Should the game be modified in today's age?

[MTR]

I could be wrong as I'm not really up on mens fast pitch but I think the 60' bases has been pretty standard in both FP and SP for many, many, many years.

Well, there you go. SP bases have been anywhere from 60 to 80 feet depending on the level of play. In the past 20 years, the SP bases have went from 60 to 65 to 70 for all adult (2013, except seniors). In 16" SP, the bases range from 55 to 65 feet. At one point, the super and major levels were at 80'. Why were the bases moved? Because the players were more athletic than in the past and they recognize that and accepted the change.

Yes, the FP game has remained the same, but as you can see from many in this and other threads, there are still too many people engrained with a "traditional" or baseball mentality that will not even entertain change let alone accept it.

Just like the 90' bases in baseball (though I do know some leagues gradually go from 60' to 90' at the youth BB levels) so I do ask, why would you want to change something that has been fundamental to the game since almost its inception?

Maybe because they play a different game on a different field with different equipment and a different mentaility and different philosophy than softball. I find it amazing how people always defend their game against the baseball elitest by telling them it is a different game, but really don't want it to be.

To me is ain't broke, don't fix it. And I really don't see the 60' bases as broken.

And some think it is broken. How often do you see the routine play turn into the banger? When was the last time you saw a routing 5-4-3 deuce? Unlike what many want to defend with, "don't make the game baseball", I'm not. I suggesting the game be adjusted to it's participants, their ability and equipment. Otherwise, why not put down the hot balls and bats and go back to the equipment used when the game was set up to be played at 60'? One three-letter word is why not, ego and that is try of all games.

Sure I think most if not all of the girls wouldn't have a problem with 65' bases above the U12 level but I still don't see a real good argument to lenghten the base paths.

Stop thinking one-dimensional. There are two teams on the field, not just the offense. You were okay with moving the PP back to give the offense more of a chance to put the ball into play. That's fine, but that shouldn't guarantee a hit. Give the defense a chance to make a play or two that isn't scuttled on a .1 second hesitation.

I do like the idea someone posted of a tourney with cheap or even wooden bats. That would be interesting to see.

This has been happening in SP for years. It is fun and guess what? The true hitters still hit, even with the wood bats.

BTW, for all those who routinely raise the bat and ball issue, please try to catch up to the rest of the game. The bats and balls have been worked and reworked, restricted and tested and limited for more than a decade. ASA has been so far ahead of this curve, it is ridiculous. But as much as people on here and other boards involving FP claim there should be something done about the ball, every time there is a suggestion they move to a safer ball that may not carry as far, we get the same argument about making change as above.

SP has changed balls a couple of times. The bats are as safe as they have been in years and, following ASA's SP lead, the NCAA is testing the 52/300 (COR/Comp) ball which travels just as far, but hits with less impact and suffers little to no effectual change due to climate.

As previously stated, JMO

 

[Bouldersdad]

Soooo what I am reading from alot is now that hitting is catching up to pitching, either dumb down bats further then they were before the rule change in 06. Or Dumb down the ball. As the hitting has improved to catch up to the pitching the pitching will have to improve to battle better hitters. Remember it wasnt so many years ago fast pitch was considered a pitchers catchers game. Now that is threatened and the pitching community wants more rule changes to assure pitching dominance in fastpitch.

All the talk of hot bats is hog wash IMO. The bats today are nothing compared to bats of a few years back. And their are more HR,s hit than ever. What does that tell you, The hitters are better trained and the pitchers are slowly but surely losing dominance. Thats why its has become so exciting and popular. Its turning from a defensive game to an offensive game and pitchers dont like it.

let the pitchers do what the hitters have had to do .... get better at your game!

Now let the pummeling begin from the pitchers parents lol.......

Tim

 

[crystlemc]

We're the devil, Tim!

 

[Bouldersdad]

We're the devil, Tim!

You know what mama says? lol

 

[starsnuffer]

When you see repeated bobbles and throwing errors at the elite D1 level (admittedly the inferior SEC but they get the TV time), with the third baseman standing way back behind the bag, because she knows no one on the opposing team knows how to bunt, then it isn't the "hitters catching up with the pitchers", it's old-school baseball coaches trying to play a game of slug it out. If you listen to them, of course they want the bases moved, they don't know how to coach speed. I choose not to listen to them.

