OT: Anyone Play Adult Baseball?

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:15 pm

Jack...the knuckle-curve...I hold like this:

Closed end of the seams on the left...open on the right. Press fingernails of index and middle fingers into the ball a 1/4 inch in front of seams...not on the seams.

Ring and pinkie finger hang over the seems on the open end of the ball.

To throw:

Hold the wrist/ball in a 3/4 postion and throw as hard as you can....like a fastball.

Do not push fingers out or twist the wrist like a curveball...just throw it.

If done correctly....the ball will go straight and near the end break hard down and away from a right handed batter.

I have thrown some that started at a batters head and finished in the middle of the dish around the knees.

It is the only pitch I have never given up a HR on.

If it doesn't work right away...don't give up on it....it does take a little time.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Thu Apr 26, 2007 2:45 pm

Learn to throw the euphus.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:53 pm

Thanks again Piggie.... I'll give that a shot.

I found some Nike "rubberized" baseballs that are great for throwing
against a wall. I think they call them "backyard baseballs" or something like that.

Last thing. My 1st game is this Sun. The league supplies the jersey and the hats. What else am I going to need, as far as equipment goes?
I am thinking...
glove (obviously)
shoes
socks
pants
baseball belt
batting gloves
colored undershirts ( I think we have vest jerseys)
cup & supporter
sliding shorts???

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:55 pm

I wouldn't worry about the jock if I were you.

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 3:20 pm

Jack, get grey pants.....or white...preferrably grey... No black pants. Only softball hacks wear those.

Don't get the lame socks that has a built in stirrup.

Get color preffered socks and use that...no stirrups necessary.

I wear small shorts under my pants and wear my jock over the shorts. Just my preferrance.

Good luck and have fun!

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 4:27 pm

no sliding shorts? I saw them at Sports Authority and wasn't
sure if they were for baseball or softball?

I guess socks dont matter much now that most guys wear their pants
just about down to their shoetops.

I just found out that this league is wood bats only and I went to price wood bats at lunch time. There are some "maple" bats that were priced around $80-100 and some others priced around $20-$50. Are the maple bats that much better? I dont want to show up without my own bat. My luck, I will borrow someone's and break it.

pigpen81 wrote:Jack, get grey pants.....or white...preferrably grey... No black pants. Only softball hacks wear those.

Don't get the lame socks that has a built in stirrup.

Get color preffered socks and use that...no stirrups necessary.

I wear small shorts under my pants and wear my jock over the shorts. Just my preferrance.

Good luck and have fun!

fatheadX · Post by **fatheadX** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:14 pm

Maple are more expensive but should last longer. Ash bats in the $20-40 range are typically not made of very good wood (wide grains) and are more susceptible to breakage. I don't know that maple hit any better, but that's all I've been using as they seem to be the 'in' thing with the old man set. I bought mine online for $30-60. I don't swing hard enough to break a straw, so I haven't broken any bats.

Jimmydeicide · Post by **Jimmydeicide** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 8:53 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:I wouldn't worry about the jock if I were you.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 3:13 am

Ok, I dont know why I am posting this, but we had our first 'real' game tonight and i went 1 for 3. My first time up, I hit a line drive single in between the SS and 2nd base. My other 2 times up, I grounded out to the SS and popped out to the first baseman. So I am batting .333 for the season after 1 game.

Fielding wise, I had a great time. All 3 pop fly balls hit to me in Center I caught and I had to run pretty hard to catch a line drive in between me and the Left Fielder. On base hits, I fielded the ball without making any errors and hit the relay man on one throw.

Considering this is the first organized ball I've played since the age of 16 and any kind of baseball since 21, I really enjoyed it. Our team also won 3-1!

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:34 am

That's awesome Inayusha...congrats!

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 2:37 pm

good job man!
keep us posted and I will do the same.
my first game is tommorow. I dont know what to expect

Inuyasha wrote:Ok, I dont know why I am posting this, but we had our first 'real' game tonight and i went 1 for 3. My first time up, I hit a line drive single in between the SS and 2nd base. My other 2 times up, I grounded out to the SS and popped out to the first baseman. So I am batting .333 for the season after 1 game.

Fielding wise, I had a great time. All 3 pop fly balls hit to me in Center I caught and I had to run pretty hard to catch a line drive in between me and the Left Fielder. On base hits, I fielded the ball without making any errors and hit the relay man on one throw.

