Ok to bring up at plate meeting?

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

You could just start messing with other coaches at the plate meeting and making stuff up to have them look out for, get in their heads..."are you familiar with the Bermuda Sloop delivery? She only throws it on 2-2 counts, but it's a 12-6 break with a reverse spin. Anyway, good luck"

 

[flash277]

Question for Umpires - My DD is a pitcher and one of her pitches is a slingshot. It is legal in all of the sanctions we play in - we have had to prove this numerous times. She doesn't throw it often but it is useful to her in certain situations. It's about 50/50 on the opposing coach questioning it or knowing its legal. It's about 80/20 on the umpire knowing its legal. My question is - would it be appropriate to bring this up at the plate meeting to get the question out of the way up front rather than cause a delay when it is thrown? That way the opposing coach has a chance at that time to question it and if the umpire is unfamiliar with it everything can be cleared up there rather than in the heat of the moment.

As an umpire, I say you could bring it up if you can clearly and quickly explain it to me, I don’t know what it is.

 

[flash277]

this it it? I’d have no problem with that.

 

[quincy]

She looks pretty good that video, pitching against my team I am protesting.

 

[puddyfan]

this it it? I’d have no problem with that.

That’s it - just an underhand delivery with no windmill


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[flash277]

As for bringing out a Rulebook, like said here before, don’t. Also I just read USSSA and USA rules, and all it really says is that you can’t use a windmill motion more than once over the shoulder. It doesn’t say you can use a slingshot pitch, but it does not say you can’t use it. It doesn’t even say you have to use a windmill, but if you do, don’t go twice around.

 

[kennykozman!!]

Curious to know why this would be called illegal? Did any of the umpires say why? I have heard "quick pitch" called once.

In Michigan I don't see many illegal pitches ever called although MANY pitchers leap and replant all the time.

 

[radness]

If the question is: "Hey Blue, is the slingshot legal?", the answer should not be "yes', it should be "any motion that meets the criteria for a legal delivery is legal." because a) your definition of "slingshot" could mean 100 different things and b) she could deliver the slingshot pitch while still doing something illegal

Since that should be the standard answer...
imo another reason not to bring it up.

No need to bring attention to something that maybe a non issue anyway.

This topic is also how people perceive conversation like this.
It unfortunetly can influence an awkward judgement.
Shouldnt, but can.
Not bringing it up wont hurt anything,
Just let the official be the official.
Kinda look at it like this,
Dont bring a can of worms to a meet and greet, unless your going fishing.

 

[puddyfan]

Curious to know why this would be called illegal? Did any of the umpires say why? I have heard "quick pitch" called once.

In Michigan I don't see many illegal pitches ever called although MANY pitchers leap and replant all the time.

Most of the umpires know it's allowed and we just have the opposing coach questioning it. When it is called illegal and we question it we usually just get a basic "it's illegal, move on" response. The most recent ump that called it illegal, we questioned it, he said she didn't make a full rotation. He then met with his partner to discuss it and said she's not allowed to stop her motion once the pitch has started (true) and that changing direction of her arm movement is essentially stopping the motion (she does not stop). We just quit throwing it for that game. TD was there at end of game and said he would let umpire know the pitch itself is legal and we just needed to make sure she didn't stop or pause when changing directions. That's fine - she knows not to stop or pause but maybe she did that last pitch. He didn't call the other ones she previously threw illegal. He only called it illegal after the opposing coach questioned it. Good lesson learned - she's extra careful now to make sure there is no pause when changing directions.

Just to note - We have never had an umpire call it illegal without be prompted by a challenge of the pitch by the opposing coach.

 

[FP26]

I would talk to the umpire during the pitcher warm up. Just walk over there and have the discussion then. No point in bringing in the other coach, have the pitcher throw it, umpire see it, he says it's good and then if the other coach questions it, we have already discussed.

This is an excellent time to bring it up. At 14u we had a player that wore an insulin pump due to Type 1 diabetes. In our first couple of tournaments, several teams we played against questioned it. After the umpire came to talk to us and we explained what it was, all was good. But it still took time away from the game unnecessarily. Moving forward we simply made it a point to inform the umpires prior to the game. Then if the other team questioned it, the question was answered immediately without a delay.