15 ms·

The article sure could use a picture. Edit: now that I realize from the article its 16" circumference it's less surprising, and I can imagine what it would loo

The article sure could use a picture. Edit: now that I realize from the article its 16" circumference it's less surprising, and I can imagine what it would look like. The title should mention it is circumference.

Cthulhu_ 1y ago
I wouldn't mind seeing 16" diameter softball now. It'd be like a gym ball.
js2 1y ago
Second sentence in the second ("Game Play") section: > Game play for 16-inch softball is mostly consistent with standard softball game play. In contrast to standard, or 12-inch (30.48 cm) softball, it is played with a ball 16 inches (40.64 cm) in circumference. FWIW, softballs by are sold by their circumference, so it would be unconventional (and unwieldy) to change the page title to "16-inch circumference softball". And I mean, it should be obvious. (I agree a photo would help and wiki pages are easy to edit, but I looked for a creative commons licensed 16" softball photo and couldn't find one.)
- joemi 1y ago
  I don't think "it should be obvious". The world we live in is one where caber tossing, curling, boxing, cheese rolling, quidditch, and sepak takraw (to name just a few) are all sports. So "softball with a 16-inch diameter ball" really isn't so unbelievable of a concept that it should be obvious that it doesn't exist.
  - fsckboy 1y ago
    i'm not going to get on a soapbox if i can't understand a caber toss, curling, cheese rolling, qudditch or sepak takraw headline, and but i will climb that tallest soapbox in the middle of three and complain if headlines are all so unwieldy that i can glean all the info i don't know about every sport also, a "16-in circumference softball" article still wouldn't even be allowed into the EU as it's not metric.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - dylan604 1y ago
    a softball with a 16-inch diameter ball would really be unbelievable. A basketball is less than 10 inches, so imagine something ~2x the size of a basketball being swung at with a bat.
    - wredcoll 1y ago
      Yeah, that's why we clicked on the link. A softball like 10% bigger isn't that interesting.
      - dylan604 1y ago
        if that was the only difference. the fact the ball is designed to get softer the longer it is played makes it so hits at the start of a game are different than at the end. fielders would learn this and change tactics based on that. normally, when the ball goes flat during a game, it is replaced. that in and of itself made it interesting to me as a standout feature.
    - gwbas1c 1y ago
      I played kickball as a kid; as a clumsy nerd it was a lot more fun. I don't remember ever using a bat with a kickball, other than for laughs. It would work, though.
  - gwbas1c 1y ago
    One of the things I like about Hacker News is that, when someone throws around a vague sports term, there's a massive discussion to just figure out the heck they are talking about. Reminds me about this thread about goats: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32191140 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32191140
- docsaintly 1y ago
  I would agree with "should be obvious" if this was a sports news website :D. Sorry, sometimes us nerds need more context or a title will seem misleading / clickbait-y.
bigwheels 1y ago
100% agree. In case it's helpful, here is the best image I was able to find: https://live.staticflickr.com/54/128223579_34056fb847_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/54/128223579_34056fb847_b.jpg That's a pretty, uhm, big ball. I imagine it'd be highly entertaining to see the Savannah Bananas play with these 16 inchers! https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICHPDPICT000020298761.jpg https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICH... https://thesavannahbananas.com/ https://thesavannahbananas.com/
- docsaintly 1y ago
  Thanks. That is indeed massive.
gwbas1c 1y ago
I clicked around https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4qCVWejYrA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4qCVWejYrA to see people playing and holding a "16 inch softball". It took me awhile to realize that it's the circumference too.

Cthulhu_ 1y ago

I wouldn't mind seeing 16" diameter softball now. It'd be like a gym ball.

js2 1y ago

Second sentence in the second ("Game Play") section: > Game play for 16-inch softball is mostly consistent with standard softball game play. In contrast to standard, or 12-inch (30.48 cm) softball, it is played with a ball 16 inches (40.64 cm) in circumference. FWIW, softballs by are sold by their circumference, so it would be unconventional (and unwieldy) to change the page title to "16-inch circumference softball". And I mean, it should be obvious. (I agree a photo would help and wiki pages are easy to edit, but I looked for a creative commons licensed 16" softball photo and couldn't find one.)

joemi 1y ago
I don't think "it should be obvious". The world we live in is one where caber tossing, curling, boxing, cheese rolling, quidditch, and sepak takraw (to name just a few) are all sports. So "softball with a 16-inch diameter ball" really isn't so unbelievable of a concept that it should be obvious that it doesn't exist.
- fsckboy 1y ago
  i'm not going to get on a soapbox if i can't understand a caber toss, curling, cheese rolling, qudditch or sepak takraw headline, and but i will climb that tallest soapbox in the middle of three and complain if headlines are all so unwieldy that i can glean all the info i don't know about every sport also, a "16-in circumference softball" article still wouldn't even be allowed into the EU as it's not metric.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- dylan604 1y ago
  a softball with a 16-inch diameter ball would really be unbelievable. A basketball is less than 10 inches, so imagine something ~2x the size of a basketball being swung at with a bat.
  - wredcoll 1y ago
    Yeah, that's why we clicked on the link. A softball like 10% bigger isn't that interesting.
    - dylan604 1y ago
      if that was the only difference. the fact the ball is designed to get softer the longer it is played makes it so hits at the start of a game are different than at the end. fielders would learn this and change tactics based on that. normally, when the ball goes flat during a game, it is replaced. that in and of itself made it interesting to me as a standout feature.
  - gwbas1c 1y ago
    I played kickball as a kid; as a clumsy nerd it was a lot more fun. I don't remember ever using a bat with a kickball, other than for laughs. It would work, though.
- gwbas1c 1y ago
  One of the things I like about Hacker News is that, when someone throws around a vague sports term, there's a massive discussion to just figure out the heck they are talking about. Reminds me about this thread about goats: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32191140 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32191140
docsaintly 1y ago
I would agree with "should be obvious" if this was a sports news website :D. Sorry, sometimes us nerds need more context or a title will seem misleading / clickbait-y.

bigwheels 1y ago

100% agree. In case it's helpful, here is the best image I was able to find: https://live.staticflickr.com/54/128223579_34056fb847_b.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/54/128223579_34056fb847_b.jpg That's a pretty, uhm, big ball. I imagine it'd be highly entertaining to see the Savannah Bananas play with these 16 inchers! https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICHPDPICT000020298761.jpg https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/08/NYPICH... https://thesavannahbananas.com/ https://thesavannahbananas.com/

docsaintly 1y ago
Thanks. That is indeed massive.

gwbas1c 1y ago

I clicked around https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4qCVWejYrA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4qCVWejYrA to see people playing and holding a "16 inch softball". It took me awhile to realize that it's the circumference too.