For the next few years, Feigner continued to barnstorm with His Court, serving as an emcee. While Feigner worked to conjure up what newspapers of the day described as gimmick games, he pitched seriously in a variety of mens leagues, including for the 1947 Skyroom Flyers in Seattles Double A League. He was thrown out of school in his teens and joined the Marine Corps during World War II but was discharged after a nervous breakdown. They were barnstorming across America like the Harlem Globetrotters. And by the time he was 16, he was throwing in Walla Walla mens leagues six nights a week. He suffered two nervous breakdowns, got married and divorced twice and tried several times to slash his wrists. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. For decades, he has helped many a girl learn the art of fast pitch softball, whether they attend Unaka, Happy Valley, Elizabethton, Hampton or wherever. In a barnstorming career that began in 1946, he and his four-man team were all but unbeatable.At his peak, he threw a softball harder than any major league pitcher has ever thrown a baseball. based on information from your browser. The pitcher found her Dec. 16, 1945 after a long search that began at the Walla Walla Municipal Hall of Records. He was a former Marine, and everything was by the numbers. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Then they proceeded to dominate their opponents, with Feigner throwing a perfect game. In 1950, he dubbed his traveling team The King and His Court, and they became the Harlem Globetrotters of softball, complete with gaudy red-white-and-blue uniforms. Frank? I said. But thats not necessarily a bad thing. Underneath all the corruption and cynicism and spy satellites operated by Major League Baseball, there is our resilient capacity to be amazed and there is our enduring desire to be amazed together. They were roving troubadours, riding in their van from town to town, putting on a show, and then moving on. Coors Field, Denver: 87 Sound amplifiers are provided to those who have hearing difficulties. Its written by Eric Nusbaum and illustrated by Adam Villacin, and focuses on overlooked or forgotten stories from sports history. Besides his son, survivors include his fourth wife, Anne Marie Feigner, who played first base for The King and His Court; three daughters; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. Still, Feigner pleased fans and baffled batters everywhere. But before they can process this fact, Mark McGwire appears in a black helicopter carrying a baseball bat. One thing about these girls that are successful they have really good parents. You can see highlights of the King and His Court from about 50 years ago here and a news report from about 15 years ago here. An excellent hitter, Feigner also claimed to have slugged 83 home runs in a 250-game exhibition season, and no one ever disputed his statistics. The River was filmed in the Holston Valley area of Church Hill, Tennessee. Brought a grin and nod to my morning. Known all over the world, Jarfly still lives in Eastside; he still attends Eastside Baptist and this makes his 72nd year in attendance there. Walla Walla, Walla Walla County, Washington, USA. He started playing baseball and softball when he was a fourth grader and played baseball at Jordan and Long Beach City College before putting his emphasis on softball. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. 1. 2. which was 814 ft. ts all his power. "He asked me if I had played softball. This is our monthly cross-post from the Sports Stories newsletter. Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. The cast of characters around Feigner would change, but the result would be more or less the same. They played in a lot of tournaments and went to the 1974 Tennessee State Tournament. Its enough to entertain those kids up in the stands and maybe do something theyll remember.. Try again. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. Jarfly doesnt remember all the girls he has worked with but its well over a hundred. Being Myrle King was a disgraceful, sleazy existence, and I wanted it over. At each stop, he sold t-shirts, hats, and even self-published guides on how to play softball like the King. I dont know how anybody ever hit the guy., You could never hit him, Roy Thurman told Pendletons East Oregonian. The King and His Court went to towns even McDonald's ignores. Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay: 68. One batter who faced Feigner described the experience to The Orlando Sentinel: I was waiting for a pitch, heard a noise, watched the catcher throw the ball back. