1950 Edition: The King and His Court Softball

��OF

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�FT-BAU,

I� �1 and

5TH YEAR THE ORIGINAL Boginning Ftlb. IS. 1946

1950 Edition {

� Af<JH COPTiillGlfT APPLlf!D FOR·-

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C� - So/,ik/1 7eam

* * EddiJI BAiles <>o Facial Expromoru FoT 25% ol His PUchlng Deoopfioo.

* Eddlo Fo.lgoor. as ho looks from Ibo baJtou box. whon tho ball comu hom bolwaon ha logs.

Rules and Rei:u]nllons or The Court The Four-Man club has n definite code lhat we live by. Since our !Jrst duty is lo U1e pitcher, around which we nil play. Signals for anything fancy, tntical signals when in II tight gnme where we need n score, m·o glv�1 by Eddie. His �ignuls rule Ute field.

No mlln on the club tries lo oulp!Jir nor contests with the other.

Each is known for his strong point in diffru·ent fields of action.

rn tho event the bn.ses 11re loaded nnd there are no outs, and the player at bat slrikeg or nies out, permitting no one to score, he con­ tinues at bnt until Lhree outa nre mrule or he gets a hit. The time we were defeated, one mnn DID strike out three limes in the first inning, with the bases loaded. Bowever, he wns II substitute plnying for While, who wns sick. This wns when nnd why Jones wns added to the team.

CATCHER. Determines how strong the baller is, as to dis1.nnce and location he cnn !Lil. sets 1111 rul steals.

FIRST BASEMAN. "altlkes 1111 inside exhibition plays. covers for the pitcher on add pitching distances.

And

SBORT STOP. 1Jnkes nil onl8ide exhibition plnys and covus for the pitcher and makc11 the necessary long throws from the field.

TEE PITCIIER !<till govems the whole show. He determines how the hitter is nl bat, if ho is one Umi L� b·ying, or one thnt has pretty well decided he hnsn't II chnnce. Whether it is to let a mnn score, hit, strike oul, or bunl. Everything hn.s a deliberate signal.

Many nre so small they go unnoticed, others, gi"en vru·bally, sound very much Like jokes or pcp])Cr tnlk.

good

Since there ru·e all kinds of fields nnd weather conditions that the players have to ploy in without gelling used to the change, eMh field is looked o"er prior lo game Ume. Fence distances checked for throw­ ing. Grounds and stands looked over for the best posaible warm-up and e:xhibltion.

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Bunts thal mlgbl have been bits, because o! lbe distance from lbe _pitcher Uiey slop, arc ofuto Ume outs. due to lbe smooth quick movements by Mende In covering •uccessfully, as in the scene above.

Just been� there Is no second )msemnn, fan'l a sure fire reason to go to second. Someone might be ·waiting for. n throw like ls being made here,

by Klruer, the catclJer.

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The follow ihat has bis back to you most ol. the lime ts none other than Meade KlMer, Eddie's catcher.

Right band man to all the members of the team us Jor as friendship nnd de­ pendability goes. He seldom gets rat­ Lied and often times has a soft answer for " hanh remark. Don't gel us wrong, he tsn'I one you can push around. C.om­ lng In from third base that la,

Meade wua born in Oklahoma, came with his folks to the north­ west country and started to school. There he met U1e other players who m-e now members or lhe Court Big No. U hns euught Eddie in some 427 games. And only once was Ile injltl'e<l enough so lhat he could not finish the game.

Baek in '46, in a tight game, the only pitch lhat was having any effect wru; a fasL bnll and at the end oI four innings another catcher hnd to take over, wh.kh, in pru;sing, was Ken White. Never, since then, diil Eddie ever pitah his fastest game, time after time, to win a gnme.

Meade stonds s.bc foot, weighs 210 and is 26 years old. He likes to plny pinochle for a pnstime, and is a painter by trade. .He -went to college, majoring in business admin.istration. The _pru;t two years he has been a painter foreman for a large construction company. lleade llns also contracted for himsel!. M.nrricd to his high school sweet­ lleart and .father of two g.irls, Meade I.inds it pretty luu-d to stay away from home playing ball. But as all the members of the team feel, his purpose is to help young talent in the field of softball.

Meade sewed fo the Unlteil Stute Marine Corps, Combat In­ telligence, snw duty in the South Pacific and Japan. Stop him and talk to him about anything, he likes to mnke acqunintenances.

His records go something like this In softball: batting average, .854.

Only 63 stolen bnses age.inst him ln ten years. Hit the longest ball In four parks, the longest o! which was 814 ft. �ts all his power .l'rom a self-styled wrist movement. Bats either right or left. handed. 1'laYB tricks on base runners when catching and is a tricky base runner himself when he gets on base safely.

