Pilots v Mariners at LAVC - LAMSBL

[sloppyoscar]

good movement and location

[RenoZemrak]

u pitch cool

[GUMMYBEAYUH]

That looks like a lot of fun actually. I'm trying to get into an Adult League where I live, but I'm still unsure. I played LL pretty much for my entire childhood, and I loved it. Lol, the only thing I was ever paranoid of were wild pitches hitting me, but I took my share of hits and walked them off. As long as guys aren't throwing 90mph Rivera pitches at me, I think I can work with it. What are the pitches in this video averaging? My guess would be 60mph-70mph.

[dwrredrocket87]

looks like he throws as hard as some of the guys on here that say they are throwing 90

[snorklefoot]

Left handed second baseman?

[knoxville187]

the last time anyone saw form like this was in the negro leagues.

[LEVIHOUND17]

is it me or do these guys kinda suck =[]

[wunnerfulwarren]

The Euphus is delivered in the scale of A with a minor 7th inning stretch and a hammer in the 9th.

[jango381]

is this a little league sized field? i play high school baseball and the field looks about twice as big.

[usafbrat50]

It's at a community college baseball field. 400ft to dead center and 350ft to the corners.

[billed77]

what state is this being played in?

[usafbrat50]

California

[starbuck26]

beware the bunt

[Kellykleinman]

I know a guy named Robert Kawata who throws exactly like you except he's a better guitar player.

[knoxville187]

haha. thats awesome.

[NickHeroine]

Yeah, what's the grip for a Eephus

[jc9300493rlz]

how u throw eeuphus make a video on how to grip and throw

[GrabSomePineMeat]

Holy shit the 2nd baseman is left handed.

[fakeplasticmeat]

You tip your pitches based on arm slot and which side of the mound you fall off on.

[amerikanerMarinen]

that's pretty good man. how far away are these mounds?? we call the league in our area the "old-timers league" and they're 60 feet 6 inches. so how far are these?

[usafbrat50]

This league is 25 years on up. Various divisions have older players but none that are age specific. This video was taken at a college field so I assume it's regulation size. Left and right corners about 350 feet and 400 to dead center. Thanks for your question!

[Samhain35]

Wicked.

[Sammy587]

Wow, thats amazing how u could be 57 and still pitch

[usafbrat50]

Thanks, but this video is about 8 years old so I was a spry young 49 or so back then. Actually I pitched 6 innings yesterday and then caught 2 innings. Ahh, what would I do without extra-strength tylenol.....Thanks for the compliment!

[Sammy587]

Your 57?

[usafbrat50]

In September

[Ownie35]

That kid runs like a fricken idiot.

Nothin beats a good, solid cutter.

[ChrashProductions]

gahh where is the eephus pitch? i didnt see it :[

[usafbrat50]

I believe it was the pitch just before the pick-off at second.

[bigtrosclair]

how old r u ur very good at pitching

[usafbrat50]

I'll be 57 later this year

[royalrooter000001]

hitters stayin back on you! this is how i pitch

[flamerx8]

how do u hold it ??

do u hold it like a changeup or palmball or sumthin else ??

[DHoffman2392]

the eephus is baisically a lobed curveball, u could use a curveball grip, but have your handcome directly over it when you snap your wrist to give it a topspin and release it very earlier compared to a regular curveball

[usafbrat50]

Very good explanation!

[usafbrat50]

Just like a regular curve ball.

[Yets89]

yo those r some sick pitches!u r a great pitcher... i wish i could do dat!

[usafbrat50]

Thank you!

[hasselbeck8mvp]

That eephus pitch is hilarious.. cool vid

[usafbrat50]

Thanks!

[DHoffman2392]

you have a sort of tailing sidearm pitch, what is that?

[usafbrat50]

I guess that's my ersatz fastball. Thanks for your comment!

[DHoffman2392]

what is an ersattz fastball, is it like a 2 seamer?

[usafbrat50]

It sort of means "so-called" I believe. Anyone out there know the right answer?

[weldingbob]

that eephus was the sickest pitch ive ever seen your a really good pitcher by the way how do you throw that?

