Softball tackle? and the recovery.

[nikkilugi]

OK...
Few things here and lots going on.

First get a better phone or video recorder or fix your focus. It is 2023 - your video shouldn't look like it is from 1984. Details when available are important.

• The rule says (this is USSSA wording but it is much the same for all codes) "NOTE 4: If two fielders try to field a batted ball and the runner contacts one or both, the Umpire shall decide which one is entitled to field the ball and that fielder only is entitled to protection."
  • The whole 'higher number position'calls/has the play is something a coach might say to make it simple for the team to understand priority, but it has nothing to do with the rule themselves so is irrelevant. Same with 'my team wants 1B to catch that' ( I don't know your team) or 'the catcher left her helmet on' (which is how most people teach it now). Not in the rule book.
• So the umpire can protect 1 fielder making a play - and it hard from the video to decide who that is. If it is an easy & obvious catch for 1B, then maybe. But the C is clearly moving to the ball and much closer, you 100% know she already has a play and she never stops trying to make the play, so I have been leaning in that direction even after several watches. 'Protection' doesn't care if there is nothing to protect - just got to decide who is 'entitled to the ball'

So, umpires judgement - if they decide C was entitled to field the ball and is protected, then OBS. If they decide 1B was the entitled fielder, then INT and an out. With just the video, I would be good with either decision being made on the field to be honest if this is how they explained it.

Let's address two more things:

• There is no malicious contact; that is just a crash unfortunately. Just two players running fast towards each other from different directions with no idea the other is headed towards them.
  • The runner is allowed to run inside the baseline as long as they don't interfere with a throw, so that is irrelevant and she is clearly surprised to be running into someone who is coming fast the other way so her arms come up. These things happen.

• The ball also wasn't caught; and with the video angle it is hard to see if the ball was fair or foul. If it is fair (it looked fair but I don't have an angle down the line), you have the above decision. If not and you decided the C was entitled to the ball, it is just a foul ball.
  • When a crash like this happens, it is extremely likely the umpire never even saw the drop or where the ball was as he probably looked at the crash happening.

The video is clear on Gamechanger. Downloading it to my phone and then emailing it to my account definitely distorts the video. If you have a better way to transfer I am all for knowing. All my videos seem to lose resolution as I download and start transferring from device to device.

I understand use the position numbers does not mean a dang thing - in this instance 1B was the player that was designated to make the play. Was it closer to C - yeah probably a little but as I said on DDs team she is expected to get any popup on the right side fair or foul and will run toward it. If not she will be hearing from her coaches because that is her play to make over C. The umpires did say they felt that she had the play on the ball in this instance. I never said malicious - however, like I said before - if my kid knocked a kid out of a game and that same kid was limping through the handshake line crying she would have said something to the effect of "my bad" or "sorry"..... maybe the lack of common kindness is what dumbfounds me - who knows. Regardless her comeback was spectacular so what is done is done.

 

[nikkilugi]

Nailed it.

I think they had a lot to talk about when they got together. I would place money on the PU having the catcher protected and U1 having your daughter protected. They then need to talk it out because you can ONLY protect ONE fielder.

Here is the sticky wicket:

My initial instinct was that the catcher was making the play, so the catcher should be protected. HOWEVER, the runner is well past the catcher so there is no protection to give to the catcher. That would allow us to extend the protection to F3 who potentially had a play. It sounds as if the conversation didn’t make it quite far enough.

Malicious? I wouldn’t touch that one. Just a crash, IMO.

Initially I was going to disagree with @nikkilugi … but I think she is right. Not in every detail (yes, a fielder camped out would get the protection and the other would not IF both fielders were in the path), but in the end resolution.

Can I bank this one to use for training material @nikkilugi ?

