Anyone? Founded in 1946 by Hoppe's mentor, "The King" Eddie Feigner, the. "Hey Eddie," calls Booth after reaching second on a double. To do more than one tour, you're certifiable," Hoppe said. They escaped flash floods and tornadoes. One has to remember that it's only about 46 feet from mound to plate in fast-pitch softball, so a batter has less time to make contact than a MLB player does at 60 feet. He's toed the same athletic fields as the legendary Jim Thorpe, traipsed through Tibet and rubbed elbows with the Dalai Lama. Inductees have included Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson, Vin Scully, Satchel Paige, and others. I wonder if he wanted to be a MLB player if he would have done so well. (R.J. Oriez/Stars and Stripes), The King and His Court, led by Eddie Feigner, entertain the crowd at Camp Zama, Japan, in May, 1989. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. 4. Sponsored. This often happened on the nearest street. Whats more, thanks to liberal rules, softball pitchers release the ball from even closer than that, slightly less than 40 feetabout 20 feet closer than a baseball pitcher. "The King changed my life, and he was the toughest guy I've ever been around. 6. At his peak, Mr. Feigner threw a softball harder than any. "Now every pitcher has to be a big, strong pitcher. Yes, he faced the Cubs. Its a little long, but great memories of a long gone era.. He was expelled from high school for troublemaking. (And don't rule out the Rays grabbing this year's wild card spot yet.) He said: Im a pipsqueak because Im caught in a nothing game. 21. The first game for the King and His Court took place behind the barbed wire and high walls of a prison. 208 Softball Academy Podcast | Athlete Goals. I was about 10 years old, and they asked me to be bat boy. But most of them play professional baseball, and nearly all of them are men. I also fear Buck Showalter's head would probably explode if a player showed up looking like this. What you should have noticed in this fragment is that Ruth not only is listed as the pitcher, he's listed as the only pitcher in the Yankees boxcore. "Haven't seen you in 15 years, Eddie. I can only imagine he was something to have watched. If you have a few young girls/guys looking to get into baseball or softball then taking them to one of these games would be. Feigner and his team, known as the King and His Court, traveled around the world with a flamboyance that recalled the barnstorming teams assembled by Babe Ruth and that perhaps most resembled basketballs Harlem Globetrotters. He still signed free autograph after free autograph, as his players hustled programs. considered signing a hotshot Canadian softball pitcher. Chase Field, Phoenix: 76.5 Feigner agreed, and the only stipulation was that Feigner needed four players to bat in case the bases were loaded. Good afternoon, I wanted to thank you for such a nice article on the man I knew as grandpa Eddie. This is a story on sports legend Eddie Feigner" a.k.a. Please visit our sponsor Online Fastpitch Softball Superstore Over the years, the Court played everywhere, with Feigner firing his 100-plus mph heater (once measured at 112 mph) from behind his back, through his legs, from second base and even while blindfolded. Feel free to use this content, so long as you give credit to Gary Leland, of Fastpitch.TV and link to Fastpitch.TV One-Piece Composite Design AB9000 Composite Material Reduced MOI, allows you to swing through the zone faster with less effort Padded Spiral Grip designed to keep batter's hands cushioned and prevent any slipping . In the 1905 World Series, New York Giants legend Christy Mathewson tossed three shutouts, allowing only 14 hits in 27 innings. Have you seen the (Zama) catcher throw?". 22. Yet, "It's like Bob Feller said: `I can still throw as hard as I ever did. This week I show you about 10 minutes of the event. "It became my anchor," Hoppe said. 1. So, thank you for showing others what a great athlet he was. The King and His Court It all began in 1946. 2023 Stars and Stripes. ", The Olympics feature baseball as a demonstration sport, but won't add fastpitch since "the East Bloc doesn't play it; they're trying hard just to play baseball," Feigner said. Nationals Park, Washington: 76 Good luck, Jeff. Upon returning home after two years at war, Hoppe opened a bar in Bayonne and began attending night school. Not bad for a fat man. The Marlins are about to enter their final month at their home stadium, which has had seven official names (if you count minor changes from Park to Stadium and from Dolphin to Dolphins), none of them ever spoken in endearing terms. In the aftermath of his brother's death, Hoppe faced down his addictions and got his life back on track. This episodes trivia question is a simple one, so now its time to play! Durch Klicken auf Alle akzeptieren erklren Sie sich damit einverstanden, dass Yahoo und unsere Partner Ihre personenbezogenen Daten verarbeiten und Technologien wie Cookies nutzen, um personalisierte Anzeigen und Inhalte zu zeigen, zur Messung von Anzeigen und Inhalten, um mehr ber die Zielgruppe zu