Over 40 ball?

[Kaos]

I played baseball until I was 20 and softball until about 40 when I "retired" due to continued nagging injuries and an erosion of skills.  I never figured the last time I walked off the field would really be the last time though.

Coaching filled some of that void.  Haven't done that in a long time either.  Tried to help this fall but my patience with little kids isn't the best. So I backed out.

When I played ball I was never a long ball hitter.  One HR in high school.  To a very short right field wall.

So this weekend my daughter is helping with this charity thing for where she works.  One of the things was a baseball pitching machine.   Went out to help her set it up.  High school field. She ramped the machine up to 70. I haven't swung a bat in anger in at least a decade.  Two of my first five swings were hammered to left. And out.  Banked another off the fence.  Two more line drives.  All of it dead center of the barrel. 

So I have no idea.  How do I have more power at 50 than I did at 20? Or 30? 

So now I think I might want to try to find an over 40 league. See if I have one more season in me.

Anybody here ever tried to play old man ball?  I probably should hit some more to see if it was a one-day insanity. 

[CCTAU]

What kind of bat were you using. Technology has come a long way since 1959!

[djsimp]

I only offer a reason to your question about hitting. As you get older, your young man drive may weaken but the old man strength gets stronger. That is the ability to when to use that inner man. TheRe is wisdom but at the same time exerting yourself when the time is along with just love and enjoyment of a said sport. I love coaching even more so than playing but after coaching X amount of years I fully believe I would be a much better player. I believe that has made you better in my opinion. I different aspect of the game you love.

[Snaggletiger]

Not the same thing here but I had a baseball revelation of my own a few years back.  From T-ball up through 12-13 years old, mini played ball and I made sure and was either head coach or an assistant coach on every team.  In addition, I was taking him to personal hitting lessons at one of the baseball academies here.  I paid close attention to everything so I would have something new to pass along to the players.

One day, we went to the batting cages here. After working with my boy, I decided to step in and take a few cuts. While in the cage, I hade the crazy notion to turn around and hit lefty. As much baseball as I played in my life into college, I never really tried that because I felt totally uncoordinated.  But I stopped and thought of all the things the instructor had been teaching my kid.  Building a swing from the ground up. Sweet Haysus, I was knocking the cover off the ball.  It felt completely natural.  And I did go back several times.  Each time, I got better and better. I was thinking why in the world did I not try this when I was in H.S. or college?

A couple of things. I went back to the instructor and told him about it.  He did an "eye test" on me he does with his students and found I was completely "right eye dominant".  He said I'm surprised you could see anything from the right side of the plate.  Second, I realized the total sum of hitting instruction I got growing up was a teammate's dad, who worked as a teller at the local bank, telling me to "Step into it and hit that ball".  I had completely taught myself the right way to swing on the side I could see the ball from.  Where was this instruction when I was 12?

So many pedo jokes teed up in this post.  Fire away.

[Buzz Killington]

I would suggest trying to hit live pitching before you go all in.  You may find that straight ball you hit very much, but curve ball you no hit.

[CCTAU]

Second, I realized the total sum of hitting instruction I got growing up was a teammate's dad, who worked as a teller at the local bank, telling me to "Step into it and hit that ball".  I had completely taught myself the right way to swing on the side I could see the ball from.  Where was this instruction when I was 12.

I could totally see this happening. I was NOT a baseball player. Why, you may ask? I could not hit shit. There was absolutely NO HITTING coaching.

Now, I would out athlete you and and make some of the most awesome catches in the outfield you had ever seen.

When little CT first started playing, I wanted to coach. I had seen parent coaches before. Most had no clue how to even jog, much less play.

So I watched guys who were really good with young players. And I hit up every clinic I could find.  I was amazed at how easy coaching hitting was for beginners. If I had only gooten half of what I taught, I would have played college ball easy.

With eh advent of cheap video, they were able to break down the natural swing of all the greats and teach it in steps. So if you could hit naturally from the right side, then you could follow the steps from the left and create a technical hitting ability to go with your natural eye for the ball.
We live in a great age. If any of you younger dads want to coach, but think you can't, go to clinics. Watch videos. Learn to teach it simply from the ground up and you'll be helping out a whole generation of kids.

And get a pitching machine. Yes. Get a pitching machine....

[Kaos]

I would suggest trying to hit live pitching before you go all in.  You may find that straight ball you hit very much, but curve ball you no hit.

Well yeah.  I had trouble with that through juco ball. 

Most high school players just rared back and tried to throw heat when I was in high school.  I was a catcher and I'd call for curves and sliders but it was sometimes hard to tell the difference. Most teams had one good pitcher and the rest just flung it. I could hit okay in high school.  Not for power ever. Contact.  So when I got to juco and pitchers were actually pitching as opposed to throwing?  I struggled.  Fine defensively but a liability at the plate. 

You're right too.  Zero coaching on what to do. Most of our practices were just variations on live scrimmages and then go hit in the cage. Nobody telling me what I did wrong or right.  No instruction on technique.   Keep your eye on the ball and get that back elbow up. That was about it. 

