What do you think?

I don't know why a girl would want to continue with baseball in high school. At fourteen she may be physically more imposing than some boys. That will disappear in the next year or two. If she's good enough in baseball to make the team, she would probably be a better softball player. These issues usually have political ramifications behind them generated by the parents.

I don't have an issue with it as long as the parents and lawyers don't try to change the behavior and conversation in the dugout. The dugout is a men's/boy's club.

Can a boy try out for the softball team?


I bet that there would be some uproar if he did

We went thyrough that in hockey. Girl tried out but was cut. The coach was afraid he would get taken to court but didn't.
5 girls on a girls HS team here got full rides to US colleges.

That's what I'm wondering about Bobble....is she going to sue again if she gets cut? What if she gets cut and misses the chance to try to play softball because she was trying out for baseball?

The one girl I knew who played high level BB played until 19yo and then took a scholarship in ladies FB. Much better scholarship.
Why would you sue to play BB and take a scholarsip cut?

Not that this would happen but, does that mean boys can try out for the softball team since they aren't the same sport? Can you imagine the parents from an opposing school if a team full of boys showed up to play the girls?

What is this equity in sports garbage anyway ? A alum of my son's BB team wanted to put lights up for his team. He was told he had to do the same for the ladies team as well.

I'm kind of old school on this subject.

Boys play baseball. Girls play softball.
Boys play football. Girls are cheerleaders.
Boys play basketball with boys. Girls play basketball with girls.

No one plays socker.

Maybe her dad builds locker rooms for a living...

The girl and her parents want to test the rule that says baseball and softball are the same sport. The school needs to let the lawsuit play out and see what the decision is. If the IHSAA rules that the two sports are different, then the school needs to start a girls baseball team ASAP. They won't have anyone to compete against and the team might be made up of the girls who got cut from softball, but it would keep the girls out of the guys dugout and vice versa.

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No one plays socker.

There are plenty of kids who play socker! The one's who can't play baseball!

p.s. I find it kinda funny that s****r gets filtered in the posts.

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Not that this would happen but, does that mean boys can try out for the softball team since they aren't the same sport?

Not likely. They would probably be told to play baseball and move on.

I have read instances where girls can join the boys s****r team if a school does not have a girls team. BUT boys CANNOT try out for a girls volleyball team if the school does not have a boys team. Just an example..

This is one of those topics on message boards that goes no where fast and only brings on senseless arguments and discontent. We all understand the realities of the physical differences between guys-n-gals, we all have our opinions on the inequities of gender discrimination, and for some reason there are those who want to make a statement on the competitive field to justify their opinions.

We don't know the specifics of this situation. Maybe the girls softball program is terrible, personality conflicts, who knows. However, I for one do not understand, if this girl is good enough to try-out with the boys, why her and her parents do not take advantage of the situation and have her work "girls environment" and maybe reap the scholarship, or any other benefits available. Reality sometimes sucs, but it is reality.

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Originally posted by rz1:
This is one of those topics on message boards that goes no where fast and only brings on senseless arguments and discontent.

Isn't that what this time of year is all about on the HSBBW?

In the hockey example I gave the girl won in court but was cut. She was interviewed and said she was treated fairly and couldn't cut it. SWhe even said that the boys were polite and not gossing her out.

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Originally posted by rz1:
This is one of those topics on message boards that goes no where fast and only brings on senseless arguments and discontent.

Oh yeah! Well, you can just go shut up!

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Originally posted by grinder:

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No one plays socker.

There are plenty of kids who play socker! The one's who can't play baseball!

p.s. I find it kinda funny that s****r gets filtered in the posts.

Wow! You clearly stumbled into the wrong site.

Oops! This is what rz1 just warned us about. I should probably apologize.

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There are plenty of kids who play socker! The one's who can't play baseball!

And those that can't even play s****r run track!

Their is a girl that played freshman (freshwoman) baseball for sons school last year. She played all through LL. At 8-10 she was one of the best players on the LL all-star team. By 12-13 the lack of speed and size were very evident. She tried softball one year, didn't like it and came back to BB.

Rumor is that her mother (father deceased) threatened to sue if she was cut since mom still thinks she is one of the better players in her grade. I think she sat more than she played last year.

Their is another girl at a different school who played JV baseball last year. One time when I was speaking to her mom she mentioned that their are girls playing, and scholarships available, in college for girls.

Speed, strength, and size are glaring shortcomings for these two girls. Other than that they're not too far off.

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Originally posted by BBfam:
Not that this would happen but, does that mean boys can try out for the softball team since they aren't the same sport? Can you imagine the parents from an opposing school if a team full of boys showed up to play the girls?

