throw like a girl!

[rmd]

Eri Yoshida is the first japanese female professional baseball player since the 'women's baseball league' over there in the 50's or so.

she's 16 years old. she's in high school. and she can strike you out.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/baseball/more/11/17/japan.schoolgirl.ap/index.html

Comments

[muffyjo]

For this I might actually take an interest in the japanese league games.

[lyonesse.livejournal.com]

so cool, go her!! :)

[deguspice.livejournal.com]

Given that she was hired for a brand new league, in addition to her pitching prowess, I think that part of the reason she was hired was for the press attention she'll generate for the league (for example, your LJ post :)

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

Despite the occasional collision, baseball is (by and large) not a "contact sport". Batting generally requires greater upper-body strength, but fast runners who are male have been able to get over that general truism.

And fans and sportswriters have been complaining for years about the dearth of good pitchers.

We may see the gender line fall in baseball in our lifetimes.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

it was pointed out to me in another forum that, in fact, we've had professional baseball players in non-MLB pro teams in the US already.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ila_Borders

[feste-sylvain.livejournal.com]

People don't tend to think of the "color line" falling when Jackie Robinson went to play for the Montreal Royals in 1946.

[lil-brown-bat.livejournal.com]

Right, because why else would anyone bother with a female athlete.

She had a tryout, she threw smoke and no one could hit her. Just the facts, ma'am.

[hariyos.livejournal.com]

If you read up on her, she's a knuckleballer. The knuckleball is not a fast pitch. She doesn't need to be a guy (and thus get the extra Y-chromosome upper-body-strength edge) to be a badass at the knuckleball.

There is a (I'm sure, small, slight, vanishing, and other marginalizing words, with which to help you marginalize the awesomeness of the situation) chance that she was actually drafted because she's a badass. Shocking, I know. Those women, they keep thinking they actually matter, get back in the kitchen, etc.

If she was drafted for her l33t fastball you might have a point, but I don't think you actually have one here.