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Batting Cages in the Washington, DC Area


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On 6/11/2016 at 0:43 PM, DaveO said:

I loved batting cages.  But I haven't been to one in a very long time.  I don't recall what speeds I could crank it up to.  It was never maximum. I spent a number of summers in Rehobeth.  There was batting cage there then.  I was a semi regular.  A friend owned a batting cage.  I was a semi regular there also.

In case you ever get the urge:

Aug 29, 2014 - "Best Batting Cages in the Washington, DC Area" by Folashade Oyegbola on washington.cbslocal.com

Closer to home for you, there's also one in Upton Hill Regional Park on Wilson Blvd. 

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On 6/11/2016 at 1:02 PM, DonRocks said:

In case you ever get the urge:

Aug 29, 2014 - "Best Batting Cages in the Washington, DC Area" by Folashade Oyegbola on washington.cbslocal.com

Closer to home for you, there's also one in Upton Hill Regional Park on Wilson Blvd. 

I have a huge bug up my behind about any page on the web relevant to any city and any topic with the word BEST wherein the page comes from "cityname.cbslocal.com".  I doubt the author has the slightest context of authority on the topic.  Not the slightest.  

But I suppose its a starting point to look for the topic at hand in that city or region covered by cbslocal.com.  Whether they are the "best" or not...I'd suggest you find out from another source or test them yourselves. 

My data suggests these pages started surfacing in 2012.  I'd have to look back as to the date of consequence, but one of  google's main spokesman made an oblique reference to these types of pages either in 2013 or 2014 identifying them as "very important".   And they were.  They were on the top of search results for a period all over the place.

But look up the authors.  If they have a whit of experience on the topics they cover I'd be very surprised.

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44 minutes ago, DaveO said:

I have a huge bug up my behind about any page on the web relevant to any city and any topic with the word BEST wherein the page comes from "cityname.cbslocal.com".  I doubt the author has the slightest context of authority on the topic.  Not the slightest.  

But I suppose its a starting point to look for the topic at hand in that city or region covered by cbslocal.com.  Whether they are the "best" or not...I'd suggest you find out from another source or test them yourselves. 

My data suggests these pages started surfacing in 2012.  I'd have to look back as to the date of consequence, but one of  google's main spokesman made an oblique reference to these types of pages either in 2013 or 2014 identifying them as "very important".   And they were.  They were on the top of search results for a period all over the place.

But look up the authors.  If they have a whit of experience on the topics they cover I'd be very surprised.

No doubt - it's probably some intern who has never hit a baseball in her life, and culled the information from the internet (refer to restaurant journalism); I merely meant to use that as a starting point and a compendium, hoping that others might chime in with some more-informed opinions as time goes by.

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1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

No doubt - it's probably some intern who has never hit a baseball in her life, and culled the information from the internet (refer to restaurant journalism); I merely meant to use that as a starting point and a compendium, hoping that others might chime in with some more-informed opinions as time goes by.

I bet 99% of pages that are titled "best" and come from cbslocal websites are written by free lance writers with 0 experience on the topic.  They are starting points..and in this context it would or could be a starting point for a discussion on the topic.

Hey, I haven't gone to one in years but I loved them in the past.  I used to go down to one in Rehobeth.  Don't know if its still there.  Don't recall if it was good or bad.  It was there...and I  smacked baseballs there a lot.    And I used to go to one in Loudoun County operated by a friend of mine.  Don't know if its still operating.  Enjoyed smacking balls out there also.   Batting cages --> lot of fun.  

Today...I got this feeling if I made great contact with a pitch...It'd probably dribble like a weak bunt. :D

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I'm a roughly weekly visitor to the Upton Hill batting cages - usually Saturday or Sunday mornings. They open on 10am on weekends until Labor Day. It can get a little crowded as it moves into afternoon, but I've never seen it with more than a 2 min. wait for any of the cages. 

I was there yesterday in fact. The blood blisters on my lead hand notwithstanding, it's a great visit (don't worry, it's my flimsy batting gloves, not any of their equipment). Some insider tips:

1. $1.50/round (1 round = 14 pitches). There's also a special: $7/5 rounds or something like that. I always drop $20 and that pretty much exhausts me.

2. Helmets and bats are free. They fairly recently replaced their helmets - pretty decent full mask and the padding is all intact (for now) but it's still public equipment, y'know? The bats are about what you expect. I'd recommend they just regrip them, but I'll take it.

3. I usually camp out in the Fast Pitch cages (#1 and #2). Supposedly these are 80mph+, but I don't buy that theyre anything more than 70 tops. At least one of these machines will crap out every 3-6 rounds or so. But the staff is quick to run out to unjam the hopper and is pretty loose with free rounds as compensation.

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The Dug Out in Clifton gets the job done. Was there two months ago with my kids.  

Couldn’t believe how few there were compared to years ago. Looks like many cages have become full fledged “training academies” where you need to rent out the space for hours at a time. Youth sports is a big business these days. 

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