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The

oldest

mao

on

the

team

Is

Gordon Mellickc, who hns played soft­ balJ for 16 years. His throwing nrm Is �cond lo none as far 11s llrmS go uom short stop, or anywhere else In lbc field lor I.bat matter. Mike hos played short stop 98 '"• of tru, time since he started ploying bock in grnde scllooL

Mike was born in Cllllada and has been personnel mllllnger for a large consb-uction company lhe -post two years. His wife was his high scl1ool sweetheart. By the -way, he and the catcher, Kinzer, are brothei·s-in-law.

No. 8, is a wizard at bunting and is hard to pitch to for that reason. Re hits hard, and has a unique way of hitching to rnoke allowance for the balJ's speed. Ile is six feet t:llll, but weighs only 165 pounds,making him the lightest man of the-five.

Gordon served with the United Stales Army Air Corps where he piloted single and multi-engine -planes. He, os most of the boys did, played in the service in other games besides softball. Prides himself on his bowling and golf. I:lnving ])ikhcd in state �urnnme.nts nnd other pretty tough. assignments, Mike gets t:he _nod ns relief pitcher when a stiff schedule makes Eddie save himself. All the members of the team can _pitch nnd catch as R substitute. But as a joke, Meade, the catcher, professes to be No. 1 relief pitcher. Mlke's record shows a batting record of .378. He hii the longest ball in tlu-ee parks, one traveling 320 feet, participated in 7 state tournaments,8 regionals and has been lhe leading hitter in his league for three seasons. Get ac­ quainted with him. He enjoys making new friends.

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U you.r next ato . p doemi't let you touch !he bag, "you're out," once Mike's ann ls In !his _poslUon.

Ploying 2nd ond 3rd base, le!t and center field besides short atop, mnkcs Mike .look �ort of all alone, but he does O. K. we think.

Meilicke is the only convcntJonal lclt handed batter on tho club. He hits to all fields, bunt'• better than average because h1> understands all styles of pitching.

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Bcing the hnrdest bitter on n tcnm like ours Isn't n m10ll wsk. IL tnkcs n long boll nnd oftcmlimos bone crushers along lhe ground. But White 1il1'1 the posltJon qulte snllsfnctorlly. Ken hnB broken lbJl boards on short fences on o Iew oecnaiom�

Running bases, Whlte likes to act up. Here, niter bitting a ball out or Lho park, he comes Jn to the plnle to be recclved will, a handshake by Mike, who was lbe man on the bcmcb that nlabt. You would think It was bis first home run,

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The roughest mnn In town as mr u the five members of the K & H C Is K.en WbHe, second catcher, firsl base­ mnn. llnd In regulllr piny, U1e best center Ilclder In th" business. He was menUon­ ed one year on (our dlUcrenL illl star teams as center Jicldcr. He hits hurd and bas a dcLlnlte thought in mlad when be comes to tho prote. He likes to nwke the Pilcher Lhlhk ht' lnlends lo kUJ It, nnd then bunL Bui lookout. he might kill (you) It you're In fron L of It. Ken ls married. Since O,e rest lul.vc glrls, he Is proud of bovlng n son.

Every man on lhe team hns n niclrnnme they cuU each othe1·.

Each can tell when he is beiJ1g enlled, yet they call eve1·yone "Buddy."

White wru1 possibly the stnrter of tltis but it is n standal'l:I saying. And if you're any place rutd hear someone call ''Hey Buddy" you will know who is there, probably.

Ken was in Southern Asia and Burma during tlte war with the United States Army, and saw three years duty in LhaL hot, wet coun­ try. He stands 6 ft. 1 inch, weighs 105 lbs., and is 25 yeru-s old. His favorite grune, olher than softbnll, is basketball, center poSition.

When the team is prnctlcting, White is the 011e that keeps them in good spirits. He can crnck jokes as fast as you can figure them out ru1d laugh at them. Re is a foremRO for a construction company when he Isn't playing ball, whlch makes ltim n Ol1Ul's man. But under­ neath the tough exi;erior he is a very kind and gentle fellow. Walk up nnd shake hands 1vith him after n home run and all he says ls, "I'll do it for YOU nny dny I" His record goes like this: Batting avet-nge .320, hns hit the longest ball in more than twenty parks, lhe longest hit to date, and it might be some s01·t of a record, 345 fi. in the air.

He understands pitchi:ng and catching, which mnkes ltim dangerous.

No. l has p11J'ticipated in at lenst a dozen state, l'egionnl and national tournaments combined. He hH lhe niost home runs in league play­ four seasons.

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Jerry Jones, the nc·\\1est member of lhe lerun, Joined Chem In 1949 and loured most of Che season with Chem.

He weighs 170 lbs., SI.ands 6 feel, 35 )'ears old. Running Is his parl ot Che as­ sliinmcnl o.n the field. He bals from ei­ ther side of the plule In recula:r pln,y.