As for the bats, it's not a matter of "dumbing them down". Have you picked up a CF5 or a Xeno and hit with it? I'm not a big guy, I'm 5'6" and I haven't played competitive baseball since high school. I can routinly fungo balls over the 200' fence barely using more then one hand. I do that with an aluminum bat with no where near those results. I can't count how many "check swings" I've seen that a girl does nothing but stick the bat out in front of a pitch and it gets over the RF's head. That's not hitting technique, that's a bat working as advertised, with a built in trampoline throwing the ball off of itself anywhere within a sweet spot 7x bigger then what it was 10 years ago.

-W

 

[Bouldersdad]

When you see repeated bobbles and throwing errors at the elite D1 level (admittedly the inferior SEC but they get the TV time), with the third baseman standing way back behind the bag, because she knows no one on the opposing team knows how to bunt, then it isn't the "hitters catching up with the pitchers", it's old-school baseball coaches trying to play a game of slug it out. If you listen to them, of course they want the bases moved, they don't know how to coach speed. I choose not to listen to them.

As for the bats, it's not a matter of "dumbing them down". Have you picked up a CF5 or a Xeno and hit with it? I'm not a big guy, I'm 5'6" and I haven't played competitive baseball since high school. I can routinly fungo balls over the 200' fence barely using more then one hand. I do that with an aluminum bat with no where near those results. I can't count how many "check swings" I've seen that a girl does nothing but stick the bat out in front of a pitch and it gets over the RF's head. That's not hitting technique, that's a bat working as advertised, with a built in trampoline throwing the ball off of itself anywhere within a sweet spot 7x bigger then what it was 10 years ago.

-W

I believe thats part of the change. There was a time that you went to a FP game and the scores were 3-2, 2-1. 1-0. Most games were commonly low scoring with a ton of strike outs and small ball and mainly defense. There was a time that alot of kids played slow pitch to build defensive skills in the infield because of the lack of offense hitting the ball in FP. The hitting has improved with more individual hitting lessons and better instruction. The one thing that remains the same is change and it has come to the game of Fast Pitch.


Tim

 

[MsDinosaur]

In baseball if a batter hits a medium grounder to short and the shortstop fields the ball cleanly and makes a good throw to first the runner is out by a step, as he should be when hitting a grounder to short. In softball in the same scenario the runner is safe at first by two steps. This is why the bases should be moved to 70'. (IMHO)

My DD is still out, LOL. Barring a flub or a hesitation by an infielder, she has to hit the ball to the outfield to get a single--that's just the way it is. Maybe the bases should be shortened to 55' to give her and the other non-speedster girls more opportunities. ;-)

On the other hand, she would throw out a TON of runners if they'd tried to steal with 70' basepaths. :-D

 

[Jillsdad]

Barring a flub or a hesitation by an infielder, she has to hit the ball to the outfield to get a single--that's just the way it is.

And that is the way it should be for every batter

 

[MsDinosaur]

And that is the way it should be for every batter

I just can't agree. IMO then it would be boring like baseball. I like to see the slapping (even though there's no point to my DD ever trying to slap) and bunting of fastpitch. With the 60' basepaths, there's lots of room in the game for both small-ball speedsters and power hitters. Vive la difference!

 

[Bouldersdad]

When you see repeated bobbles and throwing errors at the elite D1 level (admittedly the inferior SEC but they get the TV time), with the third baseman standing way back behind the bag, because she knows no one on the opposing team knows how to bunt, then it isn't the "hitters catching up with the pitchers", it's old-school baseball coaches trying to play a game of slug it out. If you listen to them, of course they want the bases moved, they don't know how to coach speed. I choose not to listen to them.

As for the bats, it's not a matter of "dumbing them down". Have you picked up a CF5 or a Xeno and hit with it? I'm not a big guy, I'm 5'6" and I haven't played competitive baseball since high school. I can routinly fungo balls over the 200' fence barely using more then one hand. I do that with an aluminum bat with no where near those results. I can't count how many "check swings" I've seen that a girl does nothing but stick the bat out in front of a pitch and it gets over the RF's head. That's not hitting technique, that's a bat working as advertised, with a built in trampoline throwing the ball off of itself anywhere within a sweet spot 7x bigger then what it was 10 years ago.

-W

To me it is pretty much common sense. The Xeno and cf5 in no way compare to the bats pre 04. This same argument happend then . What did they do? Reduce the ball exit speed to 95 on all bats that were to be accepted by ASA. If higher scores are being accomplished when all bats have the same ball exit speed the hitting is what's improved. Some won't be happy until the game is