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Online now: 1 member: scottflodin; 19 anonymousDiscussion: Looking to start Chicago Style 16" No Glove softball in Southern Arizona
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| May 2 Boro Men's 70 14 posts | Does anyone know of a discussion group or forum that includes the topic of Chicago Style 16" Softball. A couple weekends ago I drove to Mesa, AZ to watch a 16" softball tournament. Being from the Chicago area burbs I know this is a great game for everyone. I will approach my own 12" softball league to see if anyone is interested. I am hoping to get enough interest to request it be added to our towns annual softball leagues. I will be running ads in our local paper and waiting at a ball field on a weekend day. If anyone knows of a group that discusses this softball style let me know. I know most of the rules but am also looking for how it is being played in various places and how folks got it started. |
| May 2 kjones Men's 50 15 posts | Boro I have a friend Al Maag who runs a tourney every March in Tempe and then another business to business tourney in April. He would be a great guy to talk to about your idea. |
| May 2 Boro Men's 70 14 posts | I have talked to Al on the phone and tried to at the tourney and it seemed like he didn't have time for me. I am hoping to start something down in our area and eventually send a team or two up to his tournament. Along with currently being a Parks & Rec Commissioner in the town I live in and having played the game myself I'll see what I can put together. Thanks for your reply. Appreciate it. |
| May 3 HAT MAN Men's 50 229 posts | try Tucson/Southern AZ Softball page on facebook. You might get interest in guys wanting to play |
| May 3 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | Boro, 16" softball brings back fond memories. At the college my wife worked at, the intramural sport of softball was all 16"-glove-optional. Knowing I was a pitcher, the department asked me to pitch for their intramural team with ages ranging from 30 to 55. They wanted to beat the youngun's so badly. The league rules were unlimited height for pitches. I found with that big ol' ball (I had never played with 16" before) that I could toss it up about 15-20 feet and it didn't arc so much as climb and then drop almost straight down as gravity took over! I had lots of strikeouts that year! Also, the pitcher has a ton of fielding action since the ball is coming rather slowly. The game was lots of low-scoring fun. Wooden bats at that time. Only one problem, gripping that large ball every inning to pitch caused me tendon problems...so much so that the doctor advised that I lay off for 6 weeks. Impossible, with the championships coming up. He gave me a new "wonder drug" Motrin, which in fact worked in the short run, and I was able to finish the season with the team. We didn't win since young guys have more speed and stamina than we calculated, but it was a memorable season. I never pitched it again, and the arm trouble bothered me most of the summer softball season. Went away with rest in the fall, but I never chanced getting injured in that way again. |
| May 5 garyheifner 649 posts | This will be an abomination for the purist. We use gloves. It gives the older players confidence and protection. Many of the players are former 12" players who couldn't handle the speed of the 12" game any longer. Result is very few injuries, including broken fingers. A vast majority of the some 18 team's players came out of Chicago 16" ball and have no issue with gloves. They just want to play ball. The ages on the teams ranges from 50 to 92. Doesn't seem possible but the 92 year old guy can hit, run and field. One problem is to find bats these days. You don't want to use 12" composites, they will break. Old wood Clincher bats are like gold. They can go for as much as $250 for a good one. So, we don't have a bat rule., Many guys use wood or metal baseball bats and seem to hold up well. You can find good ones at resale shops and places like Goodwill etc for just a few $$$. |
| May 6 Home Plate 35 posts | SORRY! I'm too far invested in regular 12" softball equipment to change now!! |
