Female Pitchers

[jdfromfla]

Man this is just the best site.
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So what? You prove them wrong

[Zita Carno]

Good morning, jdfromfla.
I was just reminded of something Joe Garagiola once said in his book "Baseball Is A Funny Game". And he was all seriousness when he said it. Baseball is a game where everybody has a chance. The person with glasses. The short and the skinny. The persons of different hues. The ones who would not permit certain medical conditions to stop them (if you recall, Allie Reynolds was a diabetic). And the female of the species. Everybody has a chance. If they have what it takes, if they can do it, they should be given the opportunity to show what they can do.
I've been having a great time, along with Pustulio and undersizedrhp and Roger and a few others, talking with our friend who wants to get back into baseball and become a pitcher, giving her not only advice but also encouragement and support. It reminded me of my own playing days, when because of some unusual circumstances I hooked up with a very good, you might almost call it, semipro team and spent two decades or so making opposing hitters look unbelievably stupid with my arsenal of snake jazz. It reminded me of the almost four years I spent working with and learning from Ed Lopat, a Yankee pitcher who once told me he would work with anyone, and he meant anyone, who was interested, who wanted to know and who was willing to work at it. He also said that it wouldn't have mattered if I had been from another planet. He saw me as a good young pitcher who wanted to know, who wanted to be more effective on the mound, and who was willing to work at it, and he took me in hand, worked with me and helped me become that more effective pitcher. It reminded me of the nickname that got pinned on me: my second baseman told me that everyone else in our league was calling me "the Exterminator" because I was just killing them! Those were good times indeed, and I will always remember how my teammates---guys 18 and older, all of them---didn't mind one bit having a 5'4", 125-pound sidearming shrimp on the pitching staff because I was getting the batters out.
They had the right idea.
One reads all sorts of stuff written by folks who think they know it all---they cite all sorts of excuses disguised as reasons why females can't play baseball. Jennifer Ring, a member of SABR like myself, has written a book called "Stolen Bases: Why American Girls Don't Play Baseball", and in this book she exposes this so-called reasoning for what it is: a crock of b.s. And that's not the worst of it; there are those creatures who think they know everything who insist that never mind Title IX and all the rest of it, females have no place in sports altogether, they should go home and play with their dolls. More b.s., a whole Mt. Fuji of it. I don't know whether to laugh or hit the ceiling!
And so I have been following with great interest the odyssey of the young Japanese girl who throws a mean knuckleball, and I wish her the best. I wish our determined friend on these boards the best. I understand that she wants to learn to throw the knuckler, which can be a very mean pitch indeed, and that our resident expert on the subject---Pustulio---will be very happy to help. And all of us with varying degrees of expertise will do likewise.
Have a great day, and stay warm.
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"Goddess of the Slider"

[jdfromfla]

My son was pitching a JV game against Pedro Menendez High down in St Augustine and was just slaying them. The problem was his catcher..though he had the body and mind (His grandpa was a minor league cather), he just couldn't drop and block..I mean it got down right ridiculous, in the 3rd inning, he had k'd the order, but because of the catcher dropping 3rd strike he had already struck out 5. Well their coach sends in a pinch hitter, I saw braids sticking out and am thinking my son hasn't faced a girl since he was 8 or 9 and I wondered how he'd react, well he just went right at her and she flinched on a curve..so he's thinkin.."oh maybe I'll just drop in another duece for my 6th recorded k of this inning"....smack...hard shot into the deep hole at second, where the hitherto bored 2nd baseman is making frantic moves to corral the grounder and just got her by a hair. After the game he said he wasn't going to do anything different..he saw she was ready and of a much higher quality than the rest of the line-up so he wasn't just going to groove stuff. Well we know a couple of the parents of the Menendez kids and they verified that this girl had been tearing up JV pitching all over the district and she both pitched and played 2nd (She PH that game because she had thrown a complete game victory the night before ). This girl played until her jr. year and then she went to softball.
As with girl place-kickers in football, if a person can fit the slot better than any other prospect then they should be in that slot, at least getting a shot. I think this poster has as good a chance to play and play regularly if the skill she presents equals the spirit she portrays.
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So what? You prove them wrong

[mboostedt]

This is really the most support I've gotten, and it completely baffles me that people I've never met, have faith in me. All of this makes me want to throw harder and better than anyone else. I have one year to train, and I'm not going to waste any second of it. Thank you guys for so much support and for the articles and videos. I really do appreciate all of this.

[mboostedt]

Which do you believe is better, sidearming or over the top?

[UndersizedRHP]

I wouldn't say one is better than the other. Some people find success doing one or the other or both.

Whatever makes you get people out is really what matters.
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If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base.

[Roger]

That's a great answer, UndersizedRHP!

[Zita Carno]

The important thing is to find your natural arm slot---whichever delivery is comfortable for you and enables you to throw as hard as you can without risking injury---and stick with it. I have heard too many stories about pitchers who were forced to change their deliveries because some coach said so (no doubt because said coach may have had an agenda), often with deleterious results. Whatever is comfortable for you, be it overhand, three-quarter or sidearm, that's the one to use.
My pitching coach of long ago had this basic premise: that every pitcher has a natural motion, and what he would do was work with that pitcher and show him or her how to make the most of it. I was a natural sidearmer with a consistent release point, and I used the crossfire extensively, and he used this as a jumping-off point from which to work with me. I wasn't what one would call fast, although at one point I did pick up an 81MPH four-seam fast ball, but I threw lots of good breaking stuff, and he helped me refine those pitches. He also worked with me on various aspects of fielding my position---most important, believe me. In addition---most pitchers are either strikeout pitchers or ones who pitch to contact (as Mr. Lopat put it, "Get the ball over the plate and make them hit it. Make them go after your pitch, what you want them to hit")so as to get the ground balls; I could do it both ways, depending on the situation.
So, it's a matter of what feels comfortable for you and what enables you to get the batters out.
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"Goddess of the Slider"

[mboostedt]

Well, I read the articles about the cons of being a sidearming pitcher, and I mean, if my arm gives out on me it probably wouldn't be the biggest catastrophe because I really do only have maybe one year to play ball in the state of Florida unless I get picked up like you did Zita Carno.

I'm just worried about it.
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“It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.”- Babe Ruth

[Zita Carno]

Don't worry about it. Just find your comfortable arm slot, work like heck on getting good mechanics, and get out there and pitch. These things have a way of falling into place. And as Babe Ruth said, it's very hard to beat someone who doesn't give up. I'm with you all the way.
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"Goddess of the Slider"

[mboostedt]

I'm definately going to work on finding my arm slot. I took the chance and talked to my coach about playing next year, and having him at least work with me a little bit on finding my arm slot, and he seems pretty fine with it. And the some of the guys on the team that overheard don't have a problem with a female on the team really.

It feels amazing that things are starting to fall into place, and I really need to thank everyone who replied to this post for all of the help. It's giving me more and more courage to go for it harder.


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“It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.”- Babe Ruth

[UndersizedRHP]

http://www.bigbendcowboys.com/

This independent team just signed Tiffany Brooks
_________________
If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there are men on base.