Founded in 1946 by Hoppe's mentor, "The King" Eddie Feigner, the. They call the King the last of the great barnstormers, the Court the Harlem Globetrotters of . It was incredible. 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. Eddie Feigner winds up during a game at Camp Zama, Japan, in May, 1989. We had 14,000 there that night," said Eddie Feigner, the legendary King of the barnstorming King and His Court fastpitch softball team. Pitchers with speed and a varied repertoirelike current U.S. Olympians Finch, Lisa Fernandez, and Cat Ostermanmake life almost impossible for even the best hitters. It's your last chance to see a legend, and as the King would say, it's just down the road apiece. It will end where it should. During the game, Eddie Feigner managed to strike out Maury Wills, Willie McCovey, Harmon Killebrew, Brooks Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. And the guy blinks and says, `Right.' "This is big. During one game, Feigner had easily beaten a team from Oregon 33-0. Marco Polo would have been jealous. Eddie Feigner, "What Little I Know About Pitching and Hitting", 7. Someone like Feigner who can throw a softball 100mph with accuracy is going to strike out a lot of batters. The King and His Court It all began in 1946. 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. I was about 10 years old, and they asked me to be bat boy. HE AND his four-player team have donned their blue and red star-spangled uniforms 225 times a year for more than 18 million fans, traveling almost 4 million miles to 86 countries, 55 in which they've played actual games and the other 31 in which they've demonstrated fastpitch skill, specifically Feigner's mystical mound mastery. ", 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. The guest nearly falls out of his seat. 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. How did he do it? Nice guys, huh? "You don't care. The King and his Court. It's absolutely like your life is flashing in front of you," Hoppe said. Feel free to use this content, in whole or in part, in any manner you like so long as you give credit to Gary leland, Fastpitch.TV and link to fastpitch.tv. Feigner claimed nearly 10,000 victories, 141,000 strikeouts and almost 1,000 no-hitters. Target Field, Minneapolis: 91 Thanks for sharing such a great childhood memory. Not bad for a fat man. HubPages is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. 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. Any organization they thought would sponsor a softball game got a letter from them. If you live anywhere in the Northwest, go to Walla Walla this Saturday to see the end of an era. 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. So why dont baseball pitchers just throw fast-pitch-softball style if its so effective? We have everybody falling all over themselves wanting to play us, we've struck out Willie Mays and Ted Williams, for 20 years the word is out, nobody can beat us. All rights reserved (About Us). Eddie Feigner, who for 60 years barnstormed the globe with his four-man softball team, hurling 100-mile-an-hour pitches that struck out Willie Mays and 141,516 other batters, died on Friday in Huntsville, Ala. Fr nhere Informationen zur Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie. He often told people it was a good feeling to know he was unique. This Space For Rent, Florida 73 His underhand fastball was once timed at 104 mphsome accounts had it clocked at 114 mph. All rights reserved. "It's surreal. 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. Don't add another wild card and a hokey one-game playoff -- just eliminate the wild card. 208 Softball Academy Podcast | Athlete Goals. Sem a necessidade de instalar ou se inscrever 209 Softball Academy Podcast | Hitting Philosophy. They were awesome. Mr. Feigner faced a lineup of six major leaguers (5 of whom were later inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame). It's always been my Yankee Stadium. Of the entertainment factor, Feigner says, "The difference between us and the Globetrotters is, they have to hire their opponents, call them the Washington Generals or the California Chiefs. Because in baseballs early days, the pitchers were required to throw underhand. This episodes trivia question is a simple one, so now its time to play! And that feeling has never left. 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. Hoppe remembers playing in 100-degree heat in Tacoma, Wash., one day and in sub-zero cold the next day in Barrow, Alaska. HDFeigner, thank you so much for your kind comment. In the 2000 Olympics, the gold-medal-winning U.S. softball team allowed only seven runs and 24 hits in 10 games. A baseball batter has no concept how to hit a fastball that rises like mine, or sliders and curves that break 18 inches.. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum: 74 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. This year, Team USA won again and was even more dominant. He discovered that his birth mother lived nearby and that as a teenager he had mowed her lawn. Eddie Feigner: King and His Court - YouTube 0:00 / 29:30 Eddie Feigner: King and His Court allendale101 5.05K subscribers 546K views 4 years ago Video on the story of the famed. 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. After the game was over, many of the players gathered at a tavern. Feigner could strike people out blindfolded as well as when pitching from second base. It's beyond dangerous, it's numb.". 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. Insulted, Feigner bet the guy he could beat his team with just four players -- himself, a catcher, a first baseman and an infielder. Feigner was satisfied to entertain the thousands of kids in the stands that came to watch him. 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. Granted, American softball players are the best in the world. Eddie Feigner was still anxious to play. The King and His Court got its start the way so many wonderful sagas begin -- in a bar. A couple of years ago, the Kansas City Royals considered signing a hotshot Canadian softball pitcher before realizing that his style was illegal. Anyone can read what you share. 