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  1. N

    Catchers gear - physical store location mid-Atlantic

    DD has outgrown her starter set and needs new gear. She's little, so this set of 12-16 gear will probably the last time she'll need to "size up." We did the online thing for a helmet replacement this winter, but haven't been thrilled with what we got (We tried to make it work long enough that...
  2. N

    GOLD/A/B/C Why do we have it?

    I think the various levels make sense so more teams have more chances to play in competitive games. No one enjoys a 3-inning run-rule loss; not even the team that wins. I think teams labeling themselves above their real competitiveness should be self-correcting over time. Either getting...
  3. N

    Practice swings to brush back catcher(?)

    Saw something new in last weekend's tournament. One particular batter from a team we played had a peculiar warm-up routine, which she did every swing of every at-bat. While in the batter's box, she would swing the bat back like a golf club and basically bring it straight behind her, level with...
  4. N

    Outfield: Step back, or hold your ground?

    It seems to me that a single drop step transition to charging in is easier (plant heel and come forward) than trying to switch from coming in to full reverse. I'm not sure why that is... maybe charging in the weight tends to come forward of the toes but drop step keeps weight balanced over the...
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    Winning 'B' Nationals means you should have been playing in the 'A' Bracket

    I think CoogansBluff has it exactly right here (I'd have quoted the whole thing but it takes too much space). This is essentially an unsolvable problem, because even if you took the top "X" from B and moved them up, the next "X" would then become dominant. There's always going to be the...
  6. N

    Winning 'B' Nationals means you should have been playing in the 'A' Bracket

    Part of the problem is if there are really 6-8 teams in an area "clogging up" the top of a division (B or C) then they probably don't perceive themselves as dominant because they're often losing to each other. If you're playing .600 ball at "C" it's hard to decide it's time to jump to "B" for...
  7. N

    Strangest thing an Umpire has said to you?

    In a friendly double-header, we're on defense with 1 out and a runner on 1B. Sharp grounder to F4 who grabs it, tags the runner going past (BU calls the out) and then fires to 1B beating the batter runner by a good step. BU calls "safe." After the inning, as I came out to be the 1B coach, the...
  8. N

    Calming DD down before tryouts

    Since you're already in contact w/ the HC, ask if they do any "open" practices before tryouts, and if not, ask if DD can come to a regular practice or two w/ his existing team. Assuming the girls on the current team will be coming to the tryout, that will give a few familiar faces come tryout...
  9. N

    Rules every coach should know cold

    Good list. I might put substitution/roster rules in there ahead of #1 and/or #8. Especially for all-stars coaches used to rec rules (ours were bat the roster w/ unlimited defensive substitutions) the "real" substitution rules are both complex & important. (made more complex by differing under...
  10. N

    Are there really leagues that draft completely from scratch every year?

    Our old rec league transitioned to a full draft after a run of 10U teams going undefeated through league and championship play (and of course the flip side of winless and 1-win seasons for other teams). Some of that was age sorting (someone upthread mentioned the cycle of taking your lumps as 9...
  11. N

    Not sure what to do! Swearing coach...

    Regarding the language: As a former sailor, I have a more than a passing familiarity with the F word, but in 8 years of coaching, it has not once crossed my lips in front of the kids I coach. That's inexcusable, even at 14U. To direct it at a specific player -who's still a child- is simply...
  12. N

    Poor sportsmanship

    After reading the TB coach's extended statement I have a lot more sympathy for the catcher, but not for the reasons the TB coach might have intended. It's really clear to me that lots of adults who were responsible in one way or another for mentoring, guiding, and protecting this child failed...
  13. N

    Interference at home by a retired runner

    This came to my attention in the neverending thread on the TX HS championship game. (I actually don't want to talk about THOSE plays. Plenty of discussion on them elsewhere.) Another play from that game that caught my eye and seemed like a strange no-call is in this highlight video starting...
  14. N

    Poor sportsmanship

    LOL! There I was, minding my own business and my elbow, of its own accord, just happened to fly backwards into the chest of a passing player knocking them to the ground... twice! Man, that was some bad luck that just 'happened' to this catcher. And also just bad luck to the two players who...
  15. N

    Poor sportsmanship

    @grmerrill -- I only speak for myself, but I take this personally because my DD gets out there and plays every weekend. When something like this happens, it needs to be shouted down loudly and authoritatively. Ideally, there should be significant negative consequences for player, her coaches...
  16. N

    You make the call.....where was Comp when I needed him???

    No. I got schooled up on this a few weeks back in a thread in the rules forum. (Thanks Comp, BretMan and others!) I now teach my catchers to set themselves up and throw exactly as if the runner was in the running lane. If the ball doesn't hit the runner, then we make the play & get the out...
  17. N

    Poor sportsmanship

    That video is shocking. In both cases, the Catcher clearly initiates the contact by throwing her elbow back and into the runner. There is no other way to read the action. If she stands there, or even lowers shoulder to brace for contact, then runner slides by and steps on the back of the...
  18. N

    Levels of Play

    Interesting timing on this post. USSSA Region 1 (Mid-Atlantic/Northeast) just reclassified 32 "C" teams 10/12/14/16 into "B" a couple of days ago (including DD's team). The reason given was "to maintain a competitive balance," which seems reasonable given that pretty much every team who had...
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    Small Ball Defense problem

    I think P, C, and 3B is fine at 10U -- not only are the runners slower, but the pitcher is starting from a 35' rubber instead of 40 or 43. With a decent leap and drag, she's going to be inside 30' when the batter makes contact
  20. N

    Curt Schilling - really????

    Seems like a conscious (and probably smart) decision by espn. I am guessing they figure that a lot of generic sports fans will tune in to watch a national championship who wouldn't watch any other contest in that sport. So you get some percentage of baseball fans who tune in to see what this...

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