Interesting, the demonstration at 1:50
At the 1:50 point where she shows what she does she actually pitches legal.
PS... I didnt see that Knight made the same reference.
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Interesting, the demonstration at 1:50
Rick - thanks for the thoughtful post. I do have a couple of comments and questions.
1) you say that because Barnhill is closer to the batter (because of her crow hop) that the angle of the riseball is greater but I don't understand how Barnhill is so much better than the other D1 pitchers who get to the front of the pitching circle just like her?
It's simple......she throws faster than the other girls....faster equals less time for gravity to pull the ball down (flatten out)....she really doesn't need great riseball spin with the improved release angle because of the shortened distance. She should pitch legally and then her riseball would be significantly less effective.....still good, but less effective. How about if we let the legal pitchers push off from the same place Barnhill does her second push.....we would have a bunch of extremely dominating riseball pitchers.....probably one reason why the pitching distance was moved back to 43 ft. from 40 ft. Every pitcher has different physical gifts.....if Barnhill could leap and drag to the front of the circle and throw a killer riseball I would be her biggest cheerleader........her and everyone else should have to play within the rules............or maybe we should have two basket heights in basketball....one for short people and a one for tall people.
2) are you saying that leaping should be allowed but the replant be outlawed?
Leap and drag is legal.........crowhopping is not legal. Play by the rules....or heck we might as well get rid of the pitching lane and let them throw from 1st base.
3) why do you think it's so difficult for many elite pitchers to drag their pivot foot every time if it's a natural and more efficient move to drag the back foot along the ground. Wouldn't we rarely see leaping if it's so easy to comply with leap and drag?
Not sure who claimed that the leap and drag is natural and more efficient....but,Leap and drag pitchers
don't land on, bear weight and push a second time. They land one time.....they push one time from the legal position....the rubber. However, it is relatively easy to leap and drag. I'm kind of big on following the rules.
4) is it better to allow unlimited leaping and crow hopping with no penalty for a large number of pitchers (as is the current no IP call by umpires) that's harms legal pitchers who are in compliance or should we change the rules to allow everyone that same opportunity?
Nope, leave the rules the way they are....make everyone learn to pitch within the rules. As I stated earlier......if crowhopping is made legal I will bet that within 3 years the pitching distance will be moved back to 46 feet because of the lack of offense....and lost viewership because most games will become a soccer snooze fest. I hope the powers to be can see the ramifications down the road. If we followed that logic then we need to do away with the pitching lane....let them crowhop and repush from 1st base.
5) lastly, many men and women sports have the same rules (e.g. Soccer, basketball, swimming, track and field, tennis, etc) what is so bad about having the same rules in fastptich?
And many sports have different rules for men and women.....many because of the difference in strength between males and females.
I find it interesting that baseball just reinforced it's rule on the second push but many in softball don't see the advantage in the second push. I wonder why baseball didn't just say let it happen and the others can do it if they want to also.
Ever watch a men's fastpitch game lately......the crowhopping is a joke....a rapidly dying sport. It was tough enough to hit prior to crowhopping....now it is really tough...and boring. Oh, BTW, the men crowhop way outside anything resembling a pitching lane.....that will be next for the women's game.
Thanks.
But let me ask you this... if the umpire was giving your DD 3 feet on the outside of the plate for a strike, would you tell her to constantly throw there or would you say "No, that's against the rules for the ump to call a ball into a strike.... you should really throw it over the plate". Is it really that much different? I'm not saying to teach your kid to cheat. I'm saying you do what you get away with. And anyone who says that's BS is lying. Because EVERYONE would throw the ball over the batter's head if the umpire would call it a strike. Umpire isn't calling it a ball, they obviously don't know the zone. Slappers are routinely out of the box getting an advantage. Base runners leave early to get an advantage and pitchers do what they can for an advantage.
Bill Hillhouse
...People want to crucify this Barnhill girl for getting away with her pitching motion. And many people would say "I would never teach my DD to cheat". But let me ask you this... if the umpire was giving your DD 3 feet on the outside of the plate for a strike, would you tell her to constantly throw there or would you say "No, that's against the rules for the ump to call a ball into a strike.... you should really throw it over the plate". Is it really that much different? I'm not saying to teach your kid to cheat. I'm saying you do what you get away with. And anyone who says that's BS is lying. Because EVERYONE would throw the ball over the batter's head if the umpire would call it a strike. Umpire isn't calling it a ball, they obviously don't know the zone. Slappers are routinely out of the box getting an advantage. Base runners leave early to get an advantage and pitchers do what they can for an advantage...
5) lastly, many men and women sports have the same rules (e.g. Soccer, basketball, swimming, track and field, tennis, etc) what is so bad about having the same rules in fastptich?
Thanks.
good discussion there.
it seems like you are advocating do whatever you can to get ahead, get an advantage. if it doesn't get called, you win.
if you don't use that to your advantage, you lose. rules be damned.
what happens now to those girls who 'follow the rules' ? sorry to them?
i guess the problem isn't the pitchers. it's those umpires who DONT call them, because some still do and that's just a huge disparity right there.
Some pitchers get called right away, some get away with the most blatant of violations.
Maybe UMPS should wear a sign "I DON'T CALL ILLEGAL PITCHES"?
my 2 cents