I just looked - the throat on mine is 1-3/8". No, it will not pass a tennis ball. Or women's sanitary products. Or anything solid, the steel impeller needs to grind it up to pass through the garden hose fitting. Once a year I disassemble it to remove the hair wrapped around the impeller.
I always had a bit of water come out when disconnecting it. Now I use a 45-degree clear elbow so all the water goes into the pump. For hose I use corrugated pond or water feature hose. It's light, coils easily for storage, and is a full 3/4" diameter.
