The King and His Court display skill, use tricks in entertaining game with West Windsor Wildcats
By: Justin Feil
They came. They saw.
And The King and His Court conquered.
In front of more than 400 fans at R.J. Ward Field in West Windsor on Friday, the four-person traveling softball team entertained with their skill and a little trickery while winning, 4-2, over a team of players from both the 13-year-old and 14-year-old West Windsor Wildcats team.
"I was really looking forward to this," said Katy Hubbard, who started and pitched two innings for the Wildcats team. "We’ve been trying to go (see The King and His Court) for a year. We were going to go when it was down near Philadelphia, but it was rained out. We really wanted to see them."
Not only did Hubbard get to see them, she got to play against the team where Eddie Feigner, "The King," is still a big draw at 75-years-old.
He’s been on the road since the show began 55 years ago. Slowed by arthritis in the knees a heart attack suffered 10 years ago and a stroke a couple years ago, Feigner pitched to just a few batters during the game but kept a running commentary going the entire five-inning game and at the conclusion of the game offered a 15-minute history of the four-person team and fastpitch softball.
Then he stuck around for nearly an hour to sign autographs for every single fan who lined up afterward. Young and old stood in line for the chance to meet The King, who will throw out the first pitch later this summer at the 2000 Olympic Games softball venue in Sydney, Australia.
"I was happy with the show, but this is what I’m happiest about," said the West Windsor Little League’s Mike Bronzino, motioning toward the line. "He’s great about giving of himself. Some of the kids don’t even realize what’s going on with it. This is about planting that seed to play. They’ll realize in 20 years when they hear about The King and His Court and they’ll remember they saw them play. The important thing is that seed is being planted."
Proceeds from the night benefited the WWLL and Wildcats Fastpitch Softball, which are constructing a new indoor batting facility for their players.
"We are very happy," Bronzino said. "We had a record night at the concession stand. The attendance pays for the show and we make the money of the concession stand so it worked out."
On the field, it worked out as well as no one in the crowd was disappointed to see The King and His Court take one of its somewhere around 9,000 wins. Feigner pitched blindfolded to one batter, Samantha Crist, in the fifth inning and picked off a pair of would-be base stealers with behind-the-back moves.
When Feigner wasn’t on the mound, Rich Hoppe entertained the crowd with his own behind-the-back and between-the-legs pitches as well some deliveries from out near second base. Hoppe and Eddie Aucoin also deposited deep home runs and connected on a couple of perfectly targeted strikes to prevent the Wildcats from scoring any more runs, while Feigner’s wife and first baseman, Anne Marie, provided laughs with her antics all night.
"I thought it was pretty good," said 11-year-old Chris Brooks, a Princeton resident, of the show. "I liked the pick-off throws and the behind-the-back stuff. And there were some nice throws from the outfield. It’s like the Harlem Globetrotters, but with softball. I’d see it again hopefully sometime later."
For some, it wasn’t their first time seeing The King and His Court. Jack Kasper, the Wildcats manager Friday, was taking in his second show happily from the dugout when Eddie Feigner asked him to come hit against Hoppe, a Bayonne native whom Kasper had actually seen play in a men’s fastpitch league years ago. Kasper obliged with a hit.
"I couldn’t see it, but I hit it," Kasper quipped. "It was thrilling. I wanted the challenge. It’s something I’ll never forget. This was a great experience."
And while Kasper, even in his at bat was relegated to play against The King and His Court, one lucky Wildcat player was recruited to join the four-person team while Feigner sat out.
"I was nervous, but it was fun," said Lizzie Heron, a 13-year-old Plainsboro resident. "I was just standing by the dugout and they asked me to come over and play for them. I got a lot of nice pointers on my batting. It was definitely a good time."