Mound improvements between innings.

[Hillhouse]

I have gone out on to Fields with my own shovel and jug of water to fill in outrageous problems and pack the dirt down firmer. One time the people that were running the tournament came out and asked me who told me to do that. And I said no one should have to tell you to do it you should be able to recognize it needs to be done. Then they asked me if I was on a schedule doing it for the parks Department. I said no I'm a person who came to watch softball and saw there was a problem on the field. They replied you mean you just came out here on your own?!
I said 'That's right I'm glad you noticed someone cares about the field!
At least me being out here brought attention to the problem that was already here on the field that should have been resolved. Then I winked and said Have a great day!

That's awesome RAD. I don't think anyone could question your love and passion for the game, it's nice when you're able to display it for others to see and hopefully those people you talked with shared the story with others and more people start helping out the way you did.

That said, where I am from originally (and I know this is the same situation in many places) the city softball fields are managed and maintained by the city parks department. The Parks Dept workers are part of a union and that can be problematic. I know of at least a few times where people tried to do as RAD did and were chased off by the Parks Dept people. That can be a slippery slope. Hopefully you didn't run into any trouble from those guys or any union reps.

 

[RADcatcher]

That's awesome RAD. I don't think anyone could question your love and passion for the game, it's nice when you're able to display it for others to see and hopefully those people you talked with shared the story with others and more people start helping out the way you did.

That said, where I am from originally (and I know this is the same situation in many places) the city softball fields are managed and maintained by the city parks department. The Parks Dept workers are part of a union and that can be problematic. I know of at least a few times where people tried to do as RAD did and were chased off by the Parks Dept people. That can be a slippery slope. Hopefully you didn't run into any trouble from those guys or any union reps.

Have seen fields that who is actually responsible for them seems to get tossed back and forth.
On the few occasions I repaired the field myself people were appreciative of it.
Beyond that anybody that wants to challenge my Heart and Grit on the softball field is welcome to try.

 

[Northball]

Oh, the can of worms when you try to assign liability. 3rd baseman gets hit/injured by a line drive. Coach's fault for not moving her back? Umpire's fault for allowing an unsafe condition of playing too close? Divorced dad's fault for letting his daughter play without a mask when mom insisted? Team organization's fault? Sanctioning group's fault? Field owner's fault?
And the trial lawyers are loving all the possibilities of billable hours and settlement monies.

 

[CatchersPaPa]

Oh, the can of worms when you try to assign liability. 3rd baseman gets hit/injured by a line drive. Coach's fault for not moving her back? Umpire's fault for allowing an unsafe condition of playing too close? Divorced dad's fault for letting his daughter play without a mask when mom insisted? Team organization's fault? Sanctioning group's fault? Field owner's fault?
And the trial lawyers are loving all the possibilities of billable hours and settlement monies.

View attachment 29521

You hit the nail on the head. I represent a few umpire associations for insurance.

 

[Hillhouse]

Oh, the can of worms when you try to assign liability. 3rd baseman gets hit/injured by a line drive. Coach's fault for not moving her back? Umpire's fault for allowing an unsafe condition of playing too close? Divorced dad's fault for letting his daughter play without a mask when mom insisted? Team organization's fault? Sanctioning group's fault? Field owner's fault?
And the trial lawyers are loving all the possibilities of billable hours and settlement monies.

I don't know about this one. I think it's a stretch to compare a kid getting hurt by a batted ball vs. field conditions. I do NOT disagree that it would open a big can of worms. And let me be clear, I'm not advocating for a lawsuit of any kind against anyone. We have too many frivolous law suits clogging up the court system already.

That said, I do wish more people pushed more tourney directors to do a better job of field maintenance. Take some pride in your tournament and if you truly love and respect the game then show it by giving the kids a safe and fair place to play ball. So what if you charge an extra $1 for cost of admission, most people would gladly pay that if they knew it was going towards something like field maintenance. Again, I'm not suggesting someone do the work of running or hosting a tournament without making some money. But your tournament will get great feedback and word of mouth will spread quickly about tournaments that do a better job than others. The small investment it would take to hire some high schoolers or college kids to make minor improvements between games will pay dividends when more teams will want to enter and your tournament will grow as a result. But this is all just one man's opinion. People who don't have pitchers for their DD might think I'm making a mountain out of a molehill.

 

[Vertigo]

Just adding that typically if there is an injury your personal medical would cover it first and then the league insurance would kick in as secondary. At least that’s how it worked at our Little League.

 

[WPACoach]

Why aren't these rules more strictly enforced. Same with the 20 second rule between pitches.

This was called over the weekend in my daughter's game (D3). It's rarely called, and I felt it was a bit excessive. The pitcher wasn't doing anything to stall.

 

[The Man In Blue]

You hit the nail on the head. I represent a few umpire associations for insurance.

I know you can't share any details, but I am curious . . . have you ever seen any claims on those policies?

 

[The Man In Blue]

TMIB, have you ever disallowed a game to play due to unsafe field conditions unrelated to weather?

Never. Always weather related. I have held games up to allow the grounds crew to try to make repairs (fences, pitcher's circle, pitcher's plate, bases, etc.), but never called one.

Like I said, I don't know that you could make a claim that natural play on the field is enough. Even if the trench is extreme, that is a "natural" result.

It is an interesting question and proposal. I just can't see any scenario where I could say "Coach, your pitcher tore up the field and we have to quit." I get what you are saying, and I empathize, but I just can't see the way to get there.

 

[The Man In Blue]

This was called over the weekend in my daughter's game (D3). It's rarely called, and I felt it was a bit excessive. The pitcher wasn't doing anything to stall.

I don't call NCAA, so I will defer . . . but it seems there was a directive or POE this year.