12u Game Played with Mound at 35ft. How Mad You Be?

[David Carter]

I had something similar happen not to long ago, with the inability to move a temporary plate, that was in front of the plate being pitched from causing a safety hazard, my friend and I were just in the stands but once we saw what was going on we ran out in between innings and fixed it on the spot (it was our home field but not our teams). Everyone there has a responsibility to make sure the game is played fairly.

All that being said those that say the fault does not lie with the umpire are simply wrong. I only umped for 3 years but this is something I simply would not let happen if I was in charge of the game, one of the very first things you are taught is to inspect the field before the game to make sure everything is correct and there are no safety hazards.

 

[MTR]

All that being said those that say the fault does not lie with the umpire are simply wrong. I only umped for 3 years but this is something I simply would not let happen if I was in charge of the game, one of the very first things you are taught is to inspect the field before the game to make sure everything is correct and there are no safety hazards.

A properly installed PP is not a "safety hazard". A loose base, an exposed sprinkler head, a gopher hole in right field are safety hazards. However, you are correct, the umpire's are to inspect the field and I can honestly state that the PP & bases are rarely checked (other then when distance is questioned) because it is the responsibity of the host to provide the fields they agreed to provide and that includes proper set-up.

When found, the umpires inform the hosts/maintenance/ground crew and let them correct the situation. HOF stadium used to have an exposed faucet inside the fence in RCF. Of course, that doesn't affect the FP game. Now, that is a safety issue. How does a crew drop a circle without noticing how close it is to the plate? How does an organization hosting a tournament not check their fields?

 

[JAD]

My DD is an 11 year old All-Star pitcher who plays in a rec league as well to get some extra innings in. My wife told me that at her rec game tonight the mound was not at 40ft but at 35 ft. She heard the opposing coach and the umpire discuss the issue before the game but did nothing about it. I have major issues with this from a safety standpoint (batters, pitchers, and catchers). My DD throws hard (mid 40s, not bragging at all just trying to giver perspective) and if batters do get ahold of one of her pitches they do hit it hard.

I am livid with all parties involved (including my wife, an ex-pitcher who should know better). I loathe to be critical of volunteer coaches (I am one myself) but how pissed would you be? My DD didn't get lined drives (but she did hit a batter).

She does have mask (didn't wear it, grrrr.) and I have instucted her to never do that again.

Girls at this age will do whatever you tell them to do in a game, the adults involved should have known better.

Thoughts?

You asked for opinions, so I will give you mine......your DD probably played 10U last year at 35ft, so I think you are probably making a mountain out of a mole hill. My second opinion is that if you DD really throws mid-40's what is she doing playing rec ball? My third opinion is that if my DD ever pitched without her mask she would be grounded for a month with no TV and no cell phone.......

 

[David Carter]

Our temporary plate is actually one of those one that go into pre-cemented holes in the ground, they are not the nail in kind. The problem is they actually are raised a couple inches off level creating a tripping hazard when a girl pitches from 43in with the 40in plate in, we are working on fixing it but it involves digging up and resetting in concrete the holes.

A properly installed PP is not a "safety hazard". A loose base, an exposed sprinkler head, a gopher hole in right field are safety hazards. However, you are correct, the umpire's are to inspect the field and I can honestly state that the PP & bases are rarely checked (other then when distance is questioned) because it is the responsibity of the host to provide the fields they agreed to provide and that includes proper set-up.

When found, the umpires inform the hosts/maintenance/ground crew and let them correct the situation. HOF stadium used to have an exposed faucet inside the fence in RCF. Of course, that doesn't affect the FP game. Now, that is a safety issue. How does a crew drop a circle without noticing how close it is to the plate? How does an organization hosting a tournament not check their fields?

 

[jazz10NE]

In the last 4 years I have had a ASA State finals in 10C that we pitched the first 4 innings from 40' before my pitcher told me she was stepping on something after her follow through. When we saw the plate in front of her we finished that inning before moving up to the 35' plate.

