The manager walked past Feigner at the tavern and made a nasty comment about Feigner's pitching ability. Host virtual events and webinars to increase engagement and generate leads. Later that night, Hoppe saw two children blown up right in front of him during a Viet Cong raid. Visit the Fastpitch TV Show's website at Fastpitch.TV, You can find our softball iPhone App at FastpitchApps.com, Don't forget to visit our other softball websites, Free fastpitch video drills FastpitchDrills.com, A search engine for softball - FastpitchSearch.com, This content is provided with a Creative Commons Share-Alike License. You can see highlights of the King and His Court from about 50 years ago here and a news report from about 15 years ago here. 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. "I had lost any courage to do anything. "Who was the original pitcher for the legendary men's softball team, The King and His Court" New questions each week on The Trivia Show with your host Gary Leland. "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. ", 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. Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay: 68. I just thought that was normal. He was 81. One of these years, it will be," he said. He's toed the same athletic fields as the legendary Jim Thorpe, traipsed through Tibet and rubbed elbows with the Dalai Lama. 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. Will King and His Court die when he retires? He was a hard-boiled egg. At his peak, Mr. Feigner threw a softball harder than any major league pitcher has ever thrown a baseball. Its like being a world-champion nose-blower.. Eddie Feigner was born on March 25, 1925, in Walla Walla, Washington. SUCH IT has been the last six weeks for the Court, which has toured Hawaii, Taiwan, and Korea and Japan at the behest of 8th U.S. Army sports and recreation services outlets at Camp Zama and nearby Yokosuka Naval Base. Feigner was born in Walla Walla, Wash., on March 26, 1925. And the second is that pitchers can throw harder overhand, and real men like to throw the ball hard. In the 2000 Olympics, the gold-medal-winning U.S. softball team allowed only seven runs and 24 hits in 10 games. Im now 66 years old. "It's surreal. ), Fernandez, perhaps the greatest softball pitcher ever, faced major league all-star David Justice after the 1996 Olympics and struck him out on three pitches. 15. How did he do it? Someone like Feigner who can throw a softball 100mph with accuracy is going to strike out a lot of batters. I never forgot that day, and how Eddie pitched. Any organization they thought would sponsor a softball game got a letter from them. The manager's team was a prison team made of convicts. Inspire employees with compelling live and on-demand video experiences. Today, there are no great pitchers left out there. It must be fun facing a blindfolded pitcher from 45 feet who can fire the ball faster than 100 mph. You are very lucky to have had such a special grandfather. It would be really fun to watch videos of some of that stuff. Anne Marie, Feigners fourth wife, became the first woman on the team. 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. For softball training videos, training aids, softball equipment, or softball bats visit softballjunk.com/. This place hasn't exactly been as enticing as Margatitaville but it isn't that terrible either, especially as multi-purpose stadiums go. So do yourself a favor this weekend. 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. The fastest documented pitch ever thrown by a major league pitcher is 103 mph. On this day in 1967, he happened to appear at an exhibition at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Eddie Feigner was a crowd pleasing softball pitcher and showman who toured the world for 55 years as the King and His Court. You'll need it. Ted Williams was fond of saying that the toughest thing in sports is hitting a round ball with a round bat. At the time, he was living in the Cogburn Health and Rehabilitation facility in Huntsville, Alabama. 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 a great event for the whole family! Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Nobody could even touch the ball. 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. The softball team was very popular with audiences because they performed funny tricks that made the fans laugh. 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 feat. "I was a broken man.". 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. 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. "I'll see a batter come up and, remember something about his stance or something and say, `El Paso, '74, right?' Jan 24, 2012 - Produced by http://Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. Hoppe remembers playing in 100-degree heat in Tacoma, Wash., one day and in sub-zero cold the next day in Barrow, Alaska. The Court has been around since the Chicago Cubs still were the reigning National League champs, and it has played in nearly 4,000 cities and in more than 150 countries. "We show off how good we are, but don't flaunt it or embarrass the home team," he said. All Rights Reserved. His gimmick of fielding four players against nine began with his response to losers taunts. And, of course, Feigner later pitches blindfolded, from second base and gives a clinic on the differences between fastpitch and slowpitch, the latter for which he professes no love. Either that, or an outtake from "Twilight 4: Team Timmy No-Hits Team Edward.'' The news of a four-man team beating nine players spread all over the state. 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 died of respiratory complications, said Del Reddy, a friend. We're going to go up to the birthplace and bring it on home.". 17. During one game, Feigner had easily beaten a team from Oregon 33-0. "It was like being on the Rolling Stones, only with a softball.". "I don't know who'll play Eddie Feigner," he said. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. He was 81 years old. "Now every pitcher has to be a big, strong pitcher. He is Rich Hoppe -- Bayonne native and pitcher for the King and His Court, the iconic four-man barnstorming softball team. 255) may be the equivalent of the high school annual photo. 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. I saw the King and his Court in Jasper, Alabama in the early 1960s. considered signing a hotshot Canadian softball pitcher. In the days of xBox and 15-screen Cineplexes, it was something to see ballparks packed with five generations, with great-grandfathers and fathers holding little babies. Call Us: (860) 961-3482 . As one batter put it, I was waiting for a pitch, heard a noise, watched the catcher throw the ball back. Eddie Feigner, Hard-Throwing, Barnstorming Showman of Softball, Dies at 81, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/sports/othersports/13feigner.html. "Merrick? 