Team USA vs Japan

[JayW]

Softball tournaments in 2021 I enjoyed more than the Olympics:

SEC Tournament
Regionals
Super Regionals
CWS
Any tournament DD played


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[Ken Krause]

Ken just posted this in another thread. Very astute observation in my opinion.

Thanks for the recognition, Westwind!

 

[Ken Krause]

For those commenting about the USA not knowing how to play on turf, Bandits Stadium in Rosemont, IL is turf and has been since it opened, I believe. Anyone who has played in the NPF or Athletes Unlimited has played there, so it's nothing new.

The fact is they just couldn't hit. And as I've said before the offense was totally predictable, which is why Japan was able to pull off a 3-6-4 double play on a bunt. If you bunt EVERY time you get a runner on first you can play your corners way in, which Japan did.

Just wondering. Did any of those sac bunts result in a run that would not have been scored otherwise? IMHO they should have saved the out and tried to hit the baserunners around. Or steal them to second. It was the softball equivalent of a prevent defense in football. All it did was prevent them from winning.

 

[sluggers]

I will say this- Olympic softball moves at the speed of light defensively. Emulate that.

They are even faster in person

Prefer a more aggresive approach in the box.
Because,
Great pitchers will pick batters apart.
imo
not the time for batters to be picky themselves.

Hit anything,
And everything is a great pitch to select

This is gold...

My only quibble is that good pitchers with control can do it as well. If the pitcher can throw strikes whenever she wants, the batter has to be aggressive.

 

[Hoyer5060]

No trail for players? A 39 years old retired pitcher? Is there really a need for this? Weak hitting- all games. 6 runs at the 2021 olympics. Softball out of the olympic programm.

 

[Shiloh]

Still dont understand the mandate that softball and baseball MUST share the same facility. Japan already has a robust pro baseball AND softball league. Why not just pick one of each of those venues, and NOT build a new facility for the Olympics? I mean, for fricks sake, they combined bball/sball in the name of “sustainability”… give me a break. NOTHING about the Olympics is “sustainable”. Brand new venues for everything. What a waste. I watched “canoe slalom” this past weekend. Brand new man made concrete water course. Could have built a softball venue for about 1/5 the cost of that thing. Jeepers…

because it’s not about softball

it’s about the IOC giving the finger to the MLB owners who won’t release their star players in the middle of the season to go compete in the games. The dispute has been going on for decades and it’s the reason baseball/softball got kicked out in the first place.

But this time around Japan badly wanted baseball in its games, so the IOC had a dilemma. They had to let baseball in, but somehow keep the message of non-cooperation with the MLB. So they said don’t go out of your way for softball - let’s keep the brutal spectacle of softball as inferior girls playing inferior baseball on inferior fields alive.

So much for the International Baseball Softball Olympic Confederation. softball is, and continues to be, collateral damage in the war over Olympic baseball.

 

[schwabach]

Maybe the Olympics has had its moment and is now fading. If softball and women's soccer is to prosper, they should figure out strategies for doing so without depending on the Olympics. As it stands now, practically no city with a shred of a choice in the matter wants to host the Olympics.

 

[Yanko70]

because it’s not about softball

it’s about the IOC giving the finger to the MLB owners who won’t release their star players in the middle of the season to go compete in the games. The dispute has been going on for decades and it’s the reason baseball/softball got kicked out in the first place.

But this time around Japan badly wanted baseball in its games, so the IOC had a dilemma. They had to let baseball in, but somehow keep the message of non-cooperation with the MLB. So they said don’t go out of your way for softball - let’s keep the brutal spectacle of softball as inferior girls playing inferior baseball on inferior fields alive.

So much for the International Baseball Softball Olympic Confederation. softball is, and continues to be, collateral damage in the war over Olympic baseball.

The Olympics are also very Euro centric in sport selection and out side of Italy baseball is thought of poorly in Europe. Look at sports that in there that are extremely niche rich people sports (fencing, dressage etc.) Hell Paris is using one of their local sports picks on breakdancing (welcome to 1984), they are keeping surfing but hold it in Tahiti which last time I checked is nowhere near Paris. Any sport that is most popular in the western hemisphere is at a disadvantage to start with. Heck even mens soccer is a U-23 tournament, so as not to compete with the World Cup.

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[bmakj]

Maybe the Olympics has had its moment and is now fading. If softball and women's soccer is to prosper, they should figure out strategies for doing so without depending on the Olympics. As it stands now, practically no city with a shred of responsible and intelligent leadership in the matter wants to host the Olympics.

FIFY

plenty cities still chase the Olympics for reasons of prestige, corruption (land to be acquired by local COG orgs, building contracts, etc.), etc.

 

[schwabach]

FIFY

plenty cities still chase the Olympics for reasons of prestige, corruption (land to be acquired by local COG orgs, building contracts, etc.), etc.

True enough. Having said that, some cities such as L.A. should be able to host the Olympics somewhat cost-effectively because they don't need to build sports facilities. There is enough in the greater L.A. area.