How do we fix softball?
- Thread starter jbo911
- Start date
SandyWH
#Delicious
One of the problems I've seen is that no 1st year teams filled with guys just looking to play a little ball with their buddies seem to come back. They get their heads kicked in every game and are treated like intruders to by the regular teams in a league. No they weren't very good, but some of these teams should know that going in, and instead of beating them 35-2, maybe let everyone play in different spot and work on some things batting wise and try to keep things remotely respectable. Shooting middle at a 45 y/o guy wearing jeans with a 22-run lead doesn't make teams want to stick around.
I remember my first league team was like that and one of the best teams, filled with B/C players beat our brains in the first time we played, then the next game, after they knew we weren't a threat, they lent us a few of their bats to use (in place of our Wal-Mart specials) and the pitcher and catcher helped coach the very poor players a bit during the game. Yeah we lost like 26-8, but that 8 was probably the most we scored all season, and we felt like champs afterwards. Here we are 18 years later and 9 of the 14 guys on that team are still playing in the same league, and we're all much much better.
I remember my first league team was like that and one of the best teams, filled with B/C players beat our brains in the first time we played, then the next game, after they knew we weren't a threat, they lent us a few of their bats to use (in place of our Wal-Mart specials) and the pitcher and catcher helped coach the very poor players a bit during the game. Yeah we lost like 26-8, but that 8 was probably the most we scored all season, and we felt like champs afterwards. Here we are 18 years later and 9 of the 14 guys on that team are still playing in the same league, and we're all much much better.
OilCountryCanno
Star Player
Sick story, and that's how you do it. Good on that team for stepping up and showing you guys the ropes because that kind of chivalrous attitude is insanely rare in slopitch.
MPT23
Putting on the foil
I went from playing year-round, multiple nights a week in a pretty well-run league in Los Angeles to i now live in podunk, or. where the guy in charge of the fields rapes the local softball players to the tune of 900.00 @ team for a 5 week season of 2 games a week of non competitive co-ed. The price drove off half the teams that had been regulars in the league. Its a disgrace !!!! He has the only fields in town, and figures he can charge whatever he wants. 80 miles to the next town with organized ball ( medford ). Gonna have to find some fields and go grassroots here to try and have a decent scene, or move.
Hanovi
Desperados Softball
I feel this way about it: 1.Baseball as a whole is not as popular as it use to be back in the 80's and 90's as a result kids playing it as a sport growing up through high school isnt as popular nowadays. So kids coming out of high school and continuing by playing softball like I did and a lot of others have done is losing its popularity.
2.Around here I noticed a big decline when the new USSSA bat rule came into affect. A lot of guys didnt want to buy new bats etc. and a lot that was at the age where "should I keep playing or retire" the new bat rule and spending that money kinda help make up their minds
2.Around here I noticed a big decline when the new USSSA bat rule came into affect. A lot of guys didnt want to buy new bats etc. and a lot that was at the age where "should I keep playing or retire" the new bat rule and spending that money kinda help make up their minds
Funny story, we had a team like that this year.
No one could pitch. So the game against them was either hit illegal pitches all game and swing at anything which got dangerous, or blow them out by taking walks.
I am all for welcoming a team, but damn. Those games were no damn fun at all. And they made a lady pitch those illegal balls all game. :wtf2:
No one could pitch. So the game against them was either hit illegal pitches all game and swing at anything which got dangerous, or blow them out by taking walks.
I am all for welcoming a team, but damn. Those games were no damn fun at all. And they made a lady pitch those illegal balls all game. :wtf2:
cyoung187
Coach
You need to have beer and plenty of Coed teams to get people to the park. Guys will follow the beer and women, wherever they are. A lot of the guys who take the game way too seriously draw people away from it. Some new player comes to the park to have a good time and sees a bunch of guys treating a rec sport like it's their life, wearing some full dye shirt, hitting it at the pitcher and talking a bunch of ****. No wonder they laugh and say "I don't want to spend my time with these clowns".
