- Aug 21, 2008
- 2,388
- 113
10000000% agree. I don't know if it's a conscience thing they do on ESPN softball broadcasts to get more baseball dad's to watch it. To me, when the announcers do this, all I can think of is the old tv show Cheers: Cliff Clavin. He would stand up and talk absolute nonsense, just trying to use big words to be the bar's know it all. But those who do understand the sport just scratch their heads at the announcers. Personally, I can't even watch it much. They make my teeth hurt from grinding them as I listen to them spew nonsense.This comes from softball people trying to adopt baseball terms without having any understanding of what they mean.
A "Backdoor curve," by definition, is a pitch that starts outside and clips the outside corner. So a righty can only throw a backdoor curve to a lefty (and vice versa). Our description of the plate, with inside/outside, front door/back door, are fairly self explanatory. A backdoor curve "sneaks in through the back door," so so to speak, and it makes no sense whatsoever to use that phrasing on an inside corner pitch.
It kinda reminds me of softball people thinking a right-handed hitter can drag bunt. Again, not possible unless they're running to third base, since by definition dragging means you pull something behind you (think of a ball on a string that attaches to where it hit the bat). Only lefty hitters can do this, and until very, very recently, I never once in 30+ years ever heard anybody describe a RH hitter's bunt as a drag bunt, but a bunch of softball people who didn't really know what they were talking about don't understand the term and use it incorrectly.
Now before anyone gets mad at me, I am happy the sport does so well on TV. I am happy these ladies get the opportunities that they do. Having said that, I wish some recognition for the history of the game was known by more people. EVERYTHING we see to day was built on the backbone of men's fastpitch of yesteryear. USA softball does very little to help the men's game and it shows around the country. Aren't they supposed to be the governing body for both genders? Yes, I realize college is through the NCAA, but USA softball has a direct hand in it. And besides, it helped my rant here to just throw it in like I did. lol