If the boys aren't trained in softball the girls would be drooling. They would kick their butts. When my daughter was in high school the boys couldn't touch the softball pitcher. They weren't accustomed to 66 mph from 40 feet, picking the ball off the pitcher's hip. They also had never seen a rise ball. Jenny Finch regulary smokes MLB hitters when they give it a shot.

The baseball team and the softball team scrimmaged as a charity event. Defense was played on the pitcher's field of experience. The girls didn't have trouble making contact from sixty feet. They said pitches over the top were easier to pick up. One disclaimer: The baseball team had one D1 prospect and two D3 prospects. The entire starting softball team played college ball (five D1's).

Now before anyone gets their shorts in a bunch and starts citing men's softball players versus women's softball players, I've never seen high school age boys get softball training. Men's fastpitch softball is usually very talented former baseball players converted to softball.

There was a situation a few years ago in LL all-stars at the 14U or 16U level where boys sued to play LL softball. The team kicked butt all the way to the LL Softball World Series where teams forfeited rather than play them.

By 14U decent softball players are playing travel, not LL. The boys on this team must be proud of their world championship beating up on a bunch of mediocre girls.

So, how does this play out? The HS coach decides which boys make the team, and the courts decide if the girl makes the team or gets cut? If I were coaching that team and had to deal with this, I'd treat everyone the same, and hold everyone to the same standard, but I'll be darned if anyone is going to tell me that I'm keeping a player who isn't good enough to make the team, regardless of what other issues might arise.

Perhaps that is why I don't coach in school?

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Originally posted by BobbleheadDoll:
What is this equity in sports garbage anyway ? A alum of my son's BB team wanted to put lights up for his team. He was told he had to do the same for the ladies team as well.

It's a law designed to make up for a long time of inequities. Our school district was sued for giving the boys a new locker room twice the size of the girls. The girls locker room (old boys locker room) was mold infested. That's inequity. The girls deserve the same quality equipment, facilities and opportunities. It means the same budget.

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Originally posted by grinder:

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No one plays socker.

There are plenty of kids who play socker! The one's who can't play baseball!

p.s. I find it kinda funny that s****r gets filtered in the posts.

Excuse me. My son plays varsity s****r and baseball.

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Originally posted by Bulldog 19:

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Not that this would happen but, does that mean boys can try out for the softball team since they aren't the same sport?

Not likely. They would probably be told to play baseball and move on.

I have read instances where girls can join the boys s****r team if a school does not have a girls team. BUT boys CANNOT try out for a girls volleyball team if the school does not have a boys team. Just an example..

There are three boys playing high school field hockey in our state. Two moved from Europe where field hockey is a male sport. The court ruling is the boys have to wear the required equipment which is a skirt.

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Originally posted by Bulldog 19:

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There are plenty of kids who play socker! The one's who can't play baseball!

And those that can't even play s****r run track!

Now you have the other foot in. My daughter played softball and ran track.

I forgot to congratulate Ricky, so he can convey to Ricky that message to make Ricky, congratulations.

Just kidding. Great numbers. And the ESPN jab at the drug-enhanced was pretty good also.

See how them **** steroids have tainted baseball history?

Somehow hot dogs, booze, and a healthy nightlife seem second fiddle.

Just don't ban coffee?

My son was a darned good socker player (we wouldn't let him play football), baskteball player, and baseball player. I enjoyed watching him play all three sports.

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Originally posted by Bulldog 19:

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There are plenty of kids who play socker! The one's who can't play baseball!


And those that can't even play s****r run track!
Now you have the other foot in. My daughter played softball and ran track.

RJM, I only got one foot in

The track thing is just a joke I tell my brother all the time. He runs track.

Of course I also give him a hard time about the fact that our high school baseball team runs more in practice than the track team does! That'd be why we've won 2 conference championships and they have nothing..

Just a quick note; at the UCLA camp, just before the holidays, there was a high school girl showcasing her skills! She pitched and swung it better than nearly 1/2 the other boys that were there!

This past July I had the pleasure of watching a girls baseball tournament in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The girls (I guess women would be a more apt description), 16-24, were trying out for the USA National team which played in Japan. A number of them also played baseball on men's college teams. I checked out the schools where they played, and yup, their names were on the rosters. Due to the cluttered nature of my mind, I have forgotten the names of the schools, but I remember they were D3's in the east. I was surprised that I hadn't known about them before---we know the young lady from Florida who pitched on a baseball team at a D2.

The tournament in Kenosha also served as a reunion for The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League--with a number of original players in attendance. It was very cool to see them----I actually recognized a few from the movie, A League of Their Own. One of the actresses from the "new" Bad News Bears also tried out for the team. I got her autograph! Well, actually she gave me her autograph. I'm not sure what to do with it...

