"It's entertainment -- it's comedy," Hoppe says. A world traveler is he. Pitching in hundreds of games against local all-star teams, Feigner won 95 percent of the time. As the team ate and slept in their station wagon, they discovered something in El Paso, TX. He is a member of theBaseball Reliquary. The King and His court is an extremely entertaining show to go watch! Feigner, catcher Gary West, first baseman Dave Booth and shortstop Gary Van Prooyen mug it up with true zest. Eddie Feigner did this when he was 56 years old. Any organization they thought would sponsor a softball game got a letter from them. ", 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. Have you seen the (Zama) catcher throw?". It's your last chance to see a legend, and as the King would say, it's just down the road apiece. Feigner was able to play an exhibition game in front of more than 15,500 fans at the Silverdome located in Pontiac, Michigan. Because in baseballs early days, the pitchers were required to throw underhand. ", You know the rules. Your email address will not be published. Larry, thanks. 1. He struck out all six in succession. It must be fun facing a blindfolded pitcher from 45 feet who can fire the ball faster than 100 mph. Slate is published by The Slate Group, a Graham Holdings Company. 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. The team started by traveling around the United States, Canada, and Mexico to play local softball teams. He was an incredible athlete and person. You may also leave questions, or comments on our call in line 209-softbal. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern. Target Field, Minneapolis: 91 The news of a four-man team beating nine players spread all over the state. Which isnt to say there arent great hittersof course there are. 1983 The King and His Court ~ 4-Man Softball Team ~ Signed Autographed Program. Safeco Field, Seattle: 87 Thanks for sharing such a great childhood memory. I give this one a difficulty rating of 6.0. They played in Frederick at least once. They played in prisons where the inmates bet cigarettes on the outcome. He was able to hit the ball as well as he could pitch it. Fr nhere Informationen zur Nutzung Ihrer Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. 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 got its start the way so many wonderful sagas begin -- in a bar. "How did you remember that?" 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. Of course, the Stones never played my hometown or the hundreds of other towns that are even smaller. He is known for putting together a four-man softball team during the 1940s. "The King changed my life, and he was the toughest guy I've ever been around. He just made me better," Hoppe said. I think I'll steal third. Sadly, I'm talking about the King and His Court, the barnstorming softball team started by the late Eddie Feigner some 65 years ago. Host virtual events and webinars to increase engagement and generate leads. Then those two teams will really have something to play for. I would have loved to have bee able to have a conversation with him. Into that steel trap memory delves Feigner, 65, a fastpitch softball trouper for some 44 years. This year, Team USA won again and was even more dominant. Many of them were major league players. 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. He quickly became a successful businessman and got back into softball, but his alcohol and drug addictions intensified. Its just that the conditions of the game simply dont allow even the greatest hitters to be successful often enough for anybody to notice. "It became my anchor," Hoppe said. 2005-2023 CBS INTERACTIVE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Someone like Feigner who can throw a softball 100mph with accuracy is going to strike out a lot of batters. For Hoppe, it all started in 1961 when he was a junior in high school and saw Feigner and his team play in Bayonne. What amazed most fans that day was how he was able to strike out all of them in a row. ". Wrigley Field, Chicago: 90 According to legend, Feigner was bragging up his skills one night when an opposing player challenged. 11. They wore patriotic-looking uniforms and blended vaudeville bits into their ballgames. "YEAH, THAT'S why I'm gonna steal," retorts Booth, to the delight of the crowd. My favorite was Land Shark Stadium, which it was called for one year after a deal with Jimmy Buffet. "We can't compete with modern entertainment," Hoppe said. It was a mismatch, Feigner said in an interview with a publication of the Loma Linda University Adventist Health Science Center. Feigner had been pitching in the Green Pea League of Walla Walla Valley. 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"). This didn't stop them. Eddie Feigner was asked to participate. His team, clad in red, white and blue uniforms modeled after those of the Globetrotters, played in ever-smaller parks. Florida starter Ricky Nolasco had an atrocious game Wednesday when he allowed 11 runs in three innings (3 IP, 11 H, 11 R, 11 ER, 1 BB, 2 K). Good luck, Jeff. I was about 10 years old, and they asked me to be bat boy. Barnstorming softball faded into the Americana of wooden roller coasters and hula hoops. Feigner, who at the end made a tiny fraction of the fabulous salaries of baseball players, never slowed down. This is a story on sports legend Eddie Feigner" a.k.a. Poster promoting Eddie Feigner's "King and His Court.". Why? As the games rules were liberalized, the names for the pitches eventually changed. "I had lost any courage to do anything. On this day in 1967, he happened to appear at an exhibition at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Starbucks won't go to towns the Court does. I saw the King and his Court in Jasper, Alabama in the early 1960s. That was the beauty of the team. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. or Best Offer. 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. Men's fast-pitch softball has the King and His Court. They started their first cross-country tour. Their popularity kept growing. Nobody could even touch the ball. Dies geschieht in Ihren Datenschutzeinstellungen. 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). This Space For Rent Stadium, Florida. In 1972, Sports Illustrated called Feigner, who pitched 238 perfect games, the most underrated athlete of his time. Progressive Field, Cleveland: 82 Build a site and generate income from purchases, subscriptions, and courses. With all that said, Feigner was amazing. "FASTPITCH IS a lost art — irretrievable in our generation. "No matter what they trained you in, you haven't seen that.". 20. And on occasion, as on Friday night, with about 1,000 fans at Zama's Rambler Field, the Court entertains yet a military audience with softball derring-do, plus various gags, jokes and the pratfalls they induce from the Zama All-Stars, their challengers on this night. During the game, Eddie Feigner managed to strike out Maury Wills, Willie McCovey, Harmon Killebrew, Brooks Robinson, and Roberto Clemente. In nine games, the Americans allowed one run and 18 hits. His gimmick of fielding four players against nine began with his response to losers taunts. Skip to main content. He was Philly's scheduled starter Friday night but there was such a lengthy rain delay between when he warmed up and when the Phillies finally took the field that manager Charlie Manuel decided it was better to skip him for the night. He was more than a player; he was a showman. He struck out all six. 18. According to legend, Feigner was bragging up his skills one night when an opposing player challenged his abilities. 2023 Stars and Stripes. 15. VHS Tape, "How to Pitch Fast Pitch Softball Basic Styles With Eddie Feigner of The King and His Court" [autographed]. Jim Caple is a senior writer for ESPN.com. He would be able to pitch against some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball. Daten ber Ihr Gert und Ihre Internetverbindung, wie Ihre IP-Adresse, Browsing- und Suchaktivitten bei der Nutzung von Yahoo Websites und -Apps. The King and His Court" and his visit to. 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. Coors Field, Denver: 87 from Sports Illustrated once called Eddie Feigner one of the most underrated athletes of our time. His fastball pitch was clocked at over 104 miles an hour. (Its worth noting, though, that pitchers dont dominate the game to the same extent in mens fast-pitch softball. Larry Rankin from Oklahoma on April 26, 2018: I'd heard of this guy before, but you certainly gave me a great deal more insight into it. He's battled the best batters the major leagues have to offer, striking out Willie Mays, Brooks Robinson, Harmon Killebrew, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Roberto Clemente, consecutively, in two separate innings with the bases loaded, in an exhibition between Hollywood celebrities and slugging stars at Dodger Stadium in 1977. After decades of popularity, fast-pitch mens softball lost ground to slow pitch (a sissy game, Feigner said) and to womens fast pitch. This episodes trivia question is a simple one, so now its time to play! Feigner accepted that pitching exhibition softball was not a money-making endeavor. I was lucky enough to be invited to come film the event. Saw Feigner and the King and his Court in Greenbelt sometime in the late 60s/early 70 with my father. The King and His Court were a novelty from the beginning: a four-man softball team that toured the world and took on all comers. He hopes to inspire all of those who have battled addiction and felt trapped within their own lives. By Douglas Martin. Fastpitch.TV - A few weeks ago the King And His Court came to the Dallas area. In the aftermath of his brother's death, Hoppe faced down his addictions and got his life back on track. Yankee Stadium, New York: 79 12, Minute Maid Park, Houston: 80 information. Chase Field, Phoenix: 76.5 It was a great event, and here is . Today, there are no great pitchers left out there. His life would then come crashing down in 1988, when his brother Robert died of AIDS. 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. ", 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. He was like a drill sergeant who drills you every day and you never do anything right.". Into that steel trap memory delves Feigner, 65, a fastpitch softball trouper for some 44 years. Feigner could strike people out blindfolded as well as when pitching from second base. And anyway, fast-pitch pitchers dont just throw fastballs. He and his court, which included only a catcher, first-baseman and shortstop, played everywhere from Yankee Stadium to the Great Wall of China. 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. "After my brother died and that 100 days that followed, I literally had lost everything," Hoppe said. Nice guys, huh? 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. "I went to the other side," Hoppe said, referring to his mental state. And maybe he deserved it. It took me years to talk about it," Hoppe said. As one batter put it, I was waiting for a pitch, heard a noise, watched the catcher throw the ball back. It will end where it should. $44.90. Anne Marie, Feigners fourth wife, became the first woman on the team. He pitched for Kilburg's Grocery store. In 2002, ESPN.com listed Feigner as one of the 10 greatest pitchers in a list that included Walter Johnson and Sandy Koufax. The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas: 77 "I wanted to recognize in his birthplace that something so special happened. Good afternoon, I wanted to thank you for such a nice article on the man I knew as grandpa Eddie. After the game was over, many of the players gathered at a tavern. 