I did find out about ten years ago that my eyes don't "line up"  Left eye saw lower than the right whatever that means. Was causing headaches and messing up my depth perception.  Corrective lenses straightened that out. 

I might still look for a league and see if I can make a team.  But my elbow hurts like hell today.  Ha.

[Buzz Killington]

I had a few friends try to talk me into playing a couple of years ago in a league here in the Ham.  I politely turned them down and stayed in the beer slow pitch league. 

[WiregrassTiger]

Most of you have probably heard about how great of an athlete that I am and was. Well, I got picked up to play mural softball my sr year for a fill in one game. Struck out whiffing.

People laughing and girls giggling.

No way I will put myself through that again.

Now, put me in a batting cage with a baseball and I actually do better. I don't get it.

[War Eagle!!!]

I had a few friends try to talk me into playing a couple of years ago in a league here in the Ham.  I politely turned them down and stayed in the beer slow pitch league.

And your mom was so proud!

[Kaos]

What kind of bat were you using. Technology has come a long way since 1959!

Very true actually. 

About half the players on my HS team still used wooden bats.  Aluminum didn't become legal for high schools until like 75 or 76. They were expensive. Those metal bats were heavy and clunky.  Hollowing out a wooden bat and filling it with super bounce balls was a better option.

Those early metal bats were nothing like the Easton I was using last weekend.

When I played softball I used better bats.. Bought myself a DeMarini or two. Still didn't show the power I had Saturday  I figure now it was just an anomaly.  Maybe I'll just try to find a softball team.  Co-Ed or something easier.

[dallaswareagle]

Very true actually. 

About half the players on my HS team still used wooden bats.  Aluminum didn't become legal for high schools until like 75 or 76. They were expensive. Those metal bats were heavy and clunky.  Hollowing out a wooden bat and filling it with super bounce balls was a better option.

Those early metal bats were nothing like the Easton I was using last weekend.

When I played softball I used better bats.. Bought myself a DeMarini or two. Still didn't show the power I had Saturday  I figure now it was just an anomaly.  Maybe I'll just try to find a softball team.  Co-Ed or something easier.

Try umpiring, your on the field the whole game, yea you get bitched at by clowns half your age, but watching them melt down when you get even is more than fun.

[Buzz Killington]

Try umpiring, your on the field the whole game, yea you get bitched at by clowns half your age, but watching them melt down when you get even is more than fun.

Good call, blue.  If you had one more eye, you would be a cyclops!

[CCTAU]

Very true actually. 

About half the players on my HS team still used wooden bats.  Aluminum didn't become legal for high schools until like 75 or 76. They were expensive. Those metal bats were heavy and clunky.  Hollowing out a wooden bat and filling it with super bounce balls was a better option.

Those early metal bats were nothing like the Easton I was using last weekend.

When I played softball I used better bats.. Bought myself a DeMarini or two. Still didn't show the power I had Saturday  I figure now it was just an anomaly.  Maybe I'll just try to find a softball team.  Co-Ed or something easier.

If you were using a BBCOR, that was some nice hitting. (same coefficient as wood bat)

If it was a BESR, those things are dangerous.

I remember the first aluminum bats. They were like one size fits all. The only good thing about them was they wold not break. 

[Kaos]

Try umpiring, your on the field the whole game, yea you get bitched at by clowns half your age, but watching them melt down when you get even is more than fun.

Did it for a year.  No way in hell. Never ever again.  Did softball and little league/pony league the same year.

I umped a little league tournament and wanted to go up in the stands and whip every parent's ass.  After I beat all the coaches with a bat.  Regular season was bad enough but this pissy little tournament was awful.

Did one of those all-weekend softball tournaments and DID end up in a pushing and shoving match over balls and strikes.  It was like 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning, I'd done probably 15 games and everybody had enough of it.  Dude at the plate didn't like the call, he could go fuck himself and chaos. 

[Pell City Tiger]

Good call, blue.  If you had one more eye, you would be a cyclops!

Hey ump! Is this your cell phone? It has five missed calls!

[Snaggletiger]

Hey ump! Is this your cell phone? It has five missed calls!

Hey Ump, that guy was out as a deaf kid playing musical chairs.

[dallaswareagle]

Hey ump! Is this your cell phone? It has five missed calls!

Hey red(USSSA) you work for AT&T?  Cause you make all your calls long distance.

[Snaggletiger]

Hey Ump, I thought only horses slept standing up.

[dallaswareagle]

Did it for a year.  No way in hell. Never ever again.  Did softball and little league/pony league the same year.

I umped a little league tournament and wanted to go up in the stands and whip every parent's ass.  After I beat all the coaches with a bat.  Regular season was bad enough but this pissy little tournament was awful.

Did one of those all-weekend softball tournaments and DID end up in a pushing and shoving match over balls and strikes.  It was like 2 a.m. on a Sunday morning, I'd done probably 15 games and everybody had enough of it.  Dude at the plate didn't like the call, he could go fuck himself and chaos.

I've done it for 20 years now, from the lowest level all the to the Major's and world series down in Disney. It use to be fun and we get $19.00 a game. Now it is a 50 minute bitch session in most leagues and especially Tournaments. I have backed off to just two nights week. It pays for my golf.