A ladies softball team won a case against LL Canada yesterday. The LL Canada paid for the boys to attend a championjship tournament and not the girls. Even though the LL Canada claimed the boys teams funded the trip though their fees they lost and had to pay each softball player $1000.

She didn't make the team. I wonder if there will be another lawsuit on the coach's bias.

Girl misses cut for South baseball team

Add from another article: "A lawsuit filed in federal court became a grand slam for Logan. It will change a rule that will allow girls to tryout for any sport - and vice-versa."

The ruling allows boys to try out for girl's sports. It will be interesting to see what happens if a boy comes to dominate a traditionally girl's sport.

'"I'm thinking it could open a can of worms, where you might end up not having girls' sports," said Bloomington South athletic director J.R. Holmes.'

Hi all,

I went to high school with a gal that was All State in Volleyball, Softball and Track. She was All Conference in basketball. Ended up with a D1 Volleyball scholly and played on the National Volleyball squad. Blew our her knee prior to the Olympics.

This girl could have played HS baseball and done very very well.

Is this any different than younger boys in 14U playing up with a 16U team? If your good enough you can play up. But, the older boys aren't allowed to move down to the lower age level. Or as in this case a lower physical/strength level?

I do think that for the vast majority of girls (or boys), this isn't something that they really want to do. Now, on the other hand, coed volleyball would be fun...

BaseballMom,

That's a very good point about playing up.

Issues in this particular case notwithstanding, softball is not the same sport as baseball. A really good fastpitch softball pitcher is so dominant, she changes the entire purpose of the game. It's not that unusual to read about one or two girls a year who strike out just about every opponent. And it seems these girls can pitch every game, so perhaps something about that windmill motion is less destructive than overhand pitching is. So you get two people playing and seven girls just standing around.

LHPMom

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A really good fastpitch softball pitcher is so dominant, she changes the entire purpose of the game. ....So you get two people playing and seven girls just standing around.

For example, The National HS Softball player of the year plays for a HS here in Tucson.

I don't know if she's pitched every one of their games but the team is 13-0 and twelve of the wins were shutouts (the other was 11-1)...

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Originally posted by LHPMom2012:
BaseballMom,

That's a very good point about playing up.

Issues in this particular case notwithstanding, softball is not the same sport as baseball. A really good fastpitch softball pitcher is so dominant, she changes the entire purpose of the game. It's not that unusual to read about one or two girls a year who strike out just about every opponent. And it seems these girls can pitch every game, so perhaps something about that windmill motion is less destructive than overhand pitching is. So you get two people playing and seven girls just standing around.

LHPMom

When my daughter was in high school the second baseman made and error on what should have been the last out of the game. The next hitter broke up the no-hitter. When they came off the field the pitcher told the fielder it wasn't a big deal since it was only a no-hitter (she had over fifty between high school and travel). She smiled and said, "Now had it been a perfect game, that's another story!"

The windmill is less destructive to the body. However, the girls have to be careful not to blow up their hips and knees from pitching too much. ACL injuries happen at a very high incidence rate in girl's sports.

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checked out the schools where they played, and yup, their names were on the rosters. Due to the cluttered nature of my mind, I have forgotten the names of the schools, but I remember they were D3's in the east.

One of the girls on the USA Team that played in Japan was on the Vassar roster. I don't believe she is there any longer.

Interesting news item from Japan:

Associated Press
OSAKA, Japan -- Japan's first female professional baseball player made her debut Friday, striking out one batter in the ninth inning.

Eri Yoshida, a 17-year-old who throws a sidearm knuckleball, took the mound during Kobe 9 Cruise's 5-0 season-opening win over the Osaka Gold Villicanes in the newly formed Kansai Independent League.

The 5-foot, 114-pounder walked the first batter leading off the inning on four pitches and allowed a stolen base before striking out the next batter swinging at Osaka Dome. She was then replaced after facing two batters.

"I wasn't thinking about anything other than just going out there and giving it my all," said Yoshida, who is hoping to stick with the Kobe team. "I think this was a bad result but the stadium is great and the fans were really cheering me on. I want to be able to pitch more innings and become a pitcher who can be relied upon."

Yoshida created a stir when she signed a contract in December. Some speculated the move was more of a publicity stunt to generate interest in the new league. There were 11,592 fans in the 45,000-seat stadium Friday.

Yoshida started playing baseball when she was in second grade and hopes to emulate Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield.

Until now, no woman had played against men in Japan. A women's professional baseball federation was established in 1950 but it stopped after two seasons.

The Cruise and the other three teams in the Kansai league are more like farm teams and are a far cry from Japan's mainstream pro teams.

I would be a pretty beastly girls softball player, but I wouldn't get any satisfaction from it.