I Think I Like Softball Better Than Baseball Now
Today we had our most challenging softball game. We are a team of 13 year olds with only 2 x 16 year olds playing in an interleague softball division that considers the senior division 13-16. It is a challenge at times, but most teams are young like us so we do OK.
Tonight we played a very experienced and aggressive team and we hung with them. I am proud of our girls. We were down 9-7 going into the last inning, very exciting. We bunted, ran, stole, they bunted, ran, stole, it was fantastic. A real softball game.
I told someone during the game that when all my kids get older, if I still want to coach, I am going to coach the senior softball division. It is the funnest division of all. Watching the College Softball World Series and Olympic games I have actually fallen in love with the game. This is unusual for me. I don’t usually care for women’s sports. Nothing personal, but women’s basketball is not very exciting and other than the olympics, I rarely watch women compete at all.
Softball is different. I think because there is no other game like it. Sure, it’s based on the same principles as baseball, but it has little in common. It has taken me years to learn this game and every day I figure out how much I don’t know about it. All I know is I love it. It is fast paced and furious and before you know it, you can be down 4 runs or up 4, in the blink of an eye.
Every play is close and every strategy exciting. Aggression is the name of the game until the other team proves they can stop you. It is really fun to watch. Heck, we ended up losing the game by 8 runs but the girls had more fun than during the games we won.
My only problem with softball is a dominant pitcher can completely overpower another team. I don’t know what the solution for this is, but I do know at the most elite level it takes away from the very thing that makes the game so great. If the ball is not being put into play, the game is boring. But when teams are hitting, running, bunting, and slapping, it is a fantastic spectacle to behold.
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Softball Or Baseball?
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OK, so I watched pretty much all of the Softball College World Series . It was very exciting! Now I am watching the Baseball College World Series. Seems a little slow? These games are longer than pro games!
I think that I have finally found a sport where the girls can actually compete for eyeballs. Women’s basketball is like watching boys High School ball. Soccer is OK, but it is still soccer, same w/ tennis, the women are more fun to watch, but it is still tennis. I even watch women’s olympic hockey! Not even close to the men. But softball ?
I think the fact that softball is such a different game makes it more enjoyable. It’s faster, every play is close, and there is no room for error. They even have a 10 second pitch rule that they enforce!
What do you think? What women’s sports are worthy of national network coverage?
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