You are welcome to use it to train - sure. I guess the quality sucks butts but I really don't know how to make it better. It's pretty clear on GameChanger

 

[marriard]

I understand use the position numbers does not mean a dang thing - in this instance 1B was the player that was designated to make the play. Was it closer to C - yeah probably a little but as I said on DDs team she is expected to get any popup on the right side fair or foul and will run toward it. If not she will be hearing from her coaches because that is her play to make over C.

That is between her and her coaches. Multiple players have a play on this ball - the umpire has to choose one for protection.

The umpires did say they felt that she had the play on the ball in this instance. I never said malicious - however, like I said before - if my kid knocked a kid out of a game and that same kid was limping through the handshake line crying she would have said something to the effect of "my bad" or "sorry"..... maybe the lack of common kindness is what dumbfounds me - who knows. Regardless her comeback was spectacular so what is done is done.

She looked pretty shook up as well. It wasn't her fault there was a collision - it was something that happened. Maybe a 'hope you are ok' but then I don't have further context for the feel of the game past the incident.

 

[ChrisSB]

The video is clear on Gamechanger. Downloading it to my phone and then emailing it to my account definitely distorts the video. If you have a better way to transfer I am all for knowing. All my videos seem to lose resolution as I download and start transferring from device to device.

I have had this issue too. The last few times, instead of downloading it, I hit screen record. It seems to come out better.

 

[nikkilugi]

That is between her and her coaches. Multiple players have a play on this ball - the umpire has to choose one for protection.

I keep hearing this - can you link the exact rule where they designate that only one player is protected because all the verbiage I am seeing just specifies "a player". I am not looking for the college ruleset - I am looking for the rule for USA which I think IDT uses for their rules.

 

[nikkilugi]

I have had this issue too. The last few times, instead of downloading it, I hit screen record. It seems to come out better.

Thanks - I will try the screen record. Honestly the quality of videos now doesn't mean much since she is going off to college in August. We don't bother using them for highlights anymore. Her coach already said he knows what she can do so just a quick update will do - thank goodness lol. Stitching together hits and trying to keep video short and to the point is tedious work - especially when she always asks me to help her.

 

[nikkilugi]

She looked pretty shook up as well. It wasn't her fault there was a collision - it was something that happened. Maybe a 'hope you are ok' but then I don't have further context for the feel of the game past the incident.

She was shook up for all of 1 minute - the player on the ground was shook up for a day and a half and was lucky she didn't have a concussion.

TBH there was no further context. Our team is pretty young and not ones that get ugly. We were coming back but this happened toward the last part of the game. We can agree to disagree but this world is crap because a lot of people are a-holes. I apologize if I bump into someone no matter if I "feel" that it was my fault or not. It's common courtesy. Show some compassion because in the end it is a game and like the commercials on TV say - "it's a better world when we show some compassion". Does that lack of compassion, by ANYONE (coaches included) on that team color my view?? Hell yeah it does and I admit it, because that was my kid on the ground making her best effort to make a play that she was expected to make. Again - A GAME.

 

[Agcy]

She was shook up for all of 1 minute - the player on the ground was shook up for a day and a half and was lucky she didn't have a concussion.

TBH there was no further context. Our team is pretty young and not ones that get ugly. We were coming back but this happened toward the last part of the game. We can agree to disagree but this world is crap because a lot of people are a-holes. I apologize if I bump into someone no matter if I "feel" that it was my fault or not. It's common courtesy. Show some compassion because in the end it is a game and like the commercials on TV say - "it's a better world when we show some compassion". Does that lack of compassion, by ANYONE (coaches included) on that team color my view?? Hell yeah it does and I admit it, because that was my kid on the ground making her best effort to make a play that she was expected to make. Again - A GAME.

I get it. You want to vent on here and get some support for where you feel you were wronged - I've done it myself. But what do you really want? It was a collision - from what I see there was nothing malicious or intentional about hurting your DD. I've been on the other side of it with our HS's rival - my DD at second with a hard ground ball up the middle tried to run behind the SS, but the SS decided to run toward the outfield to cut off the ball. My DD ran into her and (being the bigger athlete) gave her a concussion that put her out of competition for over a week (my DD barely noticed that they made contact).

