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I'm nervous for the Emmy girl


Parr8hed

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They (her new softball team) have a scrimmage game today.  She will most likely make her debut as a pitcher today.  She has been working sofa king hard.  She pitches with me every day after school for about an hour.  Goes to lessons, does drills.  She is ready, but I am still nervous for her.

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Being the dad of a pitcher myself I get it. I've seen parents a nervous wreck when their kids pitch.  I've always thought the experience is more important than the outcome and it will help our kids deal with adversity and success.  How you deal with it is also important. Remember it's a game, not life and death.  If she kills it or gets killed its still just a game so keep it in the proper context. Sometimes good pitches just get hit, sometimes they just have a bad day and sometimes they are superstars.  

But I get it, it's a wild ride for the parents of pitchers.

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14 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

Being the dad of a pitcher myself I get it. I've seen parents a nervous wreck when their kids pitch.  I've always thought the experience is more important than the outcome and it will help our kids deal with adversity and success.  How you deal with it is also important. Remember it's a game, not life and death.  If she kills it or gets killed its still just a game so keep it in the proper context. Sometimes good pitches just get hit, sometimes they just have a bad day and sometimes they are superstars.  

But I get it, it's a wild ride for the parents of pitchers.

I understand.  We came from an ultra competitive team where the parents were pretty over the top with expectations.  One pitcher's parents were absolutely horrible.  Felt so sorry for her.  I promise I won't be "that guy".  I am going to sit in my chair and let the coaches work.  We talk every day when she is pitching to me on a bucket about what to do when you are ahead, what to do when you are behind, what to do when you are 3-0 and have already walked one or two.  I have prepared her as best as I possibly know how.  She will be good.

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13 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I understand.  We came from an ultra competitive team where the parents were pretty over the top with expectations.  One pitcher's parents were absolutely horrible.  Felt so sorry for her.  I promise I won't be "that guy".  I am going to sit in my chair and let the coaches work.  We talk every day when she is pitching to me on a bucket about what to do when you are ahead, what to do when you are behind, what to do when you are 3-0 and have already walked one or two.  I have prepared her as best as I possibly know how.  She will be good.

Yeah good on ya.  I've seen talented players quit because of their over bearing parents.  The hard thing for pitchers is sometimes perfectly executed pitches get hit and sometimes piss poor pitches will get a swing & miss.  It's hard to critique an outing based on the result sometimes.

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As a soccer referee I had an aversion to ultra competitive parents.  They rarely knew the rules, interpreted everything as being against them, assumed that the referee hated their kid and generally took the fun away from everyone in the stands and on the field.  I needed Wilbur's pilots motto.  STFU and sit down.

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13 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

Love the pop as the ball hits the glove!

She has tried and tried in lessons to hit 50 mph.  The past 3 weeks she was consistently hitting 48 and 49 but no 50.  Last Wednesday she hit 50 twice and threw a perfect 51 right down the middle that popped the shit out of the glove!  The girl in the next lane had her mom catching her.  She was the same age as Emmy.  When the girl's mom heard that 51 mph pitch she said "Oh, hell no!  I am NOT catching my daughter when she gets that fast!"   Her daughter was throwing about 38.

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1 minute ago, Parr8hed said:

She has tried and tried in lessons to hit 50 mph.  The past 3 weeks she was consistently hitting 48 and 49 but no 50.  Last Wednesday she hit 50 twice and threw a perfect 51 right down the middle that popped the shit out of the glove!  The girl in the next lane had her mom catching her.  She was the same age as Emmy.  When the girl's mom heard that 51 mph pitch she said "Oh, hell no!  I am NOT catching my daughter when she gets that fast!"   Her daughter was throwing about 38.

Yup, not enough padding for me to do that. One missed catch, and there goes a metacarpal!

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2 minutes ago, smudge said:

Yup, not enough padding for me to do that. One missed catch, and there goes a metacarpal!

