{"id":150,"date":"2014-10-16T15:09:34","date_gmt":"2014-10-16T19:09:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/?p=150"},"modified":"2016-03-11T08:10:54","modified_gmt":"2016-03-11T13:10:54","slug":"softballz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz\/","title":{"rendered":"Softballz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>SOFTBALLZ details the trials and tribulations of senior citizen Shelly Softballz, and his autumnal life as a hardworking newspaper cartoonist who&#8217;s never quite managed to hit the big leagues. It&#8217;s not for lack of trying, though; Shel&#8217;s work appears with some regularity in the Weekly Shopper, but only time will tell if he can conjure up that elusive million-dollar idea that&#8217;ll second-guess the syndicates. (Or at least a greeting card company.)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_pic.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"142\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz_pic\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_pic.jpg?fit=400%2C432&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"400,432\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Softballz_pic\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_pic.jpg?fit=400%2C432&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-142\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_pic-277x300.jpg?resize=277%2C300\" alt=\"Softballz_pic\" width=\"277\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_pic.jpg?resize=277%2C300&amp;ssl=1 277w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_pic.jpg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 277px) 100vw, 277px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip1.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"143\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz\/softballz_strip1\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip1.jpg?fit=800%2C366&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Softballz_strip1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip1.jpg?fit=500%2C229&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-143 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip1.jpg?resize=500%2C229\" alt=\"Softballz_strip1\" width=\"500\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip1.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip1.jpg?resize=300%2C137&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip2.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"144\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz\/softballz_strip2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip2.jpg?fit=800%2C366&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Softballz_strip2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip2.jpg?fit=500%2C229&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-144 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip2.jpg?resize=500%2C229\" alt=\"Softballz_strip2\" width=\"500\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip2.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip2.jpg?resize=300%2C137&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip31.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"146\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz\/softballz_strip3-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip31.jpg?fit=800%2C366&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Softballz_strip3\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip31.jpg?fit=500%2C229&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-146 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip31.jpg?resize=500%2C229\" alt=\"Softballz_strip3\" width=\"500\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip31.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip31.jpg?resize=300%2C137&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip4.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"147\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz\/softballz_strip4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip4.jpg?fit=800%2C366&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Softballz_strip4\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip4.jpg?fit=500%2C229&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-147 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip4.jpg?resize=500%2C229\" alt=\"Softballz_strip4\" width=\"500\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip4.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip4.jpg?resize=300%2C137&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip5.jpg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"148\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz\/softballz_strip5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip5.jpg?fit=800%2C366&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"800,366\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-title=\"Softballz_strip5\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip5.jpg?fit=500%2C229&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-148 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip5.jpg?resize=500%2C229\" alt=\"Softballz_strip5\" width=\"500\" height=\"229\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip5.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Softballz_strip5.jpg?resize=300%2C137&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a>Originally posted on Mike the Pod, July, 2009<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>SOFTBALLZ details the trials and tribulations of senior citizen Shelly Softballz, and his autumnal life as a hardworking newspaper cartoonist who&#8217;s never quite managed to hit the big leagues. It&#8217;s not for lack of trying, though; Shel&#8217;s work appears with &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/softballz\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3,9],"tags":[42,21,18,16,29,28,26,96,95,94,20,43],"class_list":["post-150","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-classic-comix","category-magazine-rack","tag-tbt","tag-behind-the-scenes","tag-comedy","tag-comic","tag-depression","tag-despair","tag-mike-the-pod","tag-senior-citizens","tag-softball-humor","tag-softballz","tag-strips","tag-throwback-thursday"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p53HmY-2q","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3933,"url":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/five-alive\/","url_meta":{"origin":150,"position":0},"title":"Five Alive","author":"MattyBoy","date":"04\/17\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Alright I did another one, alright?! I'm so damn committed to this idea I squeaked out another one!!! Now I know how Michael Bay felt after wrapping\u00a0Transformers 5.