan to advance runners. Watch a pro Game. These guys just don't step in there and swing at anything.

[Tommy]

I was talking high school--not university level--and yes, I have seen it again and again over 25 years.

You can't compare the games. If you have a beef with the sports reporters, why take it out on girls' sports?

[Tommy]

Call it more refined if you must--but the games can go on forvever.
Of course there are more opportunities to chat, go to the bathroom, and get snacks without missing a hardball game. I'll agree with that.

That's what the reporter was saying. Girl's games are faster because there's not all that waiting, crotch grabbing, spitting, in and out of the box, signals that go on and on, etc.

That's all he was saying before you started knocking girls sports.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

I myself don't like the pace of any baseball game. But for a repoirter to not state the obvious as to WHY these things go on is taking a cheap shot. I prefer football.

But read Mollet's comments. He leads you to a place where he makes girl's softball on a par with boy's baseball. That is where I took issue.

And for the most part, the sports reporting at the Daily News does place girl's sports on an equal level with boy's. I would say even over boy's sports. This satisfies a correctness doctrine but does not do service to the immense difference between these two pursuits.

Look at Stanford Basketball. The men's team was not afforded any covereage near the women's team. We all heard about the great Staqnford women's team. A favorite in the NCAA. Yet in their last game against Florida, a championship game, there were only 4,000 people in the seats. A stadium that sits over 15,000. The Men's basketball is sold out year long.

Write what you will, people will vote with their feet everytime.

[Tommy]

Ok, I see what you meant. I just reread the article. To me it sounds like he's just talking about softball. He does a little comparing, but I don't feel he implied that it was better than baseball.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

Fair enough.

[Michael Stogner]

Comparing softball to baserball is kind of like comparing flag football to NFL football.

Consider the average batter in softball. Most hardly can bring the bat around with sufficent speed. It's the level of competition that creates these no-hitters and perfect games popping up in softball.

Now in baseball, a perfect game would be big news indeed. Even a no-hitter is a great accomplishment. When you see the size and strength of these players, their obvious skill levels, you can see that competition is both on a higher level and more consistent.

I also have to note that a hard pitched softball is coming in around 50-60 mph at best. The boys are routinely facing 80-90 mph small hardballs coming at em. How can you compare the two? What would the baseball team from Serra do with a ball coming in at 50 mph?

I know it is fashionable to put girl's sports on a par with boy's sports. But it is terribly silly to do this. The Daily News seems to favor girl's sports for some reason. I still recall Emmanuel Lee's comment that girl's volleyball is more exciting than boy's football. Huh?

Roscoe,
I know you are going to find this hard to beleive but we disagree on this subject. They are both great sports,

"I also have to note that a hard pitched softball is coming in around 50-60 mph at best."
Compare the distance:

The distance from the mound to home plate is shorter, therefore a 60 MPH
pitch equals a much faster speed, close to an 80MPH hardball pitch.

"Consider the average batter in softball. Most hardly can bring the bat around with sufficent speed." I am going to take a wild guess that you have not seen a Carlmont High School Lady Scots...Softball Game latley.

I invite to todays game: Burlingame 3:15
I'll buy you a hot dog.

Michael G. Stogner
Proud Father/Parent of
China Elizabeth Stogner....... a Carlmont Lady Scot

[TheLounge]

Guys,

All I was saying is that a softball game goes by a heck of a lot quicker than a baseball game.

From a reporter's standpoint, who has to write 1 to 2 stories a day, plus lay out six to eight pages of the sports section, the sooner games end, the sooner my day/night can end.

For what it's worth, when I was in college at Sac State, one of the local sports broadcasters was, I believe, Jim Youngblood, former linebacker for the then L.A. Rams. He was challenged to hit off Sac State's top softball pitcher. He fouled a couple pitches off, but ended up wiffing.

Also, since the softball pitcher's circle in 20 feet closer than a baseball mound, a 60 mph softball pitch is equivilant to something like a mid-90s fastball.

You're right. Baseball and softball are not the same games. But there is no arguing the fact that a seven-inning softball game goes by a lot quicker than a seven-inning baseball game.

