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Weblog
Jul 2, 2004 - 2:51 pmSoftball
Every Thurday night for the past 10 weeks - I have been playing in a softball league. I finished the season in second place with a .846 batting average. I went 33/39 batting with 24 runs scored and 20 RBI's. The guy above me pulled down an .856 average! Last season I had a .744 average. And I will be starting a double-header only league which running through the summer starting next week. An average softball hitting average is about .600
So what is the secret you ask? Well before I answer that let me tell you a thing or two about my physical attributes. I am 31 years old, 6'7" and 240 pounds. So what do you think the outfielders do when I get up? Yeeeup - the move back. So I get alot of room to dink line drives right up the middle. Not exactly a glorious thing but hey, getting a runner on base is the one of the objects of the game.
But the true secret is not using one of those silly double-walled juiced up 32oz bats that everyone is using now-a-days. Batswing speed is all the craze in the last 5 years. Sure sure - you can get some SERIOUS hang-time and distance with them but most often or not - you hit it like that once and the outfields are all over that strategy for the next 3 or 4 at bats. Predicatability = outs. I tried one of those bats for 10 games 3 season ago and did REALLY poorly (under .500). No matter how you hit the dern ball nearly every hit ends up being a deep fly. Some leagues have even banned various versions of these bats because people were consistanly hitting the ball over the 350 fence with a resitricted flight softball (generally you can't hit em more than 280 feet).
The next 5 closest people the top three all used these juiced bats. None of them were hitting over 600 - which is pretty average in softball.
My secret is using a STIFF circa 1990's 38oz bat (as heavy as they make) which my dad used when he was playing softball. When I connect with the ball it is hit HARD with lots and lots of spin. Generally this will create a line drive hit that drops in front of the outfielders. I would say I got ~20 hits that way. And if it stays in the infield the spin actually creates for a very "hot" ball and very little reaction time for the infielders. If an infielder gets a mit on my ball it has so much spin on it that they can't field it cleanly. In fact all season long I have NEVER been thrown out at first. Its those long legs. :wink:
Dark Elves
Tempest continues to cheat... errm... I mean lead the game.  Not much chance at catching the little bugger. He is even taunting us all in chat now by telling us that he is putting 1T credits on random real space planets with no SD. Save me the trouble of looking and just send me the sector numbers!
Diablo (my teammate), has recreated himself a very profitable credit making empire. His score is really taking off now and he will soon out pace me as well.
Kitty Matrix
This is turning out to be a tough server to get a foot hold in playing solo and without the benefits of teammate.
I think in the 3000 sectors or so that I have uncovered I have litterally only found 4 upgrade ports! The pickings are thin. Combine that with the 1000% increase in price to the SG Torps and you end up with having to start out with planets in less than optimal growth areas. Not to mention the "grow your own" SD's that you pretty much have to do because Upgrade ports are so hard to find.
Just last night Kor (with the help of his Ferangi strong-arm Nambia) thumped my top producing planet. DOH! 150B credits down the drain. And just that evening as I was sitting at my desk to log out, I SERIOUSLY paused and thought - do I take the money off of this planet and invest it in a Voy? Naahh... I will wait ONE MORE NIGHT.
Well that will teach me.
Entry Edited 4 times - Edited on Jul 2, 2004 - 3:05 pm
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