\u00a0Like me, he probably leaned back in his chair, put his hands behind his head, and sighed \"holy shit, now I've done that\u00a0five\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Comix Classic &amp; Current&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Comix Classic &amp; Current","link":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/category\/classic-comix\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/BIUL_5preview2.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4621,"url":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/in-bad-shape\/","url_meta":{"origin":150,"position":1},"title":"In Bad Shape\u00a9","author":"MattyBoy","date":"05\/14\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Howdy, pardners! Watch me jump this gun! I can't keep it a secret any longer. I'm in Bad\u00a0Shape! Seriously Bad\u00a0Shape! This of course has a dual meaning. First, it means that I've arrived at what you'd call a low\u00a0point. These things happen when you are an \"underground\" artist; in fact,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Animation Analysis&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Animation Analysis","link":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/category\/animation-analysis\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jumpingthegun.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jumpingthegun.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jumpingthegun.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/jumpingthegun.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5044,"url":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/the-bands-i-useta-like-halloween-spooktacular\/","url_meta":{"origin":150,"position":2},"title":"The Bands I Useta Like Halloween Spooktacular","author":"MattyBoy","date":"10\/25\/2019","format":false,"excerpt":"[The\u00a0following\u00a0article\u00a0is\u00a0brought\u00a0to\u00a0you\u00a0LIVE,\u00a0from\u00a0a\u00a0haunted\u00a0house\u00a0somewhere\u00a0in\u00a0North\u00a0Georgia...\u00a0or\u00a0should\u00a0we\u00a0say\u00a0DEAD?!?] Do\u00a0you\u00a0DARE... A\u00a0rotting\u00a0oaken\u00a0door\u00a0creaks\u00a0open.\u00a0As\u00a0you\u00a0enter\u00a0the\u00a0house,\u00a0the\u00a0first\u00a0thing\u00a0you\u00a0notice\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0overwhelming\u00a0stench\u00a0of\u00a0rancid\u00a0corned\u00a0beef\u00a0hash.From the\u00a0inky\u00a0darkness\u00a0emerges\u00a0your\u00a0host;\u00a0a\u00a0shambling,\u00a0wretched ronion\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0man,\u00a0encrusted\u00a0in\u00a0his\u00a0own\u00a0feculence.\u00a0 Slowly\u00a0you\u00a0realize\u00a0the\u00a0thing\u00a0before\u00a0you,\u00a0reeking\u00a0and\u00a0wheezing\u00a0like\u00a0someeldritch\u00a0horror\u00a0from\u00a0the\u00a0deep...\u00a0was\u00a0once\u00a0a\u00a0human\u00a0being.\u00a0Well,\u00a0not quite\u00a0human--\u00a0a\u00a0CARTOONIST! Hello\u00a0boils\u00a0and\u00a0ghouls!\u00a0Welcome\u00a0to\u00a0my\u00a0house! Like the place? I'm squatting in an old Scooby-Doo background! Wanna hire the decorator? Good luck figuring out who that was! Alright, I confess, it's kind of a dump. I haven't cleaned or swept the floor since moving in five years ago.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bad Influences&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bad Influences","link":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/category\/bad-influences\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Halloween1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Halloween1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Halloween1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3840,"url":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/lets-play-nice\/","url_meta":{"origin":150,"position":3},"title":"Let&#8217;s Play Nice!","author":"MattyBoy","date":"02\/08\/2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Battle not with monsters, Lest ye become a monster. And if ye gaze into the abyss, The abyss gazes also into you.\" -Friedrich Nietzsche Hi there. My name is Matty Boy Anderson. I'm a cartoonist! If you're new to this site, thanks for coming, I'm glad you're here. If you're\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bad Influences&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bad Influences","link":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/category\/bad-influences\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/MattyCR.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2354,"url":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/a-wronging-endorsement\/","url_meta":{"origin":150,"position":4},"title":"A Wronging Endorsement","author":"MattyBoy","date":"08\/19\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In the latter half of the 1980s, just about every teenage guy wanted to be Michael J. Fox. He had indomitable charisma. He had charm. He even made voice-cracking kind of cool. He was likable yuppie Alex P. Keaton on NBC's sitcom\u00a0Family Ties, and spastic teen time-traveler Marty McFly in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bad Influences&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bad Influences","link":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/category\/bad-influences\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"fox","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/fox.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2024,"url":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/after-the-beep\/","url_meta":{"origin":150,"position":5},"title":"After The Beep","author":"MattyBoy","date":"06\/09\/2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Answering machines were a form of technology in use\u00a0before telecommunication was monopolized. At first, they were huge, then they used micro-cassettes, then regular cassettes, then a computer chip, then they went in the garbage. Telephones were not generally mobile prior to the year 2000. The average home had a room\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Bad Influences&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Bad Influences","link":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/category\/bad-influences\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Not a bomb.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/beep1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1585,"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150\/revisions\/1585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bandsiusetalike.com\/biul\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}