Pseudo-Cricket

[KrazyHorse]

Whenever I've been roped into pitching for slowpitch softball I always make sure to do two things:

1) Putting as much arc as possible on the ball. The ball should go ~10-12 feet up at the least

2) Putting as much sidespin on the ball as possible.

These two tend to limit the amount of power the batter gets on the ball. Good hitters will still take you for a ride, but there's not much you can do about that except have good fielders.

[KrazyHorse]

Do you guys play 4 outfielders or 3 outfielders + midfield rover?

I'd like us to do 3+1, but we've got to find at least 2 places for women on the field, and catcher+right field is the place where they do the least damage (not being completely sexist here; our women just aren't very good)

We have a game starting in an hour. I almost hit for the cycle last game, but I didn't get to bat the 4th time (I needed a single)

[KrazyHorse]

I've never hit for the cycle (either in little league or in softball as an adult).

I REALLY wanted it.

[KrazyHorse]

My normal fielding position is 1st. I'm a lefty, so they don't trust me in middle infield (though I would be better than most of the guys we put there). And I don't like playing outfield because I always try to gun it in and end up throwing out my arm.

[Japher]

That's amazing! Your arm plays offense while the rest of you plays defense!

[Maquiladora]

Instead of a cricket ball (which is stupid to play with without at least one leg pad using only spin bowling, and certainly stupid if fast bowling) we used a tennis ball covered in tape (parcel or cloth tapes work well) on one side. This created a huge amount of swing once the untaped side got fuzzy, and you could still bowl a straight ball by holding over the "seam" of tape.

[duke o' york]

I play 1st too. Was left field last season, but our 1st emigrated, and I am pretty good at catching despite being a righty. At our level double and treble plays are pretty rare (unless the opposition are useless), so it doesn't really matter too much that I throw right-handed.

[/threadjack]

[SlowwHand]

KH, are you as incapable of completing a thought always? Here it's even worse. You're too ****ing stupid to just edit your post.
No, hell no. String a dozen posts one after another. Are you stupid or just desperate for post count?
Dimwitted dumbass.

[duke o' york]

Well that came out of left field....

Sorry: his multiple posts are possibly the result of my awful connection registering posts when I made them, but their failing to appear for some time.

[Cort Haus]

Can you elaborate on the Mel Gibson bit for me Cort Haus?

[Wezil]

[Cort Haus]

I'd be interested to hear KH's take on reverse swing. Unlike conventional swing where the shiny side moves faster through the air than the rough side, reverse swing sometimes, but not always (and very few bowlers can do it), happens when the ball is old, the seam is worn, atmospheric conditions are right, and the shiny side has become dry and dusty.

When it works, the ball swings the other way from conventional swing and AIUI, physicists have not reached agreement on how it works. This has led to speculation that the answer is something to do with ball-tampering. Sugar rubbed into the ball via sweets sucked by the bowler has been suggested in this context. Subtle damage to the seam is another.

The wierdest thing is when cricketers claim that playing under floodlights (relatively recent in cricket) can affect the flight of the ball. As if the 'wrong type of photon' could make a difference... This probably has something to do with moisture and dew in the air/ground as night falls.

[Cort Haus]

Another thing. The white cricket ball used in one-day cricket (four and five-day games use a red ball) doesn't swing in England but it can in other countries, possibly South Africa and the West Indies.