This past weekend playing 12U we realized after the game that we were pitching from 43'. I couldn't figure out why my DD's pitches were looking slow and low when the catcher got them. The only positive was my other pitcher throws drops and curves and they were really breaking.

In both cases we won the games so I'm good with it.

 

[SandyM]

Placing the pitching plate at the correct distance is a safety concern. Officially or not, the umpire and both coaches should have a zero tolerance stance on safety issues. One problem here is that, frequently, only the pitcher and her parents are the ones who really care because the pitcher is the only one at risk in this situation. The unfortunate reality is that during the spring and summer months stories in the media of young baseball and softball pitchers hit by line drives, and injured or worse, are common. Every foot counts.

Many TB players play rec ball for the extra game time. Just because it's a rec game does not mean that the best batter in the county won't be the next batter up. The safety requirements should be the same for both.

Although one would hope that the coaches and umpires would make the right decision to abide by the rules just because it's the right thing to do for the players, often the decision is made to go with what's most convenient. The litigation exposure created by an injury when the rules were knowingly ignored should be enough incentive to make every effort to keep players whole and healthy.

 

[GunnerShotgun]

You asked for opinions, so I will give you mine......your DD probably played 10U last year at 35ft, so I think you are probably making a mountain out of a mole hill. My second opinion is that if you DD really throws mid-40's what is she doing playing rec ball? My third opinion is that if my DD ever pitched without her mask she would be grounded for a month with no TV and no cell phone.......

She plays REC because she also plays All-Stars and it's a requirement. The travel team for my area folded before it started (politics/drama) so all of the majority of the girls just decided to play All-Stars. It's really fools gold as they are rolling through All-Star league play and tournaments. We won't be doing this again next year, either they will sort the travel team drama out or we will go and play with another travel team. She really likes the girls she plays with though....

I really appreciate the feedback on the mound issue. My daughter is crystal clear on the fact that she is not to pitch from anything shorter than 40 ft (she can tell the difference).

I have also instructed her to not to pitch before she is completely warmed up. Some coaches give her very little time to properly warm up. Time between the flip and "take the field" is not sufficient. I guess that is a separate issue...

 

[JAD]

I have also instructed her to not to pitch before she is completely warmed up. Some coaches give her very little time to properly warm up. Time between the flip and "take the field" is not sufficient. I guess that is a separate issue...

I am not sure how your gameday schedule works, but if you are going to be particular about how your DD warms up, I would like to recommend that you arrive early and go through the majority of her warm up ahead of time. We always try to give our pitchers time to warm up, but there are always circumstances that arise that may require her to be ready to pitch on short notice. Some pitchers can be ready in 3 minutes and some take 30, so if your DD takes more than 10 I would suggest working with her ahead of the teams regular warm ups.

 

[Pdiddy]

I wouldn't get too bent out shape about it, she wasnt in grave danger, but do understand your frustration. The fact the no one walked it off or got a actual tape measure out is unbelieveable....but who knows, 35' may have put her in a safer position opposing REC hitters than 40'.....if she throws really hard, closer should be her friend.

As far as warming up.....it should be understood how long it takes your DD to do so by now.....if the coach assumes 15 minutes is enough, and it's not, then it's up to you as a parent of a 10 year old to make sure she gets the extra time she needs....but I got to tell you, if it takes more than 15 minutes for a 10U pitcher to warm up, and throws 60-75 pitches before the game....that pitcher better never run out of gas in a weekend...

Hopefully you guys can hook up with another A/B or C TB team next year and good luck to you all.....

 

[Ken Krause]

I can tell you as a coach I twice refused to play until the field was reset. Once was a pitcher's plate being too close, the other was the bases set at the wrong distance. We owe it to the girls to give them a properly set up field. It's not that hard. Doesn't make one popular with the people running the tournament, but if they won't change a problem field when it's pointed out then we might as well throw out the entire rulebook.