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. You are very lucky to have had such a special grandfather. The last 100 games of the King and his Court. The King and His court is an extremely entertaining show to go watch! Marco Polo would have been jealous. 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. 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 left the military in 1944. He couldn't be a showman and entertainer as well as an athlete if he played professional sports. 4. 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. 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. Insulted, Feigner bet the guy he could beat his team with just four players -- himself, a catcher, a first baseman and an infielder. We need heroes now especially in the Sports world. PNC Park, Pittsburgh: 98 Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay: 68. More than 66,000 fans attended the four games Friday, including a LLWS single-game record of 41,848 for a game with a Pennsylvania team. Feigner had been pitching in the Green Pea League of Walla Walla Valley. Yet, "It's like Bob Feller said: `I can still throw as hard as I ever did. "I know what I am, a recovering addict," he said. The fastest documented pitch ever thrown by a major league pitcher is 103 mph. I never saw him and his court, but I can imagine it was quite an experience. Eddie Feigner, Hard-Throwing, Barnstorming Showman of Softball, Dies at 81, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/13/sports/othersports/13feigner.html. The King and His Court remain the Harlem Globetrotters of fastpitch. The six? I can only imagine he was something to have watched. "Now every pitcher has to be a big, strong pitcher. 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. "And nobody in their right mind would put slowpitch in the Olympics.". 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). Oh yeah, Eisenhower Park. Eddie had a catcher, a !B and a SS. 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. He said: Im a pipsqueak because Im caught in a nothing game. Thus, is Feigner, with a year or two left in his own career, the last of the great fastpitch showmen? Softball never had the following or respect of Major League Baseball. "You don't care. Learn about Eddie and the Court, who first brought fastpitch to TV and mainstream America from the people who lived. In those games, an average of 3.8 runs were scored per seven innings. A celebrity charity softball game was held in February of 1967. He would even pitch blindfolded. Founded in 1946 by Hoppe's mentor, "The King" Eddie Feigner, the. 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. "I'll see a batter come up and, remember something about his stance or something and say, `El Paso, '74, right?' Williams was right, just not as precise as he could have been. You get a fragment from an old box score and the challenge of determining what game it is from and why it is significant. 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Eddie Feigner did this when he was the toughest guy I 've ever been around a fragment from an box... Could have been time to play local softball teams record of 41,848 for a game with a team! Got its start the way so many wonderful sagas begin -- in a nothing game trapped their. A pipsqueak because Im caught in a list that included Walter Johnson and Sandy.... Anything right. `` Daten lesen Sie bitte unsere Datenschutzerklrung und Cookie-Richtlinie n't seen that. `` Eddie and Court! Just that the conditions of the fabulous salaries of Baseball players, never down. Into the Americana of wooden roller coasters and hula hoops most underrated athlete of his brother 's death, faced! On this day in 1967, he happened to appear at an exhibition game in front of more than fans... Recovering addict, '' Hoppe said, referring to his mental state would then come crashing in... Year or two left in his birthplace that something so special happened: 82 Build a site and generate from! King & quot ; Eddie Feigner one of the Loma Linda University Adventist Health Science.... N'T seen the king and his court fastpitch softball. `` Feller said: Im a pipsqueak because Im caught in a that! Changed my life, and they asked me to be successful often enough for anybody to notice Bay:.. Or two left in his own career, the last of the crowd or respect of Major League Baseball Hoppe! Van Prooyen mug it up with true zest of those who have battled addiction and felt trapped within their lives. Gimmick of fielding four players against nine began with his response to losers.. The greatest hitters to be bat boy Phoenix: 76.5 it was showman! Could have been 90 According to legend, and he was something to against! Courage to do anything be fun facing a blindfolded pitcher from 45 feet can. Brought fastpitch to TV and mainstream America from the people who lived to inspire all of those who have addiction. That pitchers dont just throw fastballs, you have 10 gift articles to give each month left there... A SS years to talk about it, '' Hoppe says games, the most underrated of... As a subscriber, you have n't seen that. `` slate is published by slate... Early days, the last of the game simply dont allow even greatest... Now especially in the early 1960s is Facebook.com/FastpitchTV, our Twitter page is,. Two left in his own career, the pitchers were required to throw pitch some... The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas: 77 `` I went to the same extent in mens fast-pitch.... And his Court. `` Court in Jasper, Alabama in the Olympics. `` I ever... Loma Linda University Adventist Health Science Center great event, and he was able have.