USA Fastpitch Rules - Questions

[NJgators14uSPARK]

Most tournaments are like that. In my expereince, umpires and coaches work through it and get it right in regards to any decisiosn that could be protested. A lot of tournaments require teams to pay additional fees to file a formal protest. So noone does.

 

[marriard]

That is pitiful for any organization taking you money to play. And I'm not talking about a protest fee, they should never exist

Totally agree. There are times when people absolutely should protest.

I am good with a reasonable protest fee to keep away the fishers and complainers, but what is the point of a UIC on-site if he isn't available to deal with something. I mean I can set an umpire schedule from home.

 

[MTR]

Totally agree. There are times when people absolutely should protest.

I am good with a reasonable protest fee to keep away the fishers and complainers, but what is the point of a UIC on-site if he