I loved this guy when he came up to Rhinelander, WI many years ago. He struck out the best hitters we had to offer. He was friendly as well. I miss the fast pitch game. & now, even the slow pitch seems to be a thing of the past up where I live now. There are a hundred reasons why these good, community oriented games are becoming extinct, & the all bear the adjective Republican.
When I was a tadpole he turned up at a lil ol' field next to the Allison Diesel Plant in Speedway, where a scruffy suburban kid could stand behind the backstop and watch him throw peas from second base. It may still be the most impressive athletic action I've ever seen, and he did that every night, barnstorming the country. He was clocked over 100 mph from a flat softball "mound", which is, what, 45 feet?
There was a standing offer of something like $50 for anyone who could hit a ball fair off him, and $10 for fouling one off. Nobody got close that night.
I loved this guy when he came up to Rhinelander, WI many years ago. He struck out the best hitters we had to offer. He was friendly as well. I miss the fast pitch game. & now, even the slow pitch seems to be a thing of the past up where I live now. There are a hundred reasons why these good, community oriented games are becoming extinct, & the all bear the adjective Republican.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a tadpole he turned up at a lil ol' field next to the Allison Diesel Plant in Speedway, where a scruffy suburban kid could stand behind the backstop and watch him throw peas from second base. It may still be the most impressive athletic action I've ever seen, and he did that every night, barnstorming the country. He was clocked over 100 mph from a flat softball "mound", which is, what, 45 feet?
ReplyDeleteThere was a standing offer of something like $50 for anyone who could hit a ball fair off him, and $10 for fouling one off. Nobody got close that night.