OT: Did you catch the pilot episode of Pitch

[Shoeless Moe]

I'd rather see a show where a women makes in the NFL as a nose tackle!

[btcarfagno]

A female nose tackle is the last thing I would want to see!!

I played baseball through college (Big East)...this was through the early 1990's, so we are talking 25 years ago. I played with and against guys who excelled at that level, and several who played professionally, and a few who made the big leagues, and one who is in the Hall of Fame. From what I have seen in terms of athleticism and quickness, I am certain there are some softball players who, if they were to have played baseball since they were a child, would be good enough to have played at the division one college baseball level back then. At a minimum. Again, grain of salt as it has been a long time and players are very likely bigger, stronger and faster than they were back then. But I have seen some incredible stuff from some freakishly athletic females. The pitching they face is the equivilent of a 100+ MPH fastball. The game of softball is much faster than baseball due to the small field. The quickness on display is amazing.

I do not think that you could take someone who has played softball all her life and throw her onto a baseball field. That would be completely unfair. But if one of the top, most athletic softball players had instead grown up playing baseball, I have little doubt that there would be females in the minor leagues.

Tom C

[packs]

There are several women in Independent League ball and there was a French woman who plays shortstop that played for France's under 18 junior national team.

[peterb69]

I'm curious to know who Tom C played against in the Big East that is now in the Hall of Fame. My guess is that it's Biggio but he played at the end of the 80's.

[btcarfagno]

Originally Posted by peterb69

I'm curious to know who Tom C played against in the Big East that is now in the Hall of Fame. My guess is that it's Biggio but he played at the end of the 80's.

Correct. Both he and Mo Vaughan and John Valentin. Actually the best hitter on the team was Martese Robinson. I actually played them when I was 16. Their field at Seton Hall back then was horrible and flooded easily. That day my American Legion team was practicing on our field in South Orange when this bus pulled up and about 12 members of the Seton Hall team got out. They ended up scrimmaging us. Robinson and Valentin were not there but Biggio and Vaughan were. I struck out Biggio but Vaughan hit a ball so hard off me that I ducked (cowered more like)...didn't get up until it sailed over the center field fence some 400 feet away. Lucky I didn't soil myself.

Tom C

[btcarfagno]

By the way...the same field I played and practiced on in South Orange...the one I scrimmaged the Seton Hall team on...had played host some 58 years earlier to Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, as shown on this signed ball.



Pretty neat.

Tom C