Considering this is the first organized ball I've played since the age of 16 and any kind of baseball since 21, I really enjoyed it. Our team also won 3-1!

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Sun Apr 29, 2007 7:50 pm

Played my first "real" game today and went 2 for 2

1st was a solid line drive over the left side of the IF with 2 strikes
on me. 2nd hit was also with 2 strikes on me and was a solid bouncer between SS and 3b. I was pretty happy since this was my first look at any kind of hardball pitching in over 6 years. Defensively, I didn't get anything hit to me. I was put in at 3rd halfway into the game and got no action. My arm was weaker than I thought it would be, as I labored a little to make the long throw from 3rd on infield warmups. I hope it's just the rust.

Didn't get to do any pitching yet I guess the manager wants to check me out first before putting me into a game situation. Maybe next week.

Inuyasha wrote:Ok, I dont know why I am posting this, but we had our first 'real' game tonight and i went 1 for 3. My first time up, I hit a line drive single in between the SS and 2nd base. My other 2 times up, I grounded out to the SS and popped out to the first baseman. So I am batting .333 for the season after 1 game.

Fielding wise, I had a great time. All 3 pop fly balls hit to me in Center I caught and I had to run pretty hard to catch a line drive in between me and the Left Fielder. On base hits, I fielded the ball without making any errors and hit the relay man on one throw.

Considering this is the first organized ball I've played since the age of 16 and any kind of baseball since 21, I really enjoyed it. Our team also won 3-1!

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:23 am

I have a good relationship with the owner of this wood bat company and his prices are reasonable.

Check them out if you are looking for good wood bats. Some MLB players use his stuff.

http://zorianbats.com/

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:39 am

Thanks Zlax. Will he give you a better price than me? I can paypal you the money and you can order them and have them shipped to me.

Zlax45 wrote:I have a good relationship with the owner of this wood bat company and his prices are reasonable.

Check them out if you are looking for good wood bats. Some MLB players use his stuff.

http://zorianbats.com/

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:52 am

Piggy.....someone on my team showed me a similiar knuckle curve,
but he holds it like a normal curve and then just makes a knuckle with his index finger and tucks it up against the ball. I tried it and it's pretty easy to get used to and gives me more movement/rotation than the normal curveball. I guess this is because you are taking the index finger out of play almost completely and using the middle finger more? I think your "knuckle curve" is more of a knuckleball than a curve, correct?
I tried it and had a hard time controling it. I am not sure if I am releasing it properly, but I will work on it.

In my first game, I noticed a lot of "junk" being thrown by the pitchers.
I guess at our ages, you aren't going to overpower anyone anymore and need the junk to get people out.

pigpen81 wrote:Jack...the knuckle-curve...I hold like this:

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:58 am

Jack, great great game...congrats!

As far as the knuckle curve...whatever is most comfortable for you is best. There are many ways to hold/throw many pitches and it comes down to individual preferences.

I throw mine as hard as I can and I am sure the speed has a lot to do with the break.

Your version sounds like a slower one and there is nothing wrong with it....as long as strikes are thrown and the batter has soemthing different to look at.

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 11:01 am

JackB1 wrote:Thanks Zlax. Will he give you a better price than me? I can paypal you the money and you can order them and have them shipped to me.

Zlax45 wrote:I have a good relationship with the owner of this wood bat company and his prices are reasonable.

Check them out if you are looking for good wood bats. Some MLB players use his stuff.

http://zorianbats.com/

I don't have that good of a relationship as I have done an interview with the owner about the safety issues of aluminum bats vs wood bats. His maple bats are extremely good.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:44 pm

Thanks for the advice about maple bats. I went to a sporting goods store over the weekend to check some out. You're absolutely right, you can feel the quality of the maple bats by just taking a few swings.

Only problem is those bats at this store cost from 60-90 bucks. The Rawlings bat I got only cost me 20 dollars. But I can feel 40 dollar difference in quality when I hold my bat and the maple bat.

