A DAY AT THE PARK? : SOFTBALL SHEDS GENTEEL IMAGE.Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer Softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' is played by more people in this country than any other sport. Still, not everyone wants to watch. Some scoff and call it boring. Well, they haven't been paying attention Noun 1. paying attention - paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people); "his attentiveness to her wishes"; "he spends without heed to the consequences" attentiveness, heed, regard . Improved equipment, better coaching and year-round training have raised players' skill levels to new heights. Great lengths have been taken, especially at the collegiate level, to make softball more spectator friendly. The women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Women's Softball Tournament for college softball in the United States. The tournament is conducted in an eight-team, double-elimination format. is a championship that draws sellout crowds and is seen on national television. And softball will be an Olympic sport for the first time this summer. Anyone who has seen a college or high-level amateur game in the past few years would be hard-pressed to call softball boring. A typical college game, seven innings INNINGS, estates. Lands gained from the sea by draining. Cunn. L. Dict. h. t.; Law of Sewers, 31. in length, takes less than two hours to play. Teams routinely play doubleheaders that last as long as one nine-inning baseball game Noun 1. baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League . But for those still not hip to this most exciting game, be enlightened. In the mid-1980s, the powers that control college softball College softball is softball as played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education, predominantly in the United States. College softball is played by women at the intercollegiate level, whereas college baseball is played by men. decided no one liked their sport. So they made a change. A big change. Concerned that pitchers were dominating the game, the pitching rubber was moved from 40 feet from homeplate to 43 feet. The NCAA NCAA abbr. National Collegiate Athletic Association is the only level where the rubber is 43 feet away from the plate. (We offer no number comparisons as to how the distance change immediately affected the college game because the NCAA, which began sanctioning softball in 1982, does not have statistics from before 1991.) Aware that the sport was still suffering from a lack of offense, however, the NCAA looked for something more. In 1993, it introduced a new ball. The Wilson A9010 is polyurethane polyurethane Any of a class of very versatile polymers that are made into flexible and rigid foams, fibres, elastomers (elastic polymers), surface coatings, and adhesives. on the inside and bright yellow with raised red stitching on the outside. Many thought the game was about to become a mockery. A fluorescent ball? There was also concern that a juiced See Joost. See also juice. ball would endanger third basemen third baseman n. Baseball The infielder stationed near third base. Noun 1. third baseman - (baseball) the person who plays third base third sacker . The bases are only 60 feet apart, and the third baseman so often plays for a bunt in softball. The ball stayed, and most third basemen wear mouthpieces. The word most frequently used to describe what the A9010 does is ``pop.'' As in, ``It's got pop.'' In the A9010's first year, the individual home-run record of 18 was broken by one. The record was shattered shat·ter v. shat·tered, shat·ter·ing, shat·ters v.tr. 1. To cause to break or burst suddenly into pieces, as with a violent blow. 2. a. by midseason in 1994 and stood at 30. In 1995, Arizona's Laura Espinoza hit 37, a record that might stand for a while. ``The ball has made a difference,'' said Fresno State coach Margie Wright, also an assistant for the Olympic team. ``I'm very much from the old school and I like the 1-0 games, but I really appreciate and respect the adjustments everyone in the NCAA has had to make as the game has changed.'' Wright is not alone in her ambivalence. ``I like playing the other (boring) game because I am a pitcher,'' said Arkansas coach Carie Dever-Boaz. ``But I think it has helped the sport. There is more parity in college softball, and I think that was important if our sport was going to survive.'' Watching some softball coaches work is like being inside Mission Control. ``There's more strategy than in baseball,'' said Palomar College The Palomar Community College District's facilities improvement measure, Proposition M, was passed by 57% of voters