How many of you forgo the bucket?

Jojo said:

A pet peeve of mine, 1 ball on a wet day.

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We have gone close to 2 hours in the rain, never changed ball. Better play around how to handle it on an empty field than in a game.

Just wanted to say thanks for this thread - made me go out and grab a small milk crate to get myself lower while catching DD. Harder for me to get to pitches off the plate, but a better, more game-time target. I'll get used to it!

slingnit said:

We have gone close to 2 hours in the rain, never changed ball. Better play around how to handle it on an empty field than in a game.

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It's not that, it's the time it takes to run down and chase the passed the ball, the time it takes to wipe it off with a towel, the throw back, which is then usually dropped then has to be wiped down again.

My DD last year had to play a game in the rain in school ball. and it was about 38 degrees to boot. I never saw so many pitches hit the ground behind a pitcher in my life as that game. She has very small hands and had never had to pitch in the rain. She was so frustrated she almost started to cry. The school she played for bought the bargain basement balls the ones with no laces. She finally took herself off the mound because the coach did not understand what she was going through because he was a teacher and not a coach ... That was the ugliest game of softball I have ever witnessed all pitchers struggled and even though we gave the coaches rags to dry the balls, they simply out of not understanding refused to do it on both sides

Jojo said:

A pet peeve of mine, 1 ball on a wet day.

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Actually, I encourage all of my pitchers to go out and practice in crappy weather on a regular basis. In the midwest they need to learn how to handle the ball in all kinds of different weather situations. The temps can go from 60's on Friday to 40's windy and cold on Sunday during a spring tournament. Had some pics of my DD pitching in the snow in college.

Sparky Guy said:

Actually, I encourage all of my pitchers to go out and practice in crappy weather on a regular basis. In the midwest they need to learn how to handle the ball in all kinds of different weather situations. The temps can go from 60's on Friday to 40's windy and cold on Sunday during a spring tournament. Had some pics of my DD pitching in the snow in college.

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I have no problem with them doing that home, but when we have just a 30 minute class, I'd like to spend some of that on actual pitching. But hey, that's just me. Apparently to some of the parents they don't mind spending most of the class time chasing and wiping down the one ball. At least with 2 balls I can be drying one off, while the student is pitching the other.

And as for encouraging practicing in crappy weather. I don't have a building. Makes you really appreciate those nice days. The only times I ever cancel class is if it's stormed right before class and the place is underwater. If it's starts raining while we're at class, we carry on. I hate the really windy days the most. Heat? Puhleeze! SE TX here! Winter? okay, so we don't have it as bad....but it's a WET cold! The coldest I've ever been out at class was a "feels like" 22. It was a tad nippy that day.

I am off today, it's raining bucket fulls of buckets.