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 . I was lucky enough to be invited to come film the event. Prooyen, a six-time national champion whom Feigner calls the "best pitcher at his age (25) today," later pitches an inning or two. I guess in order to even make contact with the ball, you'd have to start your swing before he even released it and trust that it would be somewhere in the strike zone. 194 Softball Trivia Podcast | King and His Court Original Pitcher So, thank you for showing others what a great athlet he was. He was an incredible athlete and person. His underhand fastball was once timed at 104 mphsome accounts had it clocked at 114 mph. 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"). Thus, is Feigner, with a year or two left in his own career, the last of the great fastpitch showmen? Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. Eddie Feigner was able to get games when he showed local softball promoters his abilities. 2. "I told ASA (Amateur Softball Association) it was a great game at 43 feet — you just killed a great game. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. There are a couple of reasons. After decades of popularity, fast-pitch mens softball lost ground to slow pitch (a sissy game, Feigner said) and to womens fast pitch. The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas: 77 Feigner agreed, and the only stipulation was that Feigner needed four players to bat in case the bases were loaded. The Yankees rewarded the biggest star in the their history with a 30 percent paycut. He and a changing supporting cast that included only a catcher, first baseman and shortstop eventually logged more than 4 million miles, covering 50 states and more than 100 countries to play in front of 200 million people. Bayonne native Rich Hoppe, a member of the fast-pitch softball team the King and His Court, on the diamond at Memorial Park in Linden last week. The friends got together and decided it was time to take their game on the road. 14. Nationals Park, Washington: 76 Because in baseballs early days, the pitchers were required to throw underhand. 5. He took her last name and the name Eddie from a friend. Inductees have included Roberto Clemente, Jackie Robinson, Vin Scully, Satchel Paige, and others. He made Nolan Ryan look like a Little Leaguer. He was part of more than 56 foreign tours. For Feigner, it would have been a career in pro baseball, with the New York Yankees, had it not been for Uncle Sam calling in World War II. Feigner knew he was the only one of his kind in the history of the world. This week I show you about 10 minutes of the event. from Many of them were major league players. I would have loved to have bee able to have a conversation with him. He struck out Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente consecutively. 11. He hopes to inspire all of those who have battled addiction and felt trapped within their own lives. 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. People still want to see Williams bat, Palmer golf; there's the charisma there. Klicken Sie auf Einstellungen verwalten um weitere Informationen zu erhalten und Ihre Einstellungen zu verwalten. But the 65-year tour of duty ends Saturday night in Feigner's hometown of Walla Walla, Wash., playing a team that includes former major leaguer Jeff Cirillo, a two-time All-Star and five-time .300 hitter. In softball, there are no famous hitters, only famous pitchers. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets It just doesn't go as fast,' " Feigner says. He still signed free autograph after free autograph, as his players hustled programs. (And don't rule out the Rays grabbing this year's wild card spot yet.) from around the world. Thats roughly what Finch, Fernandez, and Osterman did these two weeks except they didnt allow as many hits. 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. Marco Polo would have been jealous. He discovered that his birth mother lived nearby and that as a teenager he had mowed her lawn. CAMP ZAMA, Japan — The guest shook the strong, firm right hand, gazed into the ruddy face, stared for a moment at the graying, thinning trademark flattop crew cut. Busch Stadium, St. Louis: 78 Free returns. Feigner claimed nearly 10,000 victories, 141,000 strikeouts and almost 1,000 no-hitters. 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. Men's fast-pitch softball has the King and His Court. Hyperextending his knee in a gopher hole in 1972 didn't help; it prevents him to this day from getting top speed on his fastball. 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. Their popularity kept growing. We had some interesting lines this week. Progressive Field, Cleveland: 82 AT&T Park, San Francisco: 94 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. And there were not enough bare-chested women, though there were a few of those, too. Eddie Feigner was a one-of-a-kind person who stood out among all those who played sports. Kids who are 10 or 11 years old, they click on the boob tube and say why play fastpitch when there's no pro league, you can't get a scholarship offer for it, and I can play baseball, football, basketball and make good money at it? Insulted, Feigner bet the guy he could beat his team with just four players -- himself, a catcher, a first baseman and an infielder. They were called The King and His Court.. The players Feigner chose for his team were people he'd known since fourth grade. Unfortunately, I'm not talking about the New York Yankees. 1. (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 six? They were awesome. SoftballJunk.com is a great resource to find the perfect fastpitch softball bat just for you!. Bueller? He pitched for Kilburg's Grocery store. Those days are long gone -- now luxury suites and revenue streams are all-important -- and based on the vast expanses of orange, empty seats always visible at Marlins games, those days may have never existed here. And maybe he deserved it. The King and His Court came to Davenport in the Summer of 1965. According to legend, Feigner was bragging up his skills one night when an opposing player challenged his abilities. He often told people it was a good feeling to know he was unique. During the following four years, the King and His Court played over 200 games but traveled no further than Idaho. Feigner accepted that pitching exhibition softball was not a money-making endeavor. Barnstorming softball faded into the Americana of wooden roller coasters and hula hoops. Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles: 88 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. In 2000, in their six games against China, Japan, and Australiaarguably the Americans toughest competitionthe U.S. team scored only six runs. Eddie Feigner was asked to participate. The King and His Court got its start the way so many wonderful sagas begin -- in a bar. Starbucks won't go to towns the Court does. $44.90. Founded in 1946 by Hoppe's mentor, "The King" Eddie Feigner, the. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. He was more than a player; he was a showman. 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