Feigner struck out all six in order Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Harmon Killebrew. Mr. Feigner faced a lineup of six major leaguers (5 of whom were later inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame). The last 100 games of the King and his Court. The Quad Cities had gathered an All-Star team of fast pitch softball players and beat The King and He was like a drill sergeant who drills you every day and you never do anything right.". "I know what I am, a recovering addict," he said. Insulted, Feigner bet the guy he could beat his team with just four players -- himself, a catcher, a first baseman and an infielder. "It's surreal. They started their first cross-country tour. Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. It was a mismatch, Feigner said in an interview with a publication of the Loma Linda University Adventist Health Science Center. Sign up to receive a daily email of today's top military news stories from Stars and Stripes and top news outlets included in the interview is Leslie Barber, Charlie Dobbins, Dave Booth, Bob Hale, Ron Davenport and Michael Branchaud. Yankee Stadium, New York: 79 21. 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. Of who might take it over, such as his son, Eddie Jr., by first marriage — he has been married three times — Feigner says, "In sports, they say they'll never replace so-and-so. Klicken Sie auf Einstellungen verwalten um weitere Informationen zu erhalten und Ihre Einstellungen zu verwalten. But most of them play professional baseball, and nearly all of them are men. 19. The team started by traveling around the United States, Canada, and Mexico to play local softball teams. I just thought that was normal. "I went to the other side," Hoppe said, referring to his mental state. By contrast, the typical American League game last year included 7.65 runs per seven innings. 194 Softball Trivia Podcast | King and His Court Original Pitcher Feigner was able to play an exhibition game in front of more than 15,500 fans at the Silverdome located in Pontiac, Michigan. 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 . The rottenest thing to happen to softball was moving back the mound from 43 to 46 feet" in 1949, Feigner said, adding it was done because a few pitchers tended to dominate batters from the closer distance. Nobody could even touch the ball. He quickly became a successful businessman and got back into softball, but his alcohol and drug addictions intensified. Feigner died in 2007, but his team has continued on without him, like the Glenn Miller Orchestra or Lynyrd Skynyrd (roughly three dozen players have played for the Court over the years). Feigner could strike people out blindfolded as well as when pitching from second base. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. All their efforts only got them a few replies. Also, they would occasionally be on Wide World of Sports. 2023 Vimeo.com, Inc. All rights reserved. The manager challenged Feigner to prove it. According to legend, Feigner was bragging up his skills one night when an opposing player challenged. 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. "I miss the guy, I really do. Feb. 13, 2007. 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. Eddie Feigner pitched a perfect game. Their popularity kept growing. He and his court, which included only a catcher, first-baseman and shortstop, played everywhere from Yankee Stadium to the Great Wall of China. 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. 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. Feigner, who at the end made a tiny fraction of the fabulous salaries of baseball players, never slowed down. Feigner played in front of millions of people and traveled millions of miles around the world. During one game, Feigner had easily beaten a team from Oregon 33-0. Into that steel trap memory delves Feigner, 65, a fastpitch softball trouper for some 44 years. We are at game number 30.. in Deland Florida tonight. He was amazing. Senator issues ultimatum to Japans prime minister for return of imprisoned Navy officer, Air Force command climate investigation ends with Okinawa commanders removal, First hearing of Houses new Chinese threat committee converges on Taiwan, Army secretary says recruiting troubles are very serious and fixing them could stretch into 2024, You matter: Mother and son spread homemade inspiration at US air base in Japan, K-Town Now features the latest news from the Kaiserslautern Military Community. 10. You'll need it. information. Someone like Feigner who can throw a softball 100mph with accuracy is going to strike out a lot of batters. Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. 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. 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. This week I show you about 10 minutes of the event. 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. Feigner agreed, and the only stipulation was that Feigner needed four players to bat in case the bases were loaded. Busch Stadium, St. Louis: 78 He pitched for Kilburg's Grocery store. He was 81 years old. You could really bring it back then," the guest said. gary leland. He just made me better," Hoppe said. This Amateur Softball Association (ASA) had forbidden its members to play against Eddie Feigner and his team. "This is big. 23K 2.9K comments After the game was over, many of the players gathered at a tavern. 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. 1. She survives him, as do his son Eddie Jr.; his daughters Shirley, Carol and Debbie; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Marco Polo would have been jealous. He still signed free autograph after free autograph, as his players hustled programs. I can only imagine he was something to have watched. The King and His court is an extremely entertaining show to go watch! He is a member of theBaseball Reliquary. They keep the batters guessing with rise balls, drop balls, curves, and in-shoots. In international competition, the pitchers plate (or rubber, as baseball fans know it) is only 43 feet from home plate. Anyone can read what you share. Challenges to play local softball teams came from around the state of Washington. Good luck, Jeff. A world traveler is he. 5. It's absolutely like your life is flashing in front of you," Hoppe said. After last Thursday's game in Linden, Hoppe, who has been clean and sober for two decades, briefly shared his story with the crowd. According to legend, Feigner was bragging up his skills one night when an opposing player challenged his abilities. Yup, he struck out the side, blindfolded from 2nd base. On this day in 1967, he happened to appear at an exhibition at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. That was the beauty of the team. 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. That gave him season marks of .301, 34 home runs, 101 RBIs, a 1.023 OPS and a 1-0 record. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. PNC Park, Pittsburgh: 98 In nine games, the Americans allowed one run and 18 hits. The terminology used to describe pitches in fast-pitch softballrise ball, drop curve, in-shootis essentially the same as that used by baseball pitchers a century ago. 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. It's your last chance to see a legend, and as the King would say, it's just down the road apiece. If you live anywhere in the Northwest, go to Walla Walla this Saturday to see the end of an era. It has taken him all over the world, playing in the smallest of American towns, at USO events for American soldiers, and even in prisons against inmates. 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. I was lucky enough to be invited to come film the event. 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They played in Frederick at least once. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. He would be able to pitch against some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball. The friends got together and decided it was time to take their game on the road. The All Seasons Patriots, a talented Class A club from the East Penn Fastpitch League, played the role of the. The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas: 77 He was a hard-boiled egg. Mary, thanks. Enthralled by what he saw, Hoppe hooked up with Feigner's crew for Midwest tours the following two summers. But its usually not just Team USAs opponents who struggle to score. As Feigner recently observed, In fast-pitch softball, you have to swing four or five inches above the ball or four or five inches below the ball. 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). This often happened on the nearest street. 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. Larry, thanks. Thus, is Feigner, with a year or two left in his own career, the last of the great fastpitch showmen? HDFeigner, thank you so much for your kind comment. 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