1Baseball enthusiasts hold softball in low esteem. 2 lt's a picnic game, they argue, with a big, soft ball, shorter base paths, and a pitcher who throws underhand. 3Yet fast-pitch softball can be as intense and dramatic as any baseball game, perhaps moreso.4True,thebasepathsareshorter, butaskanythirdbasemanhowquicklyawell-hit groundball reaches him on softball's smaller diamond. 5True, the pitcher throws underhand, but he stands fifteen feet closer to the plate, and he might hit speeds exceeding eighty miles per hour. 6True, the ball is softer than a baseball, but catch a hard one in the ribs just once, and such knowledge is smallcomfort.