Jerry served in lho nrmetl fo1·ces, as a sergeant in the 97th in­ fnnti-y, afler officer's training, ns 11 1st lieutenant in the occupational anny of Jnpan.

J:lls favo1ile hllbby is being single (so fur).

No. 13 is a gmdunle in the field of agricultural engineering. Re wns n footlmll, !Jaskelball :md track star in lugh school and college, atDJ holds lite higlt S(lhOOI bl'oad jump record of 21 feet 10 S-4 inches.

During the regular season the amount of times Ile scores, in compari­ son to his times on b11se, show he is by far the fastest man on the field nf the King nnd Ris Court. Uis first. step is as fast rui his fifth step. Ilo normally hits and throws rigbt handed. Short stop is his ravorile position, bul like all Ute court members, lhe time comes when you have to piny every position. Ilis 11ersonal responsibility to the learn is transportation and equipment manager.

Reco1·d: E11tting average .305, has -parbcipated in four state and one reinonnl tonmruncnt, hns led his lcngue in stolen bases t\\•o sea­ sons, and .sc<ired lhe mosl rllDs in lengue piny four seasons.

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Jerry Hila Like White, Bul Bns Fewer Homc Rwu, More Singles.

Jone.,, on First Base, Get� A Tt:lc:k 'throw From lh.e Pllcbcr,

Your Sate! Jury, As You_ A.re Most o1 The Time. You Cot There Ahead Of Everyone, Including the BnU.

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Eddie Flcgncr, l h • recognized greatest p.ltehlng cxblbllionist ever lo grace n pitching mound Is not to be the topic ot this story.

Whether be Is good or not, nnd wbelb­ cr you hnvc seen better pilcltlng exhlbl• tion• will be up to you to decide for yourself, but we do ·wnnl to l�U you some o! the lhlngs behind wby b.e Is ouJ !here 11ltchlng rnlber lbnn playing prtJCcsslonal or bel11g In • recognized sport. rt all started some twell·e years ugo. Myrle King, as Ile was then known, was plnying centc1• field for the town team, running wild catch­ ing flies. Then and tl11:n·o he decided there wus a better way lo get the batter out-better pitching. Nc\·er h1w he heard of tllC outside softball wo1·ld up to that time.

In tile summers to follow King watched many games of softball. .Pjtching varied from slew undetlwnd to fast side arm. Taking what he had seen into account, decided that a winning team should have one pitcher with many dellveries,. For in soflbnll your windup is how they identify you. There we:re uo pil-0hers in tl1ose days that had what the pitchers are developing now because of men like our own Eddie. The hours it took rot· a windup or cu.rve to be developed are forgotten nnd hnve become the every day knowledge of any pitcher wl!o has asked for a little free advice. How to tlu-ow a c111-ve, overcome n fault, ancl most anything Utat tokes t:ime and �x­ perience to master, Eddie brings out in bis free pil-Ohlng scltool.

New ball players in basebnll can go to farm schools and wot·k up in organized clubs, but not so in 98 per cent of lhe soft. ball world. This is the reason behind these exhibitions. So we want to invite yoo to l:al<e advantage of this opportunity to learn more about this new gnme and to leurn Lo enjoy lt because what we have clone and said, has been to show you where to look for r,xciting plllys ru,d to reallzc what Is behind good, hard softball, hlt• ting, running and pitching, fo1• instance pitching blindfolded took ap­ proximately three years of tireless practice before Eddie perfected striking out batters blindfolded.

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AddlJJonal Copies of This Book May Be Ordered From Tho King and His Court.

P. 0. Bo,x 498, College Placo, Wuhinglon Ploue Endo1e 30c pet copy, which coven poUa!ie-

* ln1orm _ atlon.

ln

this

booklet.

the

_pic1uro1 and J'l.oriot wore supplied By

EDDIE FEIGNER

* Untfo1·ms for lbe King and His Court were Designed l,y E:lldie Feigner, tlelivcrcd by "Scotty Cummins l\lhlelic Su1n1ly."

Walla Walla, Washington flnrwoorl oCficinl No. 100 softbnlls nre used ii, 1111 pitchi11g exhibitions

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Re.re is 11 g!lg pictm,e taken by Eddie chufog sprlug l.rnlning. We forgot the key to Use lock, White slole a bnsc.

W,, hope we neve r hnve Lo geL lnl<> cily to play II return qm e.

."

01·

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hall J►aick UJ1e lhi& in your

We "·ilfsoJl �f sne11k ouL i( we eve1· lct you down. make a bad show mis.ropresenl ourselves Lo y<1u.

We won't sneak out ii we arc beaten, we know we will lie, sooner

or later, we were once.

Thi s com ple\es the book, which is II J'l.'minder of what you saw tonight, let us leave thes� Lhought:s wlLh you. sd.t h p

''\Vha r sou i:1ve 1t th

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