Softball

So totally off topic of softball, but needed to be said.  Have you ever gone to a resturant and thought to have good service? but had bad?  Well heres my experience this week.

Background, my dad goes into Friendlys maybe 4 days a week for breakfast, and maybe 2 times a day, with his friends.  All the managers and waitress know my family, and this is still how we get treated! 

Starting off with my parents going to Friendly’s in Latham on Rt 9.  They went around lunch time, and got seated fast, except the booth that they were seated at had dust all over the bench and on the table, since they were cleaning the walls.  After they got that cleaned, they got their food.  While eating the manager and one of the waitress, were picking up the benches at another table and cleaning underneath them.  Mind you it is lunch time and there were a lot of people in the place. 

Then my mom, my moms friend, her son and me went on Tuesday.  We got there around 7 pm, and asked for a certain waitress, that never happened.  After we were seated it took over 10 minutes for the waitress to come and get order for the drinks and then we never got them for another 15 minutes.  Try to keep a 3 year old (Ryan)occupied that is hungry with no drink.  So after we got our drinks we went to order our food, well I always get the kids meal since i cant eat the adult meal.  The waitress told me I would have to pay for my drink and my ice cream separate, which would be 7.00 for the meal, 2.75 for the drink, and about 3.50 for the ice cream!  I would have been better getting an adult meal.  So i went and told the manager and she told me that she was going to tell our waitress that i didn’t want the food.  Well she never did and my food came out.  My mom then told our waitress that i didn’t want it and that i told the manager, the waitress responded “are you kidding me?” sarcastically and never asked me if i wanted something else.  Then the Ryan wanted more to drink since he finished his, in the little cup, and they charges us .50 to refill it.  Our bill was 30.00 for almost nothing and horrible service, no less the manager didn’t care!!!!

If going to Friendlys is going to cost a average family of 4 $30.00 I think they are going to start staying home or eating at McDonalds.  Its ridiculous, charge to refill a kids drink! get bad service, and sarcastic, and all the manager can say is “I’m sorry” last i knew they took a percentage off or they gave you a free meal.

Ive been to the 76 restaurant and had bad service, or bad food, and the manager will take money off, cause they want to see you walk in that door again. 

Have you had any bad experiences, if so where, and what was it about? 

On Channel 6 Evening News the other night there was a special about baseball…..no less in CHINA!  This might be good for baseball and softball in the upcoming Olympic games.  If the “American” past-time gets China and other countries caught up in it, the two sports might have a bright future.

As soon as China gets into the game of baseball, the more people will be watching it.  With China having so many people, the outlook for the sport will be in good hands.  MLB teams were over there the other day having the young kids get involved in the game, with hot dogs and peanuts. 

These young kids in China will have the power to make sure that the sports will still be in the Olympics in the future.  Hopefully with young kids watching baseball they will start watching softball, and since the Chinese have a good team, maybe they will start playing and engaging themselves in the game. 

These new fans are so amused by the sport that they will sit in rain, and still cheer on the players.  Even though the kids cant name any baseball players not even Jeter, Clemens or Big Papi.  They can name other players from other sports though.

Baseball and softball is the dream for many Americans and soon to become a dream for many Chinese.  With them starting to watch the sport their will be more competition in leagues.

Do you think having China watching “American” past-time sports is good?  Will it help keep the games in the Olympics in the future?  Why?

Why do so many people think softball is different from baseball?  The main differences are the ball size, pitching style, the distance from base to base, bat styles and how large the fields are.  Other differences are that most girls when playing wear shorts and sliders and cant have metal cleats. 

The way that girls pitch takes so much more training for the correct fundamentals.  Since Ive been a pitcher for over 10 years its something difficult to learn, and you must gain the proper fundamentals before you can try to throw fast, and different pitches. 

Most people say a softball is “soft”, in reality it is as hard as a baseball.  If someone was to hit a ball at you either a softball or baseball it would hurt the same amount the only different is the bruise might be bigger with a softball.  The sport is played with a lot of the same regulations as baseball.

Something that has bothered me is that you always see t-shirts for girls that critics boys.  A popular saying is that boys are only good for being a water-boy, or softball is harder than baseball or one that the men say to the players is that you throw like a girl.  You never see guys with the shirts (not that they would wear them) but its saying that boys are only here to serve girls or that they are underneath girls.  In both sports you might have some players that play harder than most, but if you compared the top girls to the top guys, they probably put in the same effort to be the best. 

Do you think softball is a hard sport, or easy compared to baseball? Why?  In the upcoming Olympics which team is most likely to win the Gold metal?  (personal question)