I quickly switched from a traditional fielder's glove to a catcher's mitt when she started to really increase her velocity.  I have started wearing shin guards as well.  My shins were getting dinged up when she worked her drop balls. 

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16 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

I quickly switched from a traditional fielder's glove to a catcher's mitt when she started to really increase her velocity.  I have started wearing shin guards as well.  My shins were getting dinged up when she worked her drop balls. 

Sorry to get so personal, but is there other protection you might be sporting? I sure would. (blushy)

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51 MPH, holy sbeot that's some beat!  I could tell she was dealing by the pop tho.

I remember the last time i caught my son he was around 14.  I had a catchers mit only and was sitting on a bucket.  He throws a curve ball that bounces off the plate, comes up and tags me under the chin.  I said yeah no more find a real catcher.  

 

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8 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

51 MPH, holy sbeot that's some beat!  I could tell she was dealing by the pop tho.

I remember the last time i caught my son he was around 14.  I had a catchers mit only and was sitting on a bucket.  He throws a curve ball that bounces off the plate, comes up and tags me under the chin.  I said yeah no more find a real catcher.  

 

51 is very fast.  But keep in mind that she is at 35 feet and throwing an 11" ball.  They slow down (temporarily) when they move back to 40 feet and up to the 12" ball.  So it's hard to compare Em's 51 to a college pitcher's upper 50 or lower 60 mph.  But I tell you what....

at 51 mph and only 35 feet you have to have pretty quick reflexes :runcirclsmiley:

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19 minutes ago, smudge said:

Sorry to get so personal, but is there other protection you might be sporting? I sure would. (blushy)

No.  Sitting on the bucket helps to shield certain injury prone areas.  Also the glove is pretty easy to cover that area.  It's a lot harder to get the glove down to deflect ground balls.  I have taken shots to the torso, and grazed a few off the chin, but never taken one to the junk.

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16 minutes ago, Parr8hed said:

51 is very fast.  But keep in mind that she is at 35 feet and throwing an 11" ball.  They slow down (temporarily) when they move back to 40 feet and up to the 12" ball.  So it's hard to compare Em's 51 to a college pitcher's upper 50 or lower 60 mph.  But I tell you what....

at 51 mph and only 35 feet you have to have pretty quick reflexes :runcirclsmiley:

Oh he'll yeah they do.  Do you have toe guards?  If she pitches a lot she will tear up cleats.  As my son was a seldom used reliever last year he didnt burn up his cleats. 1st time in 5 years he don't blow out a right cleat in a season.

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19 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

Oh he'll yeah they do.  Do you have toe guards?  If she pitches a lot she will tear up cleats.  As my son was a seldom used reliever last year he didnt burn up his cleats. 1st time in 5 years he don't blow out a right cleat in a season.

I have toe guards on my shin guards for  me (so I can catch in flip flops :whistle:)  She is not too hard on cleats.  Her coach preaches a different follow through.  You see a lot of toe draggers but he preaches "resistance".  Does not drag her toe.

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That's awesome! The control will come.  

When my son was a freshman & sophomore the coaches knew he had an arm but he also had control issues.  

I remember his freshman year his first outing he struk out the side but walked 2 and hit 1 loading the bases before getting out of the inning.  He then met me after the game and said,  Dad, Dad did you see i struk out  the side!!!!  Yep, good job! Maybe we also  work on that fastball command huh?!?!? By his Sophomore year He was their #1 pitcher.

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3 hours ago, Parr8hed said:

She did great.  Since it was a scrimmage she only pitched an inning. 

She struck the first 2 out easily.  the girls were way behind her.  She let a couple of balls get away from here here and there walking a few.  But Came back and struck out the 3rd girl looking.  Only ones she allowed on base were her walks.  Nobody even fouled a ball off of her.  The other parents were like "Holy Shit!".  The other team's coach said that he was glad we only left her in for one inning.

Effectively wild. Nobody is going to dig in on her. They are going to be bailing out. That girl is smart

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