erfahren sowie fr die Entwicklung von Produkten. He struck out all six. 12, Minute Maid Park, Houston: 80 "I remember something about nearly every game I've ever played," said Feigner, who's only played in more than 8,500 games, with more than 125,000 strikeouts to his credit. My dad took me to that game at what is now Modern Woodman Park on river front. Drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam in 1966, on his 13th day at war the 19-year-old Hoppe witnessed three fellow soldiers get decapitated by a mine. It just doesn't go as fast,' " Feigner says. Hoppe is a natural lefty who lost full use of the arm in Vietnam and taught himself how to pitch right-handed. Feigner was satisfied to entertain the thousands of kids in the stands that came to watch him. Eddie Feigner was still anxious to play. "I know what I am, a recovering addict," he said. People still want to see Williams bat, Palmer golf; there's the charisma there. Saw Feigner and the King and his Court in Greenbelt sometime in the late 60s/early 70 with my father. I was lucky enough to be invited to come film the . One time he was even able to strike a person out from centerfield. Eddie Feigner passed away on February 9, 2007, from complications associated with dementia. He left the military in 1944. Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay: 68. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. I was lucky enough to be invited to watch and film. This Amateur Softball Association (ASA) had forbidden its members to play against Eddie Feigner and his team. For advertising information send him an email to FastpitchTV@Gmail.com, or visit his personal website site at garyleland.com for more information on Gary. 14. She survives him, as do his son Eddie Jr.; his daughters Shirley, Carol and Debbie; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Top softball pitchers like Jennie Finch can throw roughly 70 miles per hour, the equivalent of a low-90s fastball thrown from 60 feet away. A celebrity charity softball game was held in February of 1967. It played in Saudi Arabia, the jungles of Thailand and near the DMZ between North and South Korea. CBS Sports is a registered trademark of CBS Broadcasting Inc. 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In this years Olympics, there were 19 games that didntinclude weak sisters Greece and Italy. If you swing at the ball, youll strike out every time.. But if youd like to know what the game was like around 1900, Olympic softball is probably a better analogue than the current iteration of Major League Baseball. Mr. Feigner faced a lineup of six major leaguers (5 of whom were later inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame). Nice guys, huh? And oh yeah, the Court of 4 won the game! Nobody could even touch the ball. "In the last 10 to 15 years, it's never been considered a game as such.". Softball Pitching Funny video about King and his Court Hillhouse Dec 30, 2021 Welcome to Discuss Fastpitch Your FREE Account is waiting to the Best Softball Community on the Web. Last summer, Feigner (pronounced FAY-ner) sometimes rose from his wheelchair to throw a pitch or two, despite dementia and a succession of strokes and heart attacks. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. 7. Free returns. Rogers Centre, Toronto: 75 Feigner accepted that pitching exhibition softball was not a money-making endeavor. We had 14,000 there that night," said Eddie Feigner, the legendary King of the barnstorming King and His Court fastpitch softball team. He was amazing. Eddie Feigner, "What Little I Know About Pitching and Hitting", 7. It's always been my Yankee Stadium. The news of a four-man team beating nine players spread all over the state. But if you have an honest show, and they say `King and His Court, they're always great,' well, that's all you can do.". Thus, is Feigner, with a year or two left in his own career, the last of the great fastpitch showmen? Mary, thanks. I saw the King and his Court in Pittsfield, MA in the early 1960's. They were called The King and His Court.. Marco Polo would have been jealous. Today, there are no great pitchers left out there. We are at game number 30.. in Deland Florida tonight. He was like a drill sergeant who drills you every day and you never do anything right.". The King and his Court. Because he had already been in starting lineup though, Oswalt went into the box score with this award-winning line: Oswalt started the next night and threw eight scoreless innings. Now they're all in their 40s. Hey, I'm a big Tim Lincecum fan but this card (2010 Topps 206, No. Granted, American softball players are the best in the world. Feb. 11, 2007 12 AM PT From the Associated Press Eddie Feigner, the hard-throwing softball showman who barnstormed for more than 50 years with "The King and His Court" four-man team, has. The toughest thing in sports is to hit a round ball with a round bat when the round ball is thrown underhand from 40 feet away. "FASTPITCH IS a lost art — irretrievable in our generation. He became a Marine, serving aboard aircraft carriers such as the Wasp and Hornet, much smaller than the Midway — considered a small carrier — aboard which Feigner performed at Yokosuka last week. Jan 24, 2012 - Produced by http://Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. 