in the November 8, 2006 General Election. As a result, the $694 million provided by the measure, as well as over $200 million in matching funds from the State and an coach Mark Eldridge, whose team has won two community college state titles and finished second in the state five times in the past 10 seasons. ``You can make a lot of moves. I use the whole roster traditionally.'' One difference between softball and baseball (after high school) is the re-entry RE-ENTRY, estates. The resuming or retaking possession of land which the party lately had. 2. Ground rent deeds and leases frequently contain a clause authorizing the landlord to reenter on the non-payment of rent, or the breach of some covenant, when the rule. In softball, a starter can be taken out of the game and re-entered once. Say one of your slower players hits a one-out double. As a coach, you can put in a pinch-runner who has a chance to motor around to home on a single and then bring back the slow runner to play in the field or hit again. Then there is the designated player, which differs from baseball's designated hitter designated hitter n. Baseball Abbr. DH A player designated at the start of a game to bat instead of the pitcher in the lineup. Noun 1. in that she can come in and play defense. ``It's a lot better than baseball,'' Eldridge said. ``You need to know how to use the rules, and you can help your team a lot.'' Why all the strategy? Even hard-core fans say it really does Warren Trotter, better known as Really Doe, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He is affiliated with Kanye West and his G.O.O.D. Music family and label. Discography Songs
But there is a reason for the movement - hope. Pinch running for a slow player at first base with two outs increases the possibility of scoring on a hit. ``They think this may be our last chance to score,'' Eldridge said. For all the talk of increased numbers, one run is still precious in softball. ``You can't count on giving up a run and coming back and getting it later,'' Eldridge said, noting the difference between softball and baseball. ``There is still a premium on runs,'' said University of Pacific coach Brian Kolze. ``Even though there is more offensive productivity, you still have the chance of a pitcher dominating a game. And getting a bunt down in the second inning might be the most important play of the game.'' Even with the changes, the pitcher is still the most dominating player on the field. A good pitcher in college softball will throw her fastball at 60 to 65 mph. Olympic team pitcher Michelle Granger consistently throws more than 70 mph. Her fastball reaches the plate - from 40 feet - about as fast as a 100 mph fastball does from baseball's 60 feet, 6 inches. What's astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, is that softball pitchers often pitch twice in a day, three or four or more times in a week. ``It's more of a natural motion,'' said Arkansas' Dever-Boaz, a former All-American pitcher at Fresno State. ``If a girl is mechanically sound, she can pitch (that often). But it is a misnomer misnomer n. the wrong name. MISNOMER. The act of using a wrong name. 2. Misnomers, may be considered with regard to contracts, to devises and bequests, and to suits or actions. 3.-1. that a girl can throw forever and it won't hurt them.'' Dever-Boaz's throwing shoulder is an inch lower than her other shoulder. Complete games are still the norm in softball. As fewer pitchers are dominating the game, however, teams have gone to having two and three pitchers on their staff. Some college pitchers said it was true that if they throw correctly, they do not feel much pain, but that they enjoyed the rest. ``I think they slow down as the season goes on,'' Eldridge said. ``I think the power pitchers In baseball, a power pitcher is a pitcher who relies on the velocity of his pitches, sometimes at the expense of accuracy. Power pitchers usually record a high number of strikeouts and statistics such as strikeouts per 9 innings pitched are common measures of power. suffer through it. I'm glad to see teams going to more than one main pitcher. This past season, Cal State Northridge coach Janet Sherman had two pitchers that often came on in relief of one another. That approach usually worked for the Matadors: one pitcher threw mainly a fastball and the other threw slower junk. A good softball pitcher at the college level will have at least four pitches - a fastball, change-up, riseball and drop. Some pitchers might have a screwball screw·ball n. 1. Baseball A pitched ball that curves in the direction opposite to that of a normal curve ball. 2. Slang An eccentric, impulsively whimsical, or irrational person. adj. and a curve. Power is not as important any more. ``You eventually can catch up to speed,'' Sherman said. ``A pitcher who can throw a good rise, drop and change I'd take over a pitcher who can throw 70 miles per hour.'' It happens a few hours after you leave the ballpark. You become aware of a chorus playing in your head. Perhaps you even yell it out. I see a hole and Jenny's going to find it. Anyone who has been to a softball game - be it youth leagues, high school or college - has heard the cheering. ``I can't say it hasn't ever gotten on my nerves,'' Eldridge said. Not for one second, or so it seems, does the team that is up to bat shut up. In unison, and sometimes in the round, they cheer on their hitters. It is obvious some of the more advanced cheers entailed much practice. But college players quizzed for this story swear their team has never actually met as a group to practice cheers. ``It's something you start doing in pee-wee league,'' said Dever-Boaz. Asked about the constant chatter, Olympic team member Dot Richardson Dorothy ("Dot") Gay Richardson (born September 22, 1961 in Orlando, Florida) is a former international softball player. She used to play on the sidelines at her brothers' baseball games. shrugged and smiled knowingly, as if this is not the first time she has contemplated the issue. ``Sometimes I'm like, `Forget the cheering, and let's just play.' ``Sometimes I wish we'd quit focusing so much on the cheering. But it's like the other team is cheering, so we have to cheer.'' Softball, like many other sports, has become specialized. Girls are playing softball and only softball. In the process, they are becoming extremely skilled. ``They practice more,'' Sherman said of today's players. ``When I came up we took the months off from August through November. Now there's a tournament every weekend.'' Since pitching is what ruled the game, that is what always has been worked on. Not so any more. ``Now you have kids doing the same thing on the offensive end and going to hitting lessons,'' said Pacific's Kolze. ``There is more emphasis on mechanics and fundamentals.'' In fact, many argue that softball has eclipsed its older cousin because of the huge gains in skill, the complex strategy and participation numbers. Cal State Northridge power hitter Chelo Lopez said it flatly. ``We are,'' she said, ``more exciting than baseball.'' GLOSSARY OF SOFTBALL TERMS Designated player: In softball, the designated hitter can hit for any position player. The position player being hit for is the designated player. Re-entry rule: A starter can leave a game and re-enter re·en·ter also re-en·ter v. re·en·tered, re·en·ter·ing, re·en·ters v.tr. 1. To enter or come in to again. 2. To record again on a list or ledger. v.intr. once. Slapper: A left-handed hitter who starts in the back of the box and takes two or three steps before hitting the ball on the run. Uses speed to beat out throw. Pitching circle: Eight feet in diameter, the pitching rubber sits in the middle. Once the pitcher has the ball in the pitching circle, a runner must make her move to a base. CAPTION(S): Drawing, Box, Chart Drawing: A PITCHER'S TOOLS Most softball pitc hers have at least four pitches: a riser, a drop ball, a changeup change·up n. Baseball A pitch intended to look like a fastball, which actually approaches the plate at a slow speed, thereby causing the batter to swing prematurely. [Alteration of change-of-pace.] and a fastball. Some also have a curveball or a screwball. All use the windmill windmill, apparatus that harnesses wind power for a variety of uses, e.g., pumping water, grinding corn, driving small sawmills, and driving electrical generators. Windmills were probably not known in Europe before the 12th cent. motion pictured below, throwing from the pitching rubber - not a mound - which is 40 to 43 feet from home plate. RISE BALL: Ball begins sharp rise 3 feet before plate CHANGE-UP: Pitcher's arm speed is same as for fastball, but her hand hits her hip and the ball pops out, slowing the ball to about 35 mph, a little more than half the speed of a normal fastball. DROP BALL: Ball begins sharp drop 3 feet before plate. CURVEBALL: Ball curves to the left or right, depending on the batter, 3 feet before the plate. THE WINDMILL DELIVERY: Backswing back·swing n. The initial part of a stroke, in which one moves a racket or club, for instance, to the position from which forward motion begins. , Stride, Release/Snap, Follow Through. Perry Perez/Daily News Box: A SOFTBALL GLOSSARY (see text) Chart: BASEBALL VS. SOFTBALL |
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