[usafbrat50]

Thanks! I learned how to throw the eephus from a guy by the name of Mike Boyd. He teaches baseball for a living. I basically release the ball very early and spin it like a curve. I try to throw it over the outside corner and let it float out of the strike zone. I hope this helps a little, it's really hard to explain throwing any pitch...

[raverkiddy]

ya the arc and non-over use of the forearm are the keys..no?

[usafbrat50]

Definitely the arc but not so sure about the forearm. Most of the time I throw high three-quarters. Thanks for your comment!

[LoGeS13]

That's incredible, get a good fastball and you'll have an unstoppable change of speed.

[usafbrat50]

Thanks for the comment and compliment. I think a "good" fastball is mainly perception. Since my slowest pitch (eephus) is about 28 mph and my fastest (with control) is about 68 mph, the difference of 40 mph is enough so that my "fastball" can be very effective at times. In fact, my change-up IS my fastball! LOL

I've been pitching on and off for about 45 years now with no surgeries but the fast ball is a distant memory....

[zukorules777]

that was incredible your a great pitcher

[usafbrat50]

Wow, thanks for the compliment! I just try to mix my pitches and mess up the batter's timing.

[Hitchcock13]

Roberto, I must say that pitching was awesome it looked like every pitch had alot of movement and that the batters were lucky to make contact, nice job, Al

[usafbrat50]

Thanks buddy!

[willliaman]

Looks like your having a lot of fun. I enjoy experimenting with pitches and I have developed an average knuckleball. Nice movement on some of those pitches. How old are you? Hope that knee stays healthy and you continue to enjoy baseball!

[usafbrat50]

Thanks for the kind words. I'll be 57 this year and started playing in the Babe Ruth League (is that still around?) in 1962 in England against other American Military bases. I plan to keep going as long as I can. There's a 57+ Wood Bat Division in the NABA World Series which I hope to attend this October in Phoenix. Continued good luck to you!

[ichabod13]

Just a few comments for you here. :P Really work on driving off the mound so you don't fall so much. It will help with accuracy. Also, speed up that knuckle a little and you'll get much better side to side movement. Less arc :P

[usafbrat50]

Thanks for your comments, I started to fall off the mound because of surgery on my left knee, I noticed how effective it could be to certain batters and kept it. I now have a knuckleball that has higher velocity with late movement by throwing it more like my fastball. Also, driving off the mound is great if you have cartilage and don't mind a lot of painkillers. I'm still pitching after playing baseball for 40 years. Baseball is life! I fought off diabetes for many years because of it...

[RedHanded19]

Is there anything speacial about the way you grip the eehs or knuckle?

[usafbrat50]

I grip the eephus like my curve but and release the ball a lot earlier but try to keep the same arm speed. For the knuckleball, since I don't have much in the way of fingernails I tuck my fingertips against the seam at an angle so the ball doesn't move straight out but at an angle. I then push my fingers out against the spin of the ball and if all goes well it should knuckle hopefully...

[jkbaker777]

so wheres the response

[usafbrat50]

I'm always willing to learn, which pitch and how did I balk? I know sometimes I've been warned by an ump that I don't come to a full stop but I didn't see that here.

[jkbaker777]

that was a balk

[usafbrat50]

D'oh!

[SneekyLookingDwarf]

That's funny stuff....was the other team having a go at you ?? If that happened here (in Australia) we'd probably be giving it you "throw harder ya girl". But that'll only be because we're frustated. and what's with the lefty 2nd baseman ... weird

[raverkiddy]

takes a lot of patience or just pure talent to throw a real eephus... think theres only 2 or 3 people in the majors that throw them nowadays... casey fossum and hernandez on the mets... and they rarely use em! oh well

[raverkiddy]

looks like a whack version of a eephus and and sinker lol nice

[usafbrat50]

Actually that arc pitch was a slow knuckleball but I do have an eephus that I may pitch a couple of times in a game. Probably all of my pitches are sinkers nowadays and that's including my four seamer. Thanks for all the comments!

[jcs1191]

woah left handed second baseman!

[weezescorcho]

holy crap that is awesome.