I have written several times about my one at bat against Kirsten Verdun and the Chicago Bandits. I struck out on four pitches (I worked that count!) and never really had a chance at making good contact.
I never felt too bad about it. Kirsten was an elite pitcher (all of these ladies are elite players). The pitches come in at about 65 mph from 40 feet, which translates to about 100 from regular distance. Even in my prime, I don't think I would have done much better.
I had never seen any "regular" guy bat against the Bandits since then, until Saturday night, when WhiteSoxDave from Barstool Sports had his chance.
I was ecstatic and nervous about my at bat. Dave was cool and cocky. He talked smack on social media and at the ballpark. He wanted softball legend Jennie Finch, but she politely declined. Dave would face USSSA Pride pitcher Kelsey Nunley.
Nunley is a second year pitcher alum from the University of Kentucky. She has a career NPF record of 14-2 with an ERA of 2.51. She has 112 strike outs in 114.1 innings pitched.
Dave was younger than me and seemed fairly athletic, but I still thought he had no chance of making real contact. Nunley is a pro. While this was just an exhibition at bat, I didn't think she'd want to give up any big hit to a regular guy.
Dave gave it his all in the at bat. He took some mighty swings. In the end, he had the same result I did. I felt better about my feeble attempt.
Dave took it all in good spirits. He even started early trash-talking for his revenge next season, as you can hear in the interview below.
Dave did bounce back a bit later when he raced against Sammy Marshall. In the first race, with a huge headstart, Dave "beat" Sammy. In the next race, with a bit of a headstart, the race was too close to call, but I think Sammy edged him out.
Dave (aka WhiteSoxDave) is a Chicago contributor for Barstoolsports.com. It's a fun, sports site, one which I visit on a regular basis. I encourage all to check it out. You can also follow BarstoolSports on twitter, BarstoolWSD on twitter, BarstoolCarl on twitter and Barstool Sports on Facebook.
I had a lot of fun hanging out in the bullpen area with the Barstool Sports gang. I look forward to seeing them again next season at the ballpark in Rosemont.
I never felt too bad about it. Kirsten was an elite pitcher (all of these ladies are elite players). The pitches come in at about 65 mph from 40 feet, which translates to about 100 from regular distance. Even in my prime, I don't think I would have done much better.
I had never seen any "regular" guy bat against the Bandits since then, until Saturday night, when WhiteSoxDave from Barstool Sports had his chance.
I was ecstatic and nervous about my at bat. Dave was cool and cocky. He talked smack on social media and at the ballpark. He wanted softball legend Jennie Finch, but she politely declined. Dave would face USSSA Pride pitcher Kelsey Nunley.
Nunley is a second year pitcher alum from the University of Kentucky. She has a career NPF record of 14-2 with an ERA of 2.51. She has 112 strike outs in 114.1 innings pitched.
Dave was younger than me and seemed fairly athletic, but I still thought he had no chance of making real contact. Nunley is a pro. While this was just an exhibition at bat, I didn't think she'd want to give up any big hit to a regular guy.
Dave gave it his all in the at bat. He took some mighty swings. In the end, he had the same result I did. I felt better about my feeble attempt.
Dave took it all in good spirits. He even started early trash-talking for his revenge next season, as you can hear in the interview below.
Dave did bounce back a bit later when he raced against Sammy Marshall. In the first race, with a huge headstart, Dave "beat" Sammy. In the next race, with a bit of a headstart, the race was too close to call, but I think Sammy edged him out.
Dave (aka WhiteSoxDave) is a Chicago contributor for Barstoolsports.com. It's a fun, sports site, one which I visit on a regular basis. I encourage all to check it out. You can also follow BarstoolSports on twitter, BarstoolWSD on twitter, BarstoolCarl on twitter and Barstool Sports on Facebook.
I had a lot of fun hanging out in the bullpen area with the Barstool Sports gang. I look forward to seeing them again next season at the ballpark in Rosemont.
I thank the Chicago Bandits for their continued hospitality. I thank Barstool Sports and WhiteSoxDave for the interview. I also extend an open offer to do any extra coverage of the Bandits for them. Johngy's Beat would love to be (even a small) part of the Barstool Sports universe.
1 comment:
good post
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