Playing Catcher

[Direckshun]

This is a bit of a weird thread idea, but I had a huge conversation with a big baseball guy today about catchers.

I guess I never spent time thinking about it, because I don't really follow baseball. But catcher is a really weird position in sports, is it not?

Anybody on this board play catcher? And I don't mean in your beer league softball team. I mean seriously.

Wear a shit ton of padding. Spend 85% of the game squatting, invariably leading to shit knees later in life. Constantly making calls and having the world's most passive aggressive arguments totally by finger with your pitcher. Have to have a rocket arm and amazing reflexes. And have this weird sibling-like relationship with pitchers.

It's just a weird kinda position, and it usually brings with it some pretty great stories.

Have any catcher stories, stories that are either just amusing or reveal a little bit about the nature of the position?

Like I said, random topic, but I'm pretty interested in it tonight.

[seclark]

Originally Posted by patteeu

Check this out!

yeah, i got that advice. twice broken in collisions. the one time i was hit w/the ball was warming up a relief pitcher. woke up w/the ump patting me on the side of the face. still better than taking a shot to the nuts, and yes, i wore a cup, too.
sec

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by seclark

yeah, i got that advice. twice broken in collisions. the one time i was hit w/the ball was warming up a relief pitcher. woke up w/the ump patting me on the side of the face. still better than taking a shot to the nuts, and yes, i wore a cup, too.
sec

I always thought catchers were brave just to sit behind a guy swinging a bat. Did you ever get hit by the bat?

[seclark]

Originally Posted by patteeu

I always thought catchers were brave just to sit behind a guy swinging a bat. Did you ever get hit by the bat?

****, i got hit w/everything back there.
sec

[allen_kcCard]

Originally Posted by seclark

the one time i was hit w/the ball was warming up a relief pitcher
sec

Check out this!



Not the mask that was advised before, this black thingy held in front of it.

[seclark]

Originally Posted by allen_kcCard

Check out this!



Not the mask that was advised before, this black thingy held in front of it.

ya, screw you guys...i'm going home.
sec

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by allen_kcCard

Check out this!



Not the mask that was advised before, this black thingy held in front of it.

Reminds me of those nerd spiderman costumes at ComicCon.

[Predarat]

Jack 'don't stand on the tracks when the train's coming through' Parkman

[tyton75]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

This is a bit of a weird thread idea, but I had a huge conversation with a big baseball guy today about catchers.

I guess I never spent time thinking about it, because I don't really follow baseball. But catcher is a really weird position in sports, is it not?

Anybody on this board play catcher? And I don't mean in your beer league softball team. I mean seriously.

Wear a shit ton of padding. Spend 85% of the game squatting, invariably leading to shit knees later in life. Constantly making calls and having the world's most passive aggressive arguments totally by finger with your pitcher. Have to have a rocket arm and amazing reflexes. And have this weird sibling-like relationship with pitchers.

It's just a weird kinda position, and it usually brings with it some pretty great stories.

Have any catcher stories, stories that are either just amusing or reveal a little bit about the nature of the position?

Like I said, random topic, but I'm pretty interested in it tonight.

I was a catcher from the time that I started playing baseball, up thru highschool and got a try out with MU.

I freaking loved playing Catcher because you are involved in every play and you could talk to the batters and the Ump.. etc.

I loved the gamesmenship of the position. Telling the hitters what pitches were/weren't coming.. (Bull Durham and The Sandlot were favorites).

One funny story I can tell from High School that I felt bad for later. We were in a pretty tight game with some team and there was this lady in their stands who was screaming her head off the whole game. One of their better hitters came up with 2 runners on and 2 outs and I figured I would just start yapping at him, so I started asking him who that loudmouth lady was in the stands, "man, she is annoying; does she yell all the time, is she at all of your games, how do you stand it.".. and on and on..

He struck out, we go on to win the game, and after the game my coach came up and asked me what I was saying to him... found out that his Mother had died when he was younger and the loud lady was his grandmother who raised him.

Felt like a shitheel.

[Pepe Silvia]

I knew he would get buried for that title.

[listopencil]

[rockymtnchief]

Originally Posted by tyton75

I was a catcher from the time that I started playing baseball, up thru highschool and got a try out with MU.

I freaking loved playing Catcher because you are involved in every play and you could talk to the batters and the Ump.. etc.

I loved the gamesmenship of the position. Telling the hitters what pitches were/weren't coming.. (Bull Durham and The Sandlot were favorites).

One funny story I can tell from High School that I felt bad for later. We were in a pretty tight game with some team and there was this lady in their stands who was screaming her head off the whole game. One of their better hitters came up with 2 runners on and 2 outs and I figured I would just start yapping at him, so I started asking him who that loudmouth lady was in the stands, "man, she is annoying; does she yell all the time, is she at all of your games, how do you stand it.".. and on and on..

He struck out, we go on to win the game, and after the game my coach came up and asked me what I was saying to him... found out that his Mother had died when he was younger and the loud lady was his grandmother who raised him.

Felt like a shitheel.

Before a game, I saw one of the opposing players talking to some young gal sporting a hair-do that was in style in the 1950's or 60's.



Every time he came to bat, I'd make a smart remark about his girlfriends nasty hair. I could tell it really pissed him off and he never came close to getting on base.

After the game, I found out she lost all her hair because of cancer therapy and that was the only wig they could find in their small town.

I tried finding him and her after the game to say I'm sorry, but they left right away. It ate at me for weeks.

[patteeu]

Wow, who knew catchers were such mean people?

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by patteeu

I always thought catchers were brave just to sit behind a guy swinging a bat. Did you ever get hit by the bat?

The guys with the bad(long) swings will get you every now and then. The two things I enjoyed the least that people don't notice are when catchers get drilled when the hitter does. The pitch clips the batter and then deflects of and nails you in the ribs where there is no protection. It was also fun when the batter swings his bat along the ground to get in his stance and kicks a bunch of dirt into your eye. It's the little things that make catching so fun...

Still, you learn a lot being a catcher. There is a real reason why managers are so often catchers. It really is an entirely different view on the game. Both who to play defense, how to pitch, and also how to hit.

[mdchiefsfan]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

I played it.

Very demanding position, hard on the knees and back if you're tall, which I am, which is why I stopped. which kinda sucks because I was good at the position and not many people could run on me because of my ridiculous hand cannon of an arm.

Can you play QB?

[Rausch]

****!

I clicked on this thinking it was a gay thread and it ended up being about baseball...