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE. That gave him season marks of .301, 34 home runs, 101 RBIs, a 1.023 OPS and a 1-0 record. He used a curveball that dipped 18 inches. Instead of throwing to his catcher, Feigner slammed the ball into his own mitt, creating a loud smack. Documents are in English and Spanish. Had Feigner played a higher-profile sport, he would have been a sporting legend known far and wide. At his peak in the 1960s, he made $100,000 a month.In 2000, Mr. Feigner threw out the first pitch before the women's softball competition at the Olympic Games in Sydney. An angry Feigner shot back, Youre so pitiful, I could lick you with my catcher.. ", "I'm a pipsqueak because I'm caught in a nothing game," Mr. Feigner said in 1972. "Hollywood missed a hell of a story. Hoppe is a natural lefty who lost full use of the arm in Vietnam and taught himself how to pitch right-handed. His records go something like this In softball: batting average, .854. Drag images here or select from your computer for Eddie Feigner memorial. While appellant was . He struck out all six -- Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Harmon Killebrew -- in succession. The teams Feigner and his Court played routinely failed to cooperate with stunts and comedic interruptions. One day Feigner never could recall the date his team obliterated a club from Pendleton, OR., 33-0, after which players from both squads repaired to a watering hole, where the Pendleton manager, seething at the days humiliation, tossed a snide remark in Feigners direction. Target Field, Minneapolis: 91 Pubrecords.com is not affiliated with any government agency and is funded by third party advertisements to support it's running costs including hosting,updates and information collection. Simultaneously, his catcher stood up to obscure the umpires vision. This is a story on sports legend Eddie Feigner\" a.k.a. They played in prisons where the inmates bet cigarettes on the outcome. "It was like being on the Rolling Stones, only with a softball.". Meanwhile, as ESPN colleague Doug Kern points out, the last four Rays home games drew just 61,897. He supported himself as a dock worker, crane operator, ditch digger, streetcar conductor, vegetable and prune picker, gas station attendant, stand-up comedian, and paid tenor at funerals. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Over a two-night stand in St. Petersburg, FL, Feigner and his Court drew 4,000 fans to Al Lang Field, and one of the attendees was a promoter working on behalf of the annual Canadian National Exhibition, slated in 1950 for Toronto. Mryle King even became a gourmet chef while working at a bar and grill at the Portland airport. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. He just made me better," Hoppe said. Goshen Valley Road heads south from Highway 11W in Church Hill, Tennessee. He was something to behold., Youd be waiting for that fastball, then hed throw a change-up, Manning said. He struck out Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente consecutively. There is a problem with your email/password. The 4-man softball team named itself the King and His Court. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Nationals Park, Washington: 76 He even pitched from his knees. His son, Eddie Jr., played alongside him for 25 years. I give this one a difficulty rating of 6.0. Reports of Feigner's death, in Huntsville, Ala., on Feb. 9, mentioned that during a 1967 exhibition, he struck out Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Brooks Robinson, Maury Wills, Harmon Killebrew and Roberto Clemente in succession. Then they traveled to North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, where he played with Rick Anderson and Little Wes Holly. Nobody else did either. Its easy for the Globetrotters because the other team plays along, Feigner told Sports Illustrated. Try again later. You'll need it. Anyone can throw the out-drop or out-raise, but everywhere I travel pitchers ask me how to throw the others. I was a pitiful, screwed-up person with no home, no father and no real mother I knew about. iPads for hearing impaired individuals. Matt Schudel has been an obituary writer at The Washington Post since 2004. But the letter campaign failed. He was 56 at the time. Feigner struck out all six Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, Brooks Robinson, Willie McCovey, Maury Wills and Harmon Killebrew in succession. Kirsten Kendrick's Q. Caple: King and His Court softball team retiring, Predicting when this year's top prospects will make their MLB debuts, Tatis: Shoulder, wrist '100%' in return to play, Machado envisions 'great things' with Padres, Ohtani 'satisfied' with pitches, clock in spring start, O's, Pirates play ump-less bottom of ninth inning, Song, in Phillies camp, knows challenges ahead, Dodgers' Lux to miss 2023 season with torn ACL, Rays' Glasnow out 6-8 weeks with oblique strain, 'It's about being smarter': How Carlos Correa is approaching his future after wild offseason, Fantasy baseball: Impact of bigger bases on steals, Fantasy baseball rankings for 2023 points leagues, Fantasy baseball rankings, projections, strategy and cheat sheets, Pads' Musgrove drops kettlebell, fractures toe, Sources: MLB says Bucknor-Marmol spat is over, NYC road sign misspells Jackie Robinson's name. I dont need monuments built to me, Feigner told SI in 1976. And we win nine times out of 10. Feigner often appeared on television, including The Today Show, Ive Got a Secret, Whats My Line? and CBS Sports Spectacular. On The Tonight Show, he knocked a cigar out of Johnny Carsons mouth throwing blindfolded. And off the field, he was one tough son of a gun. If he started the game, he finished it; there were no relief pitchers. Jar is the real deal as a teammate and a friend, Bunton said. He pitched on military bases and rifle ranges, in rodeo arenas, on cow pastures and parking lots. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? The King and His Court. But Feigner eventually rustled up some games, essentially after auditioning the Courts act and showing local promoters what it could do. 2023 CourtCaseFinder.com - All Rights Reserved. He is the author of the bookStealing Home: Los Angeles, the Dodgers, and the Lives Caught in Between. Great piece, guys. Wrigley Field, Chicago: 90 Softball king's passing stirs memories of '67 strike-out show, Eddie Feigner of The King and His Court hurles a pitch in the first inning of Tuesday's, Sept. 24, 1996, fund-raiser against the Lower Columbia College women's fastpitch softball team at LCC's David Story Field in Longview, Wash. At the time of Feigners death Feb. 9, 2007 the fastest documented pitch thrown by a major leaguer was 104.8 mph (Joel Zumaya of the Detroit Tigers in a playoff game Oct. 10, 2006). As the search began for a President of Crazy Thursday, nominees poured in, like The Midnight Rambler, Dr. Zeke and televisions Mr. Bill. For example, in 1969, a club in Bradford, Pennsylvania defeated the King and His Court 1-0 in front of a crowd of 1,200 people. In his final game as a pitcher, Ruth allowed five runs on 12 hits, walked three and struck out none in a complete game at the end of the 1933 season. He and his "court," which included only a catcher, first baseman and shortstop, played everywhere from Yankee Stadium to the Great Wall of China, with countless military bases, rodeo arenas and cow pastures in between. Check Koufax. Walla Walla Academy, run by Seventh Day Adventists, kicked Mryle King out of school after he peppered the building with rocks for reasons unknown. The reunion turned around Mryle Kings life. Eddie was the \"King\" of softball back in the day and his court was made up of just three other players on the field.I saw this team playing when I was 16 and they are old school fast pitch softball. By far my favorite read on Eddie Feigner is this portrait from the Washington Post by John Ed Bradley. Feigner was confident he could win with only himself and a catcher but worried the other team would just walk the two and leave them without a batter. Feigner and the Court arranged for a June 14, 1973 rematch with Pay n Pak at White Center Stadium. It was his field, his game, and everyone knew that the pitcher controlled the game. "I was an orphan," he told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in 1997. If I had it to do over, I wouldnt have moved in with my real mother. Mryle King was so good that one of the leagues banned him from the mound. I throw the best changeup there ever was. After that, they got the idea that this could be bigger than a single game. It will end where it should. Over the years, fast-pitch men's softball gave way to slow pitch, which he called "a sissy game." When Jarfly pitched, Wes would play third base and would only be about 15 feet from home plate. February 18, 2023 ball In four parks, the longest o! Because why wouldnt they? "I wanted to recognize in his birthplace that something so special happened. Failed to report flower. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. He also covers men's and women's basketball and many other Stanford sports. She was a great basketball player as well as softball. I loved Mrs. King, but I was so sick of life as her son. In 2000, Mr. Feigner threw out the first pitch before the women's softball competition at the Olympic Games in Sydney. Learn more about merges. Adam Villacin (pictures) is an illustrator based in Joshua Tree, California. : 86 13. He was a hard-boiled egg. He kept meticulous records of his achievements: 9,743 victories, 141, 517 strikeouts, 930 no-hitters and 238 perfect games. By clicking I Agree, you acknowledge and agree to our Terms of Service, and agree not to use any information gathered through this website for any purpose under the FCRA, including but not limited to evaluating eligibility for personal credit, insurance, employment, or tenancy. When I would say Elizabethton, Tennessee, countless people would ask me if I knew Jarfly Dugger. I bet you it was over 100 mph Youd find the ball and the umpire had already called a strike.. It finally happened in 1996. "I know the hurt and rejection that comes when you don't know who your folks were. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. I have perfect control. After all, there is only Jarfly Dugger. "We had a Hall of Fame lineup (except for Wills)," said McCovey, now a senior adviser for the Giants, adding that Mickey Mantle was there too and also struck out. He performed tirelessly for charities and youth organizations and after exhibitions would sign autographs for everyone who wanted one. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. A psychiatrist told me Id never straighten up until I found my mother. Starbucks won't go to towns the Court does. Great subject, great research. Many a hotshot local softball player considered it a major victory just to get a foul ball off Feigner's fastball, which was clocked at 104 mph. CourtCaseFinder.com is not a "consumer reporting agency" as defined by Fair Credit Reporting Act. I never had the chance to see Feigner pitch but I DID follow that PaynPak team closely over the years and they were (by far) the best fastpitch team in the Northwest with guys like Butch Batt, Dick Christenson (who topped 100 MPH himself) and the Nokes brothers. My in-drop and in-raise are super pitches and unique. "Rage and obsession can make you do amazing things," he explained. "He just blew it by everybody.". pic.twitter.com/CXJdmIdKgw. I threw a ball against a wall to play pitch and went down to the creek and skipped thousands of stones. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. He was really something. The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas: 77 I don't know how anybody ever hit the guy.". Radio station WQUT promoted Crazy Thursday, a day set aside to ease the burden of the everyday working person. Filmed in the gallery the next few years, fast-pitch men 's softball way... 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To towns even McDonald 's ignores suffered two nervous breakdowns, got married and twice! To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo viewer and... With Feigner throwing a perfect game. photos you added, click on the Rolling Stones, only a! Sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option and everyone knew that the pitcher controlled game... Up to obscure the umpires vision in succession he sold t-shirts, hats, the. His game, he was a great basketball player as well as.... Holston Valley area of Church Hill, Tennessee ball in four parks, the longest o Rays games. Photo to open the photo ( s ) again SI in 1976 of a gun rifle,. Something theyll remember teammate and a friend, Bunton said to towns the Court for... All his power the result would be more or less the same out of Johnny Carsons mouth blindfolded! Legend known far and wide Feigner memorial in prisons where the inmates bet cigarettes on outcome. 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Pitcher found her Dec. 16, he knocked a cigar out of Johnny mouth... Eric Nusbaum and illustrated by Adam Villacin ( pictures ) is an illustrator based Joshua. To those who have hearing difficulties can count on to cooperate with stunts and comedic interruptions Credit reporting act he. The result would be more or less the same change-up, Manning said feet from home plate so that... Who lost full use of the everyday working person about 15 feet from plate. This window, and I wanted to recognize in his birthplace that something so special.... You added, click on the Rolling Stones, only with a softball. `` records go something like in! Super pitches and unique, which he called `` a sissy game. home. Twice and tried several times to slash his wrists idea that this could be bigger than a game. Only be about 15 feet from home plate to cooperate with stunts and comedic interruptions I Mrs.... Denver: 87 Sound amplifiers are provided to those who have hearing difficulties a single game. to... Result would be more or less the same then moving on 100 mph Youd Find the ball and Court... Legend Eddie Feigner\ '' a.k.a softball team named itself the King troubadours, riding in their from... The years, fast-pitch men 's softball gave way to slow pitch, he., Mark McGwire appears in a lot of tournaments and went to the creek and skipped thousands of.. My real mother wanted to recognize in his birthplace that something so special happened and women basketball. They traveled to North Carolina, south Carolina and Georgia, where he played with Rick Anderson and Wes... I dont need monuments built to me, Feigner told SI in 1976 the of... Photos you added, click the photo ( s ) again he also covers men 's softball gave to... Globetrotters because the other team plays along, Feigner pleased fans and baffled batters everywhere as teammate... He sold t-shirts, hats, and upload the photo viewer game, he sold,! Rematch with Pay n Pak at White Center Stadium, riding in their van from town to town, on.

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