It's gonna be tuff to pull the trigger on a maple bat but I think I'm gonna go ahead and do it. I do want to hit a home run this year and I dont think I can with my cheap 20 dollar bat.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue May 01, 2007 2:49 pm

Inuy......I fouled off a fastball off the fists on Sun right off the handle and was amazed the bat didn't break. A cheaper bat surely wouldn't have survived that pitch. I admit though $80 is hard to swallow next to those $20 bats that "look" just as good. I got a nice Maple Louisville Slugger for $79 from Sports Authority and love it so far. There is nothing like that feeling and sound of making solid contact with a wood bat. Its what keeps bringing you back for more. It certainly isn't standing out in the hot sun for 3 hours hoping you get one or two balls hits at you

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue May 01, 2007 2:51 pm

Piggy.....do you know what is the best way to build up the strength in my throwing arm quickly? Should I hit the gym or just throw more? How often can I throw (pitch) without overdoing it? Is some practice throwing (pitching) every other day too much?

fatheadX · Post by **fatheadX** » Tue May 01, 2007 3:44 pm

I'm not piggy (just fatty), but I'll take a shot at your question. I would not try to work out to strengthen your throwing arm. That is a perfect recipe for a rotator cuff injury. It is very difficult to simulate the throwing motion while working out and you'll probably just hurt yourself. Some guys swear by weighted baseballs, but I suspect that can strain your arm very quickly and I avoid them.

The key is to throw, throw, throw. Throw everyday if possible, but not full-on. Long toss, just play catch, work on throwing correctly. If your arm hurts, take a day off. It is very easy to overdo it, so listen to what your arm is telling you. It is very easy to strain your arm and the next thing you know, you're living with a sore arm all season, which sucks.

Last year, I was in the same boat as you, trying to ramp up quickly. I just abused my arm, thinking this would strengthen it. Now that I've had an offseason and have ramped up correctly for this season, I can't believe how much better my arm feels.

Also, don't overconcentrate on your arm. A good pitcher uses his legs, so make sure to get your running and/or strengthening in for your legs.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:23 pm

That was the advice that was given to me about getting my arm back to shape, just throw throw throw but not overthrow.

I know I'll never have arm strength like I did back in high school. I am not even concerning myself with pitching but more throwing someone out at a base if I have to. So right now, instead of doing a 12/6 throw, I am doing more of a sidearm throw which gets the ball quicker to the base.

Jack : thanks for the maple bat info. I was going to buy that one you just described in your post.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:38 pm

fatheadX wrote: Also, don't overconcentrate on your arm. A good pitcher uses his legs, so make sure to get your running and/or strengthening in for your legs.

You got that right! My thighs were screaming at me after pitching for a while. I have a pretty high knee lift and try and drop and drive with my back leg, which uses more energy/muscle in my leg. I will try and throw easily at least every other day during the week and hopefully that will be the ticket. I found this Nike practice ball that works great throwing against a solid wall. It has the same weight and size as a reg. ball and also has similiar seams (unlike the Franklin rubber balls), so you can practice all you pitches with it. The only thing I wish I had was a "practice mound".

pigpen81 · Post by **pigpen81** » Tue May 01, 2007 5:14 pm

Great advice Fathead....exactly right.

Long toss is best.

Start short then work long ...try and keep the ball low and hard for as far as possible....work that distance until you can increase it.

JackB1 · Post by **JackB1** » Sun May 06, 2007 10:54 pm

Second week of the season, we had a double header to make up a rainout. First game was a nightmare. they had a pitcher that threw all kinds of junk and threw overhand, sidearm and others. I went 0 for 3 with a walk and struck out swinging on a changeup that reminded me of bugs bunny ("one, two, three strikes your out"). We lost something like 8-2.

Second game was a totally different story. different team with a much easier to hit pitcher. I went 2-4 and had a stand up triple that was a line shot into the left center gag that hit about 20 feet before the fence. It was the farthest hit ball the whole day, both teams combined. I hit the ball so perfect, on the sweet spot, it was a beautiful thing

It was like when you nail a 5 iron to 2 feet from the pin and you forget all the other shots you hit into the trees all day.

I do have a problem though....maybe you can help me out Pigpen. My arm is killing me when I throw. I was playing 3rd and could just about make the throw from 3rd to 1st, but with a lot of pain. Is it just from lack of throwing in a long time? Should I throw more or rest my arm more? I am so confused. The weird thing is that it doesn't hurt at all after the game. Just mostly during the throw and for about 2 minutes afterwards.
I feel it in the place where your arm connects to your shoulder. I noticed that it hurts less if I throw directly overhand rather than 3/4, like you do when pitching. I hope it gets better.......if it doesn't, I will be a liability in the field.