So, what do you do when you're in the dugout after being called for INT and the girl is on the ground? Run out and tell her what - Sorry we ran into each other? I didn't mean to? Hope your not out too long? Good luck with that? It wasn't planned, intentional, or dirty - just 2 girls running through the same spot in the middle of a play.

On the other hand, one of the dads from the other team walked in from the outfield, stood in front of our bleachers behind home plate and said something like "nice of your daughter to truck our SS" and walked away. So, you don't want to be that guy either.

In the end, I caught the coach after the game to ask if she was ok and hoped she got better soon and my daughter reached out the next day, through mutual friends, to ask how she was and hoped she recovered soon as well. But, that isn't so easy/clear to do in the middle of a game and against teams that you have no links to.

 

[nikkilugi]

I get it. You want to vent on here and get some support for where you feel you were wronged - I've done it myself. But what do you really want? It was a collision - from what I see there was nothing malicious or intentional about hurting your DD. I've been on the other side of it with our HS's rival - my DD at second with a hard ground ball up the middle tried to run behind the SS, but the SS decided to run toward the outfield to cut off the ball. My DD ran into her and (being the bigger athlete) gave her a concussion that put her out of competition for over a week (my DD barely noticed that they made contact).

So, what do you do when you're in the dugout after being called for INT and the girl is on the ground? Run out and tell her what - Sorry we ran into each other? I didn't mean to? Hope your not out too long? Good luck with that? It wasn't planned, intentional, or dirty - just 2 girls running through the same spot in the middle of a play.

On the other hand, one of the dads from the other team walked in from the outfield, stood in front of our bleachers behind home plate and said something like "nice of your daughter to truck our SS" and walked away. So, you don't want to be that guy either.

In the end, I caught the coach after the game to ask if she was ok and hoped she got better soon and my daughter reached out the next day, through mutual friends, to ask how she was and hoped she recovered soon as well. But, that isn't so easy/clear to do in the middle of a game and against teams that you have no links to.

You are right - however, it wasn't being wronged - it was fear. Seeing my big kid who never cries and never gets hurt writhing on the ground for 5 minutes and then crying for the remainder of the game and back in the hotel room scared me. A lot. Did I think it was malicious at the time - no. Do I fault that runner for the collision. No - FYI - and I didn't do it that day either. In fact I was more worried about my kid but as I am getting feedback from people, yes people who love her and feel she was wronged, I'm starting to think more about the whole incident in general. Do I expect the other player to run out and say sorry? No. Have other players done that? Yes. Do I expect her to acknowledge the collision and my kid limping and crying in the handshake line with even just a "I hope you are ok" Yeah I do because that is what sportsmanship is all about. Do I expect the other coach to acknowledge the crying player with a "I hope you are ok" - Yeah I do because that's what sportsman ship is all about. Your daughter went above and beyond by the way - which I know my daughter would have done as well because that is what I have taught my kids. Whether you think it was your fault or not if you hurt someone else you show compassion - you apologize because in the end that is what is right. I AM frustrated that in this game - GAME - there are people who just don't think about that I guess.

Am I venting - sure I am and am I bragging about my kid - yeah I am because she freaking KILLED it when she fully recovered 1.5 days later so like I said what is done is done and while I can still be frustrated about it I am more proud that my kid persevered and did what she does best. I can't wait to watch her next year playing some ball because she is one of the strongest people I know and I will always be her biggest fan.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I keep hearing this - can you link the exact rule where they designate that only one player is protected because all the verbiage I am seeing just specifies "a player". I am not looking for the college ruleset - I am looking for the rule for USA which I think IDT uses for their rules.

It isn't in the USA rule book. I know, not the great answer, but it is what we are taught at clinics.

I'll have to go through the interpretations and case plays later tonight to see if I can find anything. I know there are some around here who are better with navigating USA's case plays than I am ...