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  1. R

    "Run her over!"

    The coach yelling "run her over" is flat out wrong - and especially at the 12U level. Re. the rule ... as someone else stated correctly there is no obstruction or interference without contact. With regards to obstruction the letter of the law somewhat contradicts the spirit of the law as the...
  2. R

    Try out horror

    It's really tough to deal with small numbers! I would urge you to lose the "only from our school district" idea completely. Players are bound together by the school district for school teams and carrying that over actually defeats the purpose of travel teams, especially in older age groups ...
  3. R

    idle threat, or real possibility?

    Non competes and blackballing U12 players ... yeah that's a program that's REALLY interested in the kids, right? The whole purpose of travel teams, summer ball, Little League, ASA, PONY, NSSSA ... whatever ... is for the kids to get a chance to play. Anyone who thinks they have to protect their...
  4. R

    your thoughts on a rundown

    I teach to hold the ball up and move at the baserunner assertively - but not at full speed. If the fielder is running, she will likely get caught throwing between strides instead of being in position to throw accurately and at the right time. I also teach to watch the runner and fake throws...
  5. R

    Continuation Play

    I've always felt that coaches waste valuable practice time by teaching "trick plays" that will only work at lower levels of play. This is coaching to have a winning record as a coach - not coaching your kids to become better players - and hopefully to play well enough to win. Teach the kids...
  6. R

    Proud Dad

    That's just CRAZY TALK!! Crazy Daddies sit with the uninformed and unenlightened in the bleachers? You must be joking!! Crazy Daddies need to be where they can react with just a nod, a head shake, or a well timed guffaw - and not have to explain their reactions ... unless of course they feel...
  7. R

    Battin Out-of-order question...

    Batting out of order I don't believe that's the right call. What I understand is that the batter who should have hit (B1) is called out, and the next batter who should have batted (B2) is up. So in this case, B2 hit and reached 1B. B1 is out for not hitting in the correct spot. And B2 is now up...
  8. R

    Why do softball pitchers have to grunt?

    This is a subject that really annoys me in fastpitch softball and I'm curious to know if anyone else out there has opinions on this. Some pitchers let out an audible grunt during their push-off, but then there are others who let out a loud "shout" on the release - or even a split second after...
  9. R

    How come pitchers get all the attention?

    Why Pitchers get all the credit A great pitcher can keep you in most games - where one good offensive player can be pitched around and be made relatively harmless. In fastpitch a pitcher can pitch much more frequently than in baseball so she is able to dominate repeatedly. But it's a team game...
  10. R

    pick-offs at 1st and 3rd

    One thing I have used is to call out the catcher's first name with last name of the fielder to be thrown to. So if the Catcher is Mary Johnson, Kathy Smith is at 2B and Laura Jones is at SS, my pick-off play calls would be "Heads up Mary Smith" for a pick-off play at 1B and "Heads up Mary Jones"...
  11. R

    Cell Phone Use Team Policy?

    Obviously the age group and situation will dictate what kind of policy is needed. I have always strived to make rules like this fair to the players as well as to the team and coaches. For example - our high school team can have up to a 2 hour bus ride one way. Restricting cell phone use from the...
  12. R

    Parents!!!!!!!

    The summer organization I work with also recruits parents as much as players - we have passed on many players because either the player or the parent(s) had attitudes. Unfortunately some parents make bad decisions and set bad examples - though it's usually simply a case of over-protection...
  13. R

    Big Fish in Small Pound or Small Fish in Big Pound?

    I agree heartily!! Once a player reaches the 16U level, the competition for playing time and positions becomes much more open. My saying has always been "You can't get better until you see what better looks like". Most of the players on our summer teams play in state DI programs, but we also...
  14. R

    hit by pitch

    To point #1 - In this case it's the intent. When a player is looking at the pitcher and simply twisting the foot to get planted, there is no intent to "erase" the line. If a player is looking at the line and rubbing it out - then it's illegal for sure. To point #2 - the protest is not whether...
  15. R

    Unsportsmanlike conduct?

    You are right that most teams laugh at the pitchers that do that, but it's still a distraction. It seems obvious to me that this a technique that is taught, or picked up from one pitcher to another. I think the rules should be changed to make it an illegal pitch - there are much more minor...
  16. R

    Tag 'em low

    So true. But I would stress even more showing the glove to the umpire and acting as if you are 100% sure the runner is out. I've always taught this, and about 10 years ago in an All Star game a runner tried to steal 2B with 2 outs. The throw seemed obviously late, but my son slapped the tag down...
  17. R

    Unsportsmanlike conduct?

    I have no problem when a pitcher grunts naturally on release. But some pitchers grunt as the ball is nearing home plate and after the exertion of release and the exhaling is complete. It's obvious when it's exagerated and when it's timed to distract the hitters - and it's neither necessary nor...
  18. R

    What is more important?

    The problem with showcase tournaments is what happened to my DD. We went to an October showcase in Virginia Beach. The first day we were at the main field, and in one game we were facing a pitcher (my DD was a SS) being highly recruited by ACC teams among others. In the 2 games we played that...
  19. R

    hit by pitch

    I have a ton of respect for every umpire who gives his/her best, whether they are "good" umpires or not. But some umpires do have a chip on their shoulder and I always wonder why they bother to umpire if they hate it as much as it seems they do. They should remember that the game is for the...
  20. R

    Unsportsmanlike conduct?

    A lot of hitters would rather not know, and most hitters would rather not be distracted. As someone said that's a "rookie" coach trying to one up the opposition, and he's probably just distracting his own team ... don't let him distract your team too. Coaches who focus on such small details...

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