Pitching rule change???

[MNDad]

Has anybody provided a link or evidence the rule change is legit?

 

[marriard]

I chatted with Texas' Mike White yesterday about a few things, I asked if college will implement this since he's on the NFCA rules committee. He said it wouldn't be available until 2024. All rule changes, unless safety issues, require a 2 year gap between voting and starting. Since this isn't a safety rule, if they do vote it in, 2024 will be the first time college makes it "official". He thinks it will pass.

The questions on the annual NCAA survey for coaches and officials after the season was 80% on allowing leaping. The questions were intentionally worded to allow it so it is clear they wanted it to pass and it was being pushed for hard by some parties.

While I am not thrilled why they are doing it; it does help make the official's job easier - it removes a complete area of grey and tough judgment. I am all for making my life easier.

Of course, we will probably move on to the crow-hopping issue next. But that is a topic for another year.

 

[Bullseye]

While I am not thrilled why they are doing it; it does help make the official's job easier - it removes a complete area of grey and tough judgment. I am all for making my life easier.

How so

crow-hopping issue

When this happens.

 

[marriard]

How so (removal of leaping)

When this happens. (crow-hopping)

The leap/no-leap has been a massive grey area with a lot of judgment which made it difficult to call - among a whole bunch of other issues (like field conditions) with the rule. And it is also highly visible to the coaches and often fans because they generally have a side on view of the pitcher.

Once all the orgs move to it; it becomes black and white: it is allowed. I don't have to worry about it anymore. When you remove any aspect of individual judgment out of a call, I am happier. I don't have to hear about how other umpires are judging it or calling it or anything else - the rule says this is how to call it, so that is better (not unlike obstruction rule changes for that matter)

As for crow-hopping, it suffers the same issues as leaping - it is hard to see in real time and there is a huge variance in how bad it is, even when it does happen. I expect it will continue to be handled the same way it is already handled today in both the men's and woman's game - no one is ever going to call it. The only reason I see that they have even kept the rule in today is to stop very extreme, blatantly obvious crow-hopping which as far as I can tell, it effectively does. I'll let someone more familiar with the current men's competition comment on that.

I have been very critical in the past of ASA/USA Softball kicking the can down the road on changing this aspect of the pitching rule. While perhaps not the solution I would have preferred and their lack of addressing other stupid parts of the pitching rules, I am certainly not going to be critical that they have actually addressed it.