[TheLounge]

Guys,

All I was saying is that high school softball games go by a lot quicker than baseball games. As a reporter who has to write 1 to 2 stories a day plus lay out six to eight pages of the sports section, the sooner a game ends, the sooner my day/night can end.

But calling baseball more refined? I don't know about that. Just watch Nomar Garciaparra of the Dodgers. After every pitch, he's stepping out of the box, re-adjusting gloves, helmet, jock, then he does his little flappy thing with arms and then gets back in. He goes through the same gyrations before every pitch.

[TheLounge]

Whoops. Posted the same sentiments twice.

[Diamond Dog]

Thats because hes thinking fondly of Mia and his fat contract extension.


But calling baseball more refined? I don't know about that. Just watch Nomar Garciaparra of the Dodgers. After every pitch, he's stepping out of the box, re-adjusting gloves, helmet, jock, then he does his little flappy thing with arms and then gets back in. He goes through the same gyrations before every pitch.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

Wish China well in her game. Thanks for the hot dog offer. Most kind.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

Jack Youngblood was a football player. Not surprised he whiffed the ball. I would expect the same of Mike Tyson, or Joe Montana.

But spreading myths and fables about the prowess of the softball player in relation to baseball players is bunk.

Baseball is a notoriously slow game. I never much liked it. Maybe I would like softball better as it is faster. But don't sell me on softball by making the case that the softball players are somehow on a par or better. If the girls are really this good, why don't they just play baseball? Most baseball players don't have pro-quality bat speed. Suddenly the girls do? Come on already.

[Michael Stogner]

Wish China well in her game. Thanks for the hot dog offer. Most kind.

Roscoe,
Thank you for the good wishes,

I should have said China was a Carlmont Lady Scot 1997-2000

China died this last October 23, 2006 at the age of 24, She fought a WAR with cervical cancer for 11 months. She was a warrior in my opinion.

I am confident if she was alive and well, she would be able to show you the bat speed you were discussing.

The hot dog offer still stands, needs to be at Carlmont though
I noticed Burlingame didn't have snack shack yesterday.

Best to you

Michael

[Tommy]

China was a great player and fun person--may she rest in peace.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

How truly tragic. Devastating news, Michael. The loss of a child. Devastating.

And I see why you attend those games. It's truly China's field. A place not just to remember, but a very special place to be with China again. A very special place for you.

[TheLounge]

Whose spreading fables? I was just pointing out that it's a lot harder to hit a good softball pitcher than people think. This ain't beer-league, slow-pitch softball. I'm sure Youngblood would have fanned facing a quality Little League pitcher, who can reach speeds in the mid to high 60s.

A softball game goes quicker than baseball. We agree on that. I'm not trying to sell anyone on anything. Personally, I'd rather watch a baseball game, there is a lot more going on. Softball is a completely different game that has it's own good points.

My whole point is, as a reporter who spends 10-12 hours at work, the quicker a game is over, the quicker I can finish my job for the day. That's it. It's the people in this thread that are comparing softball and baseball.

Jack Youngblood was a football player. Not surprised he whiffed the ball. I would expect the same of Mike Tyson, or Joe Montana.

But spreading myths and fables about the prowess of the softball player in relation to baseball players is bunk.

Baseball is a notoriously slow game. I never much liked it. Maybe I would like softball better as it is faster. But don't sell me on softball by making the case that the softball players are somehow on a par or better. If the girls are really this good, why don't they just play baseball? Most baseball players don't have pro-quality bat speed. Suddenly the girls do? Come on already.

[Roscoe_Beedle]

Out of respect for China and her father Michael I won't comment further. I do hope my previous post was not taken wrong. Certainly China and all the girls who choose to play softball are to be commended for their effort.

[Michael Stogner]

Out of respect for China and her father Michael I won't comment further. I do hope my previous post was not taken wrong. Certainly China and all the girls who choose to play softball are to be commended for their effort.

Roscoe,
Your posts are fine, not taken wrong....Both are great sports....Good for all of our children.......

Keep posting......China thought you were funny calling me all those names, don't stop now.

Best to you
Michael