Umped another 8U game tonight

[SoCalDad]

Apparently I did a good enough job earlier this week that I was invited back for a repeat performance. Much better game this time. My DD joined me this time and was the FU. She did a very good job. Made two good calls at first. My observations and comments:

1. Couple of batters got hits off the pitcher. The game is much more exciting when the batter hits off the pitcher and not the coach pitch. Wish more girls would swing and not just wait for the coach.

2. A foul tip to the chest off the coach pitch hurts. Rubbed dirt on it and got right back behind the plate.

3. Both teams had players that were head and shoulders above the rest. Literally, they were a head taller than the other players.

4. Gophers in the outfield distract the players. Reminder: speak to field chief about gophers

5. Left center fielder of the purple team can execute a perfect somersault. Would explain why she had no idea a ball was hit straight at her.

6. Is she high, is she low, is she fast, is she slow, is she in, is she out. And that was all in one pitch.

 

[mad hornet]

Apparently I did a good enough job earlier this week that I was invited back for a repeat performance. Much better game this time. My DD joined me this time and was the FU. She did a very good job. Made two good calls at first. My observations and comments:

1. Couple of batters got hits off the pitcher. The game is much more exciting when the batter hits off the pitcher and not the coach pitch. Wish more girls would swing and not just wait for the coach.

2. A foul tip to the chest off the coach pitch hurts. Rubbed dirt on it and got right back behind the plate.

3. Both teams had players that were head and shoulders above the rest. Literally, they were a head taller than the other players.

4. Gophers in the outfield distract the players. Reminder: speak to field chief about gophers

5. Left center fielder of the purple team can execute a perfect somersault. Would explain why she had no idea a ball was hit straight at her.

6. Is she high, is she low, is she fast, is she slow, is she in, is she out. And that was all in one pitch.

I coached 8U with my girls the past three years. It's just like herding cats. I still remember the game last year when our 3rd baseman didnt' take the field with the rest of the team. We found her sitting on her mom's lap eating a hot dog.

 

[TimothyJ]

4. Gophers in the outfield distract the players. Reminder: speak to field chief about gophers

Gophers are bad, deer are worse.

If a blimp is in the area, forget it

 

[Jojo]

I didn't know 8u pitched?

When I was coaching that age. --(It was 7u back then--5 to 7 yr olds in our league was coach pitch).

I had the umpire call time out in the middle of the game and look at me. I said "What?". He said, "Your right fielder just ran off the field to the bathroom, do you want me to stop the game and wait for her?"
I said, "Uh, no, really, were good". She made it back, resumed her spot and acted like no one ever noticed she had left.

 

[jazz10NE]

We once played an 8U coach pitch game near the Air Guard base. Unfortunately, that evening they had scheduled take off and landing practice for the KC-135's (refueling tanker) planes. Every 10 - 15 minutes here comes this big jet low and loud right over the field.

I cringed during those pitches as you look around an saw every set of eyes pointing up at the sky.

 

[newsoftballdad]

Talk about distractions!

Does anyone out there know what a Cicada Killer Wasp is? They burrow into holes and lay eggs, they feed the eggs by dragging Cicadas into the hole, then the "Babies" are born in the fall. We had them in our outfield, thousands of them. We had a 10U fall ball game where we had to declare any ball hit to the outfield a ground rule double, and a coach would run out there and get the ball.

Not fun!

 

[Coach JV]

Look at the edge of the dirt after an 8U game. The sandcastles are truly
a thing of beauty. I watched a right fielder practice handstands thru an
entire game a couple years ago. She still plays rec. (10U) she gave up the hand stands
and decided to pitch. Our rec 8U does not use umpires or keep score

 

[Jojo]

We had a train track running behind our fields. The rule was, the game was stopped until the train passed. There was no way the kids were going to give up watching a train go by just to play a ball game.
It was not uncommon for us to have to pull snakes off the field, talk about your screaming girls!

 

[SoCalDad]

It was not uncommon for us to have to pull snakes off the field, talk about your screaming girls!

I have an idea. Bring those snakes to my fields to get rid of the gophers. We have a very large population of predator birds around our fields that love to dine on snakes. Seem to solve both of our problems.

 

[Greenmonsters]

Gophers are bad, deer are worse.

If a blimp is in the area, forget it

It's sky divers here - small little puddlejumper airstrip thats the home of a parachute club. The brightly colore chutes lazily floating downward simply can't be ignored at the rec complex w/ 3 LL and 2 SB fields. The HS field is even closer and I still notice that some of the visiting players can't help but sneak peaks!