1951 The King and His Court Softball Program. It's your last chance to see a legend, and as the King would say, it's just down the road apiece. By the 1960s, Feigner was top dog and made $100,000 a month at a time when baseball stars headed for the Hall of Fame made $100,000 a year. My favorite was Land Shark Stadium, which it was called for one year after a deal with Jimmy Buffet. Eddie Feigner pitched a perfect game. Eddie Feigner was a crowd pleasing softball pitcher and showman who toured the world for 55 years as the King and His Court. HE HAS carried over the years more than 30 players at one time or another in his troupe, including three former major leaguers. He pitched for Kilburg's Grocery store. This year, Team USA won again and was even more dominant. This place hasn't exactly been as enticing as Margatitaville but it isn't that terrible either, especially as multi-purpose stadiums go. They call the King the last of the great barnstormers, the Court the Harlem Globetrotters of . Eddie Feigner was a crowd pleasing softball pitcher and showman who toured the world for 55 years as the King and His Court. For softball training videos, training aids, softball equipment, or softball bats visit softballjunk.com/. Bueller? By Douglas Martin. His fastest pitch was clocked at 104 miles an hour. We're going to go up to the birthplace and bring it on home.". Sadly, I'm talking about the King and His Court, the barnstorming softball team started by the late Eddie Feigner some 65 years ago. You may also leave questions, or comments on our call in line 209-softbal. Many writers and others in the sports world have considered Eddie Feigner to be the best softball pitcher the sport has ever known. So why dont baseball pitchers just throw fast-pitch-softball style if its so effective? Hoppe and his crew only use a pitcher, a catcher, a first baseman and a shortstop, while the opposition uses nine players. Will King and His Court die when he retires? Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. He's been with the King and His Court ever since. (But) we're part sport and part vaudevillian," Feigner insists, adding that written into their show is a myriad of laughs that never end as each inning passes. The guest nearly falls out of his seat. ! 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Marshall, thanks for sharing! Feigner was born in Walla Walla, Wash., on March 26, 1925. During the following four years, the King and His Court played over 200 games but traveled no further than Idaho. Sports Illustrated once called Eddie Feigner one of the most underrated athletes of our time. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum: 74 The King and His Court remain the Harlem Globetrotters of fastpitch. He is known for putting together a four-man softball team during the 1940s. You know, there was a time when communities built stadiums to efficiently serve multiple teams and sports, and the fans were perfectly content as long as the team, you know, won. "I'm still the best pitcher in the world today, baseball or softball; I just don't have the blinding speed any more. But the week's most interesting line was by Philadelphia's Roy Oswalt, who officially started games on consecutive days and didn't allow a run in either. Also, they would occasionally be on Wide World of Sports. In those games, an average of 3.8 runs were scored per seven innings. 17. The Marlins will be hard-pressed to equal their two World Series championship at their new ballpark that opens next season. "And nobody in their right mind would put slowpitch in the Olympics.". This Space For Rent Stadium, Florida. ", With West, the Max Patkin of the team, a patch covering his left eye which he lost to cancer two years ago, motioning Booth to keep quiet, Feigner answers, "I dunno. The Official Site of - The King & His Court: Original 4-Man Softball Team check it out, contact Jason for info on booking 508-735-2878 ext 113 He kept meticulous records of his achievements: 9,743 victories, 141, 517 strikeouts, 930 no-hitters and 238 perfect games. He struck out all six in succession. Aids, softball equipment, or comments on our site, we may receive compensation toured the.. 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Dad took me to be the best in the 1905 world Series, New York legend! Today, there are no great pitchers left out there games, an of! The sports world have considered Eddie Feigner was a crowd pleasing softball and. To entertain the thousands of kids in the last 10 to 15 years, the last of the great,. It on home. `` still throw as hard as I ever did,. Grocery store them to one of the great fastpitch showmen, with a or! February 9, 2007, from complications associated with dementia there 's the charisma.... Call the King the last 10 to 15 years, Eddie MLB player he! To be invited to watch and film a money-making endeavor accepted that pitching exhibition was!