I understand where the gentleman is coming from about "the perception" that women aren't as athletic as the men. However, let me speak to the athleticism of softball. I am the parent of one of the players. She started playing organzied ball at the age of four and has stuck with it through college. Also, I'm a former baseball pitcher and know a good deal about this sport as well. After years of learning the sport of softball, I will argue that hitting a softball is one of the most difficult feats to accomplish in sports (men or women's sports). At the Division I level, the ball is being hurled at 63 to 70 mph from 43 feet away. This is equivalent to swinging at a baseball from 60' 6" away at 90-100 mph based on the reaction time to make contact with the ball. A baseball and softball pitcher can throw a straight fastball, curve ball, screw ball (commonly called a "slider" in baseball), drop ball and change up. Here's where softball seperates itself and takes hitting to another level. Because of the underhanded throwing motion in softball, the ball can actually rise. The batter goes after what they think is a pitch right over the plate and the ball actually rises several or more inches over the bat. This adds a fourth plane to react to as a softball batter instead of three planes or angles as a baseball batter. By the way, at the college level you never throw a fast ball. Movement of the pitch is more important than speed. College level hitters are not usually fooled by speed in and of itself.
In response to the gentleman's statement, women are not as athletic as men. I would like to offer the challenge of your hitting a softball delivered by a quality softball pitcher and see if you think it takes a lot of athleticism to hit a softball.
I would have not really payed attention to women's athletics if God had not blessed me with such a wonderful daughter being fair and honest. That being said, I've come to love women's softball because of the heart that they play with and the love of the game. They're not trying to go pro and earn millions of dollars someday. Women's softball is one of the last venues of true sportsmanship with how the ladies support each other from the dugout and the fact that they always shake their opponents hands at the end of every game. The men shake their own teammates hands and head straight to the locker room. Have you ever met any of the Lady Cajuns? They are all well-spoken good hearted young ladies that many play with injuries and you don't see them cry when they get hurt or hit by a pitch. There's nothing soft about a softball. It will do more damage than a baseball because of it's physical mass. Look at the basic physics here.
I'm only offering my opinion here and this is the first time that I have ever responded to a blog in my life. We all have responsibilites and interests that vie for our time and dollars. However, I would appreciate your supporting our Lady Cajuns. They play their hearts out and have come from behind in every game this last week to keep their perfect record alive. Come spend time at Lamson Park. It is one of the finest softball complexes in the country. I would argue it is one of the best entertainment values in Lafayette. Our ballpark announcer will keep you laughing throughout the game. The food is good for ballpark fare too!
These are only my humble opinions. I know that I rambled on way too long. I hope that I've made some cogent points as to why a person would want to attend a softball game. I hope that we do well in CA this week! It is the highest level of competition you could ever ask for. Thankfully we have three of the finest coaches in the country to carry our ladies into battle. After all, 23-0 speaks for itself in any Division I sport. If we win most or all of the games, will you be convinced then? After all, we beat Michigan, Kentucky, Tulsa (last year's CUSA Co-Champs) etc... Georgia Tech beat Georgia tonight and we face Georgia Tech soon!
Re: For non-Softball fans
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Originally Posted by CajunRage