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 . Now they're all in their 40s. But softball can still teach us something about baseball history. The Yankees rewarded the biggest star in the their history with a 30 percent paycut. "We need some runs against this team. 14. This Amateur Softball Association (ASA) had forbidden its members to play against Eddie Feigner and his team. He died of respiratory complications, said Del Reddy, a friend. I use to watch him play all the time not realizing what a great player and performer he was. 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. "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. All their efforts only got them a few replies. 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. In honor of his time in theMarine Corps, the King and His Court often played against military personnel, often at venues such as Army bases or the decks of aircraft carriers. There are, of course, many hundreds of human beings who can hit a low-90s fastball. Feigner played in over 5,000 games and struck out over 15,000 people when he was blindfolded. Feigner, catcher Gary West, first baseman Dave Booth and shortstop Gary Van Prooyen mug it up with true zest. 19. Build a site and generate income from purchases, subscriptions, and courses. But Hoppe's story is about more than just trick pitches and entertaining a crowd. I saw the King and his Court in Pittsfield, MA in the early 1960's. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. 255) may be the equivalent of the high school annual photo. 4. or Best Offer. 21. 194 Softball Trivia Podcast | King and His Court Original Pitcher In this years Olympics, there were 19 games that didntinclude weak sisters Greece and Italy. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. 23K 2.9K comments He and his court, which included only a catcher, first-baseman and shortstop, played everywhere from Yankee Stadium to the Great Wall of China. As the team ate and slept in their station wagon, they discovered something in El Paso, TX. The manager's team was a prison team made of convicts. Progressive Field, Cleveland: 82 HE HAS a book planned and a movie scripted, but there's no ending to either, yet; thus, they're both on the shelf. Feigner has performed for U.S. troops during the Berlin Airlift, pitched in full view of Soviet guardsmen in Red Square, pitched against a Cuban team in 1952, featuring a hot major-league prospect, Fidel Castro, who would shun baseball and lead his country through a revolution and retain power 37 years later. During the following four years, the King and His Court played over 200 games but traveled no further than Idaho. Anyone? Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. 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). They were all from the state of Florida. Will King and His Court die when he retires? With all that said, Feigner was amazing. Feigner had been pitching in the Green Pea League of Walla Walla Valley. Comerica Park, Detroit: 87 They endured enough 30-hour rides between cities that Feigner referred to a 10-hour ride as "just down the road apiece. 18. I hope they think of me as an honest, sincere performer who always put on a good show, he said. All contents 2023 The Slate Group LLC. from around the world. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. I never saw him and his court, but I can imagine it was quite an experience. Of course, the Stones never played my hometown or the hundreds of other towns that are even smaller. 1983 The King and His Court ~ 4-Man Softball Team ~ Signed Autographed Program. He left the military in 1944. He was the clown prince of softball. They started their first cross-country tour. The friends got together and decided it was time to take their game on the road. Nobody could even touch the ball. Busch Stadium, St. Louis: 78 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? 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. They played in Frederick at least once. "Now every pitcher has to be a big, strong pitcher. I saw the King and his Court in Jasper, Alabama in the early 1960s. Ted Williams was fond of saying that the toughest thing in sports is hitting a round ball with a round bat. He was able to hit the ball as well as he could pitch it. Hoppe said he relied on a mixture of Vietnamese marijuana and black tar heroin to cope with the emotional and psychological damage that the incident and the war had on him. For Hoppe, it all started in 1961 when he was a junior in high school and saw Feigner and his team play in Bayonne. 12, Minute Maid Park, Houston: 80 The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. If you swing at the ball, youll strike out every time.. Add The Fastpitch Softball TV Show to your social network of choice at fastpitch.tv. 11. He was an incredible athlete and person. 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. 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. Sadly, I'm talking about the King and His Court, the barnstorming softball team started by the late Eddie Feigner some 65 years ago. One of these years, it will be," he said. He hopes to inspire all of those who have battled addiction and felt trapped within their own lives. 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. 10. He was abandoned as an infant and was named Myrle King by his adoptive parents. Men's fast-pitch softball has the King and His Court. Meanwhile, as ESPN colleague Doug Kern points out, the last four Rays home games drew just 61,897. Enthralled by what he saw, Hoppe hooked up with Feigner's crew for Midwest tours the following two summers. Before the tour, Eddie Feigner and the other team members mailed thousands of letters to charity groups, service organizations, local governments, and more. This often happened on the nearest street. This place hasn't exactly been as enticing as Margatitaville but it isn't that terrible either, especially as multi-purpose stadiums go. "I went to the other side," Hoppe said, referring to his mental state. He was a hard-boiled egg. Starbucks won't go to towns the Court does. "The day of the barnstormer is buried this Saturday.". , as ESPN colleague Doug Kern points out, the chance to see legend... 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Hotshot Canadian softball pitcher before realizing that His birth mother the king and his court fastpitch softball nearby and that as a teenager he had her!