An Eephus pitch in baseball is a very low-speed junk pitch. The delivery from the pitcher has very low velocity and usually catches the hitter off-guard. Its invention is attributed to Rip Sewell of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1940s, although according to historians John Thorn and John Holway, the first pitcher to throw a big blooper pitch was Bill Phillips, who played in the National League on and off from 1890 through 1903. The practice then lay dormant for nearly 40 years until Sewell resurrected it. According to manager Frankie Frisch, the pitch was named by outfielder Maurice Van Robays. When asked what it meant, Van Robays replied, "'Eephus ain't nothing, and that's a nothing pitch." Although the origin is not known for certain, "Eephus" may come from the Hebrew word אפס, meaning "nothing". The Eephus pitch is thrown overhand like most pitches, but is characterized by an unusual, high arcing trajectory. The corresponding slow velocity bears more resemblance to a slow-pitch softball delivery than to a traditional baseball pitch. It is considered a trick pitch because, in comparison to normal baseball pitches, which run from 70 to 100 miles per hour, an Eephus pitch appears to move in slow motion at 55 mph (89 km/h) or less, sometimes into the low-40s mph (66–69 km/h).
The Lakeland Flying Tigers are a minor league baseball team based in Lakeland, Florida.
Joseph Wheeler Sewell was a Major League Baseball infielder for the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977.
Joseph Francis Falls was an American journalist. He began his career in his native New York City. At the age of 17 in 1945, he took a job as a copyboy for the Associated Press. After an apprenticeship of eight years, Falls moved to the Detroit bureau of the AP.
Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a baseball field in Lakeland, Florida. The 8,500-seat stadium was opened in 1966 and has had multiple renovations, most recently in 2017. It was named after local resident and former Lakeland Parks and Recreation Director Marcus "Joker" Marchant. It is the spring training home of the Detroit Tigers and the regular-season home of the minor league affiliates Lakeland Flying Tigers and Gulf Coast Tigers.
The RP Funding Center is a convention and entertainment complex in Lakeland, Florida, comprising a convention center, arena and theater. Currently, it is home to the Florida Tropics SC of the Major Arena Soccer League and the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic's affiliate in the NBA G League.
Ajax Orlando Prospects was an American soccer team, founded in 2002. The team was a member of the United Soccer Leagues Premier Development League (PDL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, until 2006, when the team left the league and the franchise was terminated.
Henley Field is a historic site in Lakeland, Florida. Built in 1922, it is located at 1125 North Florida Avenue. Clare Henley, for whom the park was named in 1942, encouraged its construction in an effort to persuade a professional baseball team to train there. On May 23, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The 1954 Little League World Series was held from August 24 to August 27 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The Schenectady Little League of Schenectady, New York, defeated the Colton Little League of Colton, California, in the championship game of the eighth Little League World Series.
The Lakeland Tarpons are a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida, out of the RP Funding Center. Originally established in Estero, Florida, and playing out of Germain Arena, they began play in 2012 as the Florida Tarpons, an expansion team of the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL). The Tarpons joined the X-League Indoor Football (X-League) during the 2015 season when the UIFL merged with the X-League. They played in the Arena Pro Football (APF) league in 2017 before the league became the American Arena League (AAL) for 2018. For 2019, they formed their own Florida-based league, called the A-League.
The Florida Marine Raiders were a professional indoor football team; though they began play in 2012 as a member of the Ultimate Indoor Football League, for 2014 they became a charter member of the X-League Indoor Football (X-League). The Raiders were based in Lakeland, Florida, with home games played at the Lakeland Center. The Lakeland Raiders were founded by Michael Mink in his mother's vision of helping players get a second chance.
George Almones was an American professional basketball player.
The Lakeland Highlanders were a minor league baseball team, based in Lakeland, Florida from 1919 through 1926. It was a charter member of the Florida State League and won the league title in 1926.
The Central Florida Jaguars, commonly known as the Jags, were a professional indoor football team based in Lakeland, Florida.
The 2013 Sarasota Thunder season was the first and only season for the professional indoor football franchise and first in the Ultimate Indoor Football League (UIFL). One of six teams that competed in the UIFL for the 2013 season.
Professional soccer Club in Lakeland, FL
The Lakeland Magic are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League announced to begin play for the 2017–18 season as an affiliate of the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Based in Lakeland, Florida, the team plays their home games at the RP Funding Center.