I will say the softer balls have made things better, don't have everybody and their mother hitting oops HRs
I will say the softer balls have made things better, don't have everybody and their mother hitting oops HRs
louconn
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
softball is actually pretty strong for a small town. in mens league, we have 3 divisions. each division has 10-14 teams. coed, there are 5 divisions with 10-12 teams per division. league fees are fairly cheap. i think $325 per team for 20games + playoffs and season opening tourney. our softball complexes are pretty nice too. cheating isnt a problem here. i've never suspected anyone of swinging glass. most people here dont know what a shaved bat is.
blldwg23
Coach
And to expand on this a bit. I remember growing up playing DYB/LL we might would practice one a week and play 2 games and that was it and when the season started practice was pretty much done. Now it is practice two nights a week play two games a week, and then get ready to play all weekend travel ball. It's crazy. Then we wonder why a kid cant throw the ball without surgery by the time he is 21.
With what used to be the "core" softball age folks now tied up with their kids sports what do you got. A generation that thinks they should win all the time (sandbagging), a shortcut to everything view (cheat, shaved sticks), and a I am the best I should of been drafted attitude (you know what goes here). Then that turns a lot of folks off.
MP33
Addicted to Softballfans
I think one of the biggest problems is lazy or incompetent LD's.
When I lived in Montgomery, AL, there were 40-50 teams/league, and played 4 nights/week. About 2 years after I moved, some buddies said the LD started to run the league like crap, teams left, and the league went to crap.
Out here, our old LD didn't give a rats ass about softball, (except he catered to women's league because he thought he was going to get laid, which he didn't), and softball would decline steadily every year. This year, new LD, she has no clue about softball, but she tries, and listens to the players on how to make things better. Hopefully this attitude/new regime will lead to better softball leagues here. Only person I've heard out here saying they won't come back is Trip, which didn't surprise anyone
When I lived in Montgomery, AL, there were 40-50 teams/league, and played 4 nights/week. About 2 years after I moved, some buddies said the LD started to run the league like crap, teams left, and the league went to crap.
Out here, our old LD didn't give a rats ass about softball, (except he catered to women's league because he thought he was going to get laid, which he didn't), and softball would decline steadily every year. This year, new LD, she has no clue about softball, but she tries, and listens to the players on how to make things better. Hopefully this attitude/new regime will lead to better softball leagues here. Only person I've heard out here saying they won't come back is Trip, which didn't surprise anyone
stork
Rocky Mountain Oyster aka DirtDog
See, it is getting better already. :biggthumpup:
MP33
Addicted to Softballfans
I talked to his men's team manager, told him Trip wasn't coming back, he said good, ain't going to hurt us one bit
trip
stfu
the local brewery used to sponsor a team and the guys that worked there would all bring out six packs which i'm sure they got for free. that stuff's too heavy to drink during a game. i want piss water if i'm going to have one while playing
i'm one of like three people who don't even bother with it while playing unless it's the tournament and we're already out, which is usually by lunchtime
i'm one of like three people who don't even bother with it while playing unless it's the tournament and we're already out, which is usually by lunchtime
blackbeasst
Addicted to Softballfans
ha! there's something i haven't seen in 10 years or more!
Thats why some of the jackson guys come to play tournaments in salt lake now
MP33
Addicted to Softballfans
We could get teams to come here if the school district would let people camp at the fields. They got a 15 acre empty field 200 yards from the softball fields, would be easy to let people camp there, and have them park at the fields or the middle school parking lot.
MP33
Addicted to Softballfans
OilCountryCanno
Star Player
Agreed. sooooo many sh*t weasels out there swinging altered sticks that really wouldn't be able to hit a 315' fence skimmer with an old school metal bat if their mothers life depended on it. Even without the altering, a high percentage would be very heartbroken after going from their DC41 to a good old Easton Hammer type log. But they would have to sack up and take bp, hit the gym, or be a gap hunter.
markcarranza80
Addicted to Softballfans
I've seen a few amount for league fees but none of them trump TWP here in San Antonio. Not sure if there has been a decrease in number of teams, but the prices have gone through the roof. Currently the price per team is $800(based on 10 players at $80/player) and then a $2 entry fee per person each game. So the price per player is pretty mush $100 per player and thats for a 10 game season and NO playoffs. Everywhere else in the surrounding area is like $350-$450 per team and no entry fees.
BeagleHound24
Starting Player
In Canada I had to pay $1600~ per team for an umpired lit field.