And maybe he deserved it. "We show off how good we are, but don't flaunt it or embarrass the home team," he said. Sports Illustrated once called Eddie Feigner one of the most underrated athletes of our time. "It was like being on the Rolling Stones, only with a softball.". Free returns. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. Their popularity kept growing. His fastball pitch was clocked at over 104 miles an hour. Feigner accepted that pitching exhibition softball was not a money-making endeavor. He threw an in-raise as well as an in-drop pitches others couldn't figure out how to throw. The King and His Court" and his visit to. Good luck, Jeff. Required fields are marked *, Fast Pitch Softball 1988 Special Tribute To Eddie Feigner The King And His Court, There are heroes and then there are HEROES.and fast pitch softball pitcher Eddie. 7. In 2002, ESPN.com listed Feigner as one of the 10 greatest pitchers in a list that included Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax. He was a hard-boiled egg. Log in, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window). They had 4 players and would play teams of 9 guys. Eddie Feigner knew he would never receive the glamour or recognition of well-known star athletes. "I went to the other side," Hoppe said, referring to his mental state. Cleveland's Chris Perez hit two batters, walked another and allowed an unearned run Monday (1 IP 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 2 HBP) while Atlanta Jair Jurrjens pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings despite allowing 13 baserunners (6 1/3 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 5 BB, 1 K). "I'm still the best pitcher in the world today, baseball or softball; I just don't have the blinding speed any more. Patrick Villanova/The Jersey Journal He stands blindfolded, some 40 feet from home plate, gleefully hurling pitch after pitch at weary batters as fans in Linden's Memorial Park cheer on the peculiar . "It's surreal. 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. This Space For Rent, Florida 73 Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). By Douglas Martin. The Court sometimes played three games in three cities in one day ("You would play a noon game, a mid-afternoon game and a night game"). from around the world. According to legend, Feigner was bragging up his skills one night when an opposing player challenged his abilities. I remember seeing them in commericals as a kid, pretty sure it was Bud or Lite Beer commericals. A world traveler is he. : 86 Anyone can read what you share. The greatest team that ever stepped onto a diamond is playing its last game this weekend. Later, Booth, who was recruited by Feigner out of the Army at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, when West had his eye removed, hammers a home run, to the oohs and ahs of the crowd. This Amateur Softball Association (ASA) had forbidden its members to play against Eddie Feigner and his team. Our Facebook page is Facebook.com/FastpitchTV, Our Twitter page is Twitter.com/FastpitchTV, Feel free to email questions for future shows to FastpitchTV@gmail.com. How did he do it? It's beyond dangerous, it's numb.". "I found a way out.". In international competition, the pitchers plate (or rubber, as baseball fans know it) is only 43 feet from home plate. After decades of popularity, fast-pitch mens softball lost ground to slow pitch (a sissy game, Feigner said) and to womens fast pitch. 2023 Stars and Stripes. They were all from the state of Florida. The King and His Court got its start the way so many wonderful sagas begin -- in a bar. Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. SoftballJunk.com is a great resource to find the perfect fastpitch softball bat just for you!. In 2000, the same magazine ranked the King and His Court as the United States eighth-greatest team of the 20th century. He first said he could beat teams with only himself and a catcher, then realized that would leave the two vulnerable to being walked and stranded on base. According to legend, Feigner was bragging up his skills one night when an opposing player challenged. He struck out every batter he faced with two exceptions: One failed when he tried to bunt the ball, and the other hit a grounder to the first basemen. 1. 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. The first is that the typical fast-pitch motion is technically against MLBs rules. He struck out Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente consecutively. Also, they would occasionally be on Wide World of Sports. More Impressively, He Even Made a Trip to Toledo Seem Worthwhile: Props to Tigers veteran Brandon Inge, who accepted a demotion to the minors in mid-July and then returned with a home run in his first at-bat back with Detroit on Saturday. On February 18, 1967, Feigner appeared in a celebrity charity softball game against manyMajor Leagueplayers.in which, Feigner retired from pitching after suffering astrokein 2000 but continued to tour with his team, acting asemceeand telling stories while the team played. Fr nhere Informationen zur Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie. Eddie Feignerthe star of the famous barnstorming team The King and His Courtwas supposedly once clocked at 104 mph, and in a two-inning exhibition in 1967, he struck out Willie Mays, Willie . This week I show you about 10 minutes of the event. I was about 10 years old, and they asked me to be bat boy. "It's magical and joyful in a way, but this has been on my radar since 1958 when I was a kid in the stands and saw the King for the first time. They call the King the last of the great barnstormers, the Court the Harlem Globetrotters of fastpitch softball, and above all, they're entertainers to the nth degree. This is a story on sports legend Eddie Feigner" a.k.a. The Marlins will be hard-pressed to equal their two World Series championship at their new ballpark that opens next season. He struck out all six. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Nice guys, huh? It has been estimated the team played over 10,000 softball games in over 100 countries. Founded in 1946 by Hoppe's mentor, "The King" Eddie Feigner, the King and His Court travels the country and globe playing exhibition games, with proceeds often going to charity. Merrick, N.Y., 1974. Yankee Stadium, New York: 79 I just thought that was normal. HE HAS a book planned and a movie scripted, but there's no ending to either, yet; thus, they're both on the shelf. "I was a broken man.". Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. 2. If you haven't seen the King and His Court, well, it's your own damn fault. "Hollywood missed a hell of a story. He and his Court were able to defeat a team with nine players. For Hoppe, it all started in 1961 when he was a junior in high school and saw Feigner and his team play in Bayonne. the guest nearly shrieked. He was able to hit the ball as well as he could pitch it. 22. Basketball has the Harlem Globetrotters. The King and His Court touring team played over ten thousand softball games in a hundred countries from the late 1940's to the beginning of the 21st century..while achieving widespread fame similar to that of the Harlem Globetrotters.as Feigner's meticulous records claim 9,743 victories, 141,517 strikeouts, 930 no-hitters and 238 perfect games. I'm still the biggest thing in softball.". 208 Softball Academy Podcast | Athlete Goals. And the guy blinks and says, `Right.' Eddie Feigner is a member of Shrine of the Eternals, which is part of the Baseball Reliquary. Eddie Feigner was still anxious to play. Yup, he struck out the side, blindfolded from 2nd base. Feigner agreed, and the only stipulation was that Feigner needed four players to bat in case the bases were loaded. "It became my anchor," Hoppe said. Feigner, who at the end made a tiny fraction of the fabulous salaries of baseball players, never slowed down. Marco Polo would have been jealous. To do more than one tour, you're certifiable," Hoppe said. 10. For softball training videos, training aids, softball equipment, or softball bats visit softballjunk.com/. I never saw him and his court, but I can imagine it was quite an experience. He made Nolan Ryan look like a Little Leaguer. Oua 194 Softball Trivia Podcast | King And His Court Original Pitcher e noventa e nove episdios mais de Fastpitch Softball Radio Network, de graa! "I got to be part of something where they watch you tie your shoelaces," Hoppe said of the attention the Court occasionally received. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. In the 1940s, when countless small towns had softball leagues, the King and His Court was one among many barnstormers. 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. Feigner had been pitching in the Green Pea League of Walla Walla Valley. Power your marketing strategy with perfectly branded videos to drive better ROI. They played racetracks, stockyards, rodeo grounds, cemeteries, pastures, an oil rig off Norways coast and the Houston Astrodome. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about the New York Yankees. "I know what I am, a recovering addict," he said. ", 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. Though the Americans did much better this time around with 51 runs in nine games, when great players face off, softball is clearly a pitchers game. The King and His Court touring team played over ten thousand softball games in a hundred countries from the late 1940s to the beginning of the 21st century..while achieving widespread fame similar to that of theHarlem Globetrotters.as Feigners meticulous records claim 9,743 victories, 141,517 strikeouts, 930 no-hitters and 238 perfect games. He often told people it was a good feeling to know he was unique. SoftballJunk.com is a great resource to find the perfect fastpitch softball bat just for you! In 1950, the team members, as well as Feigner, were unemployed. Sponsored. This week I show you about 10 minutes of the event. You can follow him on Twitter at jimcaple. The King and His Court It all began in 1946. He does want one more world tour before he calls it quits — "It will probably be my last time. But Hoppe's story is about more than just trick pitches and entertaining a crowd. I wonder if he wanted to be a MLB player if he would have done so well. Progressive Field, Cleveland: 82 "How did you remember that?" "We got to live our summers in small towns where you feel like it's the 1950s. 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. Among many barnstormers week I show you about 10 minutes of the most underrated athletes of time! Softball equipment, or softball bats visit softballjunk.com/ Green Pea League of Walla Walla Valley to throw team. 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