They Throw Like Girls

In modern baseball, pitchers are like china dolls, treated with dainty care and limited pitch counts so their precious arms don't break. One glance at the herky-jerky motion of a fast-pitch softball hurler would have you believing that girls have it even worse, but in fact, it's just the opposite. "It's more of a natural motion than overhand," says Tom Turley, a director and former coach of softball tournaments. "Unlike major-league baseball, we'll have good pitchers that pitch several games at a tournament. Other than pitching, it's the same game." Summer is the time when the best softball players ditch their school teams to compete for titles such as this weekend's USSSA Girls 2008 Fast Pitch World Series. The tournament started on Monday, and the surviving teams (ages 10-18) will scrap today through Sunday at Adair Park in Independence (4400 Lee's Summit Road, 816-373-6960) and the Mid-America Sports Complex in Shawnee (20000 Johnson Drive, 913-441-2244). Admission to the all-day events is free.
Fri., July 25, 2008