gaternation
Addicted to Softballfans
Not many people go a crisp 1-4 and say they love defense more then hitting. I have used every ball imaginable and universally guys prefer a good ball and want to hit over using a dead ball
.52s in humidity
- Thread starter TWmccoy
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Muscles220
Addicted to Softballfans
Which is exactly why we should bring hard balls back and dial down the bats. There’s a feel to a harder ball that everyone likes. The problem is that the manufactures can’t keep engineering things to sell you if you go that route.
If I offered my kids Skittles for dinner they'd choose that too. You can't just ask the players if they'd rather hit a hotter ball or a less hot one, especially after essentially 14 years of mildly too hot equipment. I cut it off at 2004 because even though that was the year after the Ultras, we didn't have the problems like we do now.
We had synergy+ and 44/525 balls and we didn't have the problems we have now. Nobody wanted to play e. Now people appeal down to it.
People moved up to hit homeruns, now they appeal down to play where hrs are an inning ending out and an offensive ejection.
League and tournament participation speaks for itself.
So I ask you, do we want to keep asking the players what to do about equipment, or do we want to add some skill gap back to this game? Do we keep letting the guys that play to fight and drink beer perform close to the same level as the guys that work on their game? Is anyone besides asa ready to stop the short term cash grab and think long term about restoring some of the sport back to this game?
tonys1
Moderator
LOL
gaternation
Addicted to Softballfans
I believe the commercial was chicks dig the long ball. Bottom line is it's an amateur game played by people who have different means of measuring success. Most people but not all still prefer to hit over any other aspect of the game of softball. For those who live for defense good for you, but most people still prefer to hit and most importantly be successful at it. So maybe giving a church league guy a stadium ball isn't the best idea however the other players can enjoy a better ball vs a wet sock.
jhitman
Well-Known Member
Finally a voice of reason....I know everyone that I've spoken to in our senior leagues hate the ball and would like to go back to the 44 cor 375 comp softballs. We don't necessarily want the stadium softballs or Ultra 2's back in the game, but just a ball that is half decent and actually makes a sound when you hit it that doesn't sound like a wet sponge. I think they finally had it right when they cut down from a 47 cor 525 comp softball to 44 375. Just my opinion and everyone that I play with in our senior leagues here.
ilyk2win
Addicted to Softballfans
Funny bc I remember when the 44/375 came out and everyone cried then that it was too "soft" of a ball. If you can't be "successful at it" without technology making the speed of the game cartoonish, maybe you'll just have to swallow that you aren't really that good.
hrdchrgin13
Well-Known Member
I played in my first tourney in 2 years and the guys still playing down blows my mind. There was an Upper bracket that didn't make... imagine that, but anyway there was a team we played against (it was 2hr then IEO) and they hit 3 more homeruns. The sport would benefit from these guys playing where they need to play. Joe Rec Guy can't field this **** when it is hit down and no one likes to be drummed by the clearly superior team.
jhitman
Well-Known Member
The leagues are senior leagues with players that are minimum age of 55 and some as old as 70+. The extra benefit of a better softball will help even things out a bit. You may not know this but as you become 55+ and older you don't have the same strength, bat speed and flexibility that you had in your youth. Some of us can still hit the mush ball out of the park but 95% of the seniors don't.
ilyk2win
Addicted to Softballfans
You're mixing up 2 entirely separate discussions here. Equipment for seniors (and I'm talking over 50 not over 40) is an entirely different topic than equipment for Under 50. The vast majority of whiners about the balls being too "soft" are Under 50.
Exactly, but it's been going on for so long that they'll have to bring the equipment into it. Right now every single player on my team can hit the ball out, and maybe three can handle a hot shot in the information with any regularity. It's too hard to build a new team and bring in New players when it's so much easier to hit than it is to field.
By making it so easy to hit, they've allowed the no skill douche bags to play at the same level as decent players and what decent player wants to be associated with those guys? Possibly lose to those guys?
Why do you say good for you like I prefer defense to hitting? I never said that. I prefer to play defense than to stand in one spot and hope it's either hit right at me, or popped up since that's the only way to make a play 90% of the time these days.
People that can truly hit can hit with anything. People with skill know what takes actual skill. When everyone is crushing it 350, then 350 doesn't mean anything anymore. It's why basketball isn't played on nine foot goals. It's why the rim isn't five feet across. It's why an official baseball is an official baseball.
I like the description above of cartoonish because that's what it is. I've been playing for 25 years and it's never been more cartoonish.
300 pound compression bats and a 47/325 might not be a bad combo, but I don't think they'll change the bats anything soon. That leaves the balls so here we are.
gaternation
Addicted to Softballfans
When I replied you I replied that in a general sense, not you specifically. This point isn't a big deal except my answer before was and is most softball players like hitting with a good ball vs a sock. If anyone gets butt hurt over what that definition means then I can't help them. It's a generalization and something most people generally agree with.
hrdchrgin13
Well-Known Member
He's right ^, no one wants to hit socks. hell even in BP we will chuck a sponge to the side. The change has to come from the players imo. Even if associations change the ball, bat manufacturers will eventually figure out what hits them the best and put that product on the market.
Might have to move to big league fields
Might have to move to big league fields
That's the main problem around here. We have to hit Worth balls 90% of the time at least, and their GSL balls are hard as hell. Hot Dots are terrible, and people don't realize there are good versions by other companies.
Nobody wants to hit socks, and nobody wants to hit logs, and then nobody wants to get in front of piss missiles, and then nobody wants to play with hr limits, and nobody wants to play somebody that beats their face in, and nobody wants to play without rosters if the other team picks up better ringers than they do. Softball players should be the last people being asked about this. They will spend a whole game humiliating an ump over a call they know he got right just to try and get an edge later. It's like asking the batting team if a ball was fair or foul.
hrdchrgin13
Well-Known Member
you can see the mark, that ball was fair
jhitman
Well-Known Member
Most of the senior guys just want to hit something that gives them a good chance for success. Some have lost a great deal of bat speed so the extra added compression in the better softballs can even things out a bit. I really think they had it right here when we had dropped down to the 44 cor 375's. Not too hot a softball, but the ball had decent life especially in the cooler temps. I hate to see some senior here giving up league play because of the mush balls. When they go to their senior tournaments they get spoiled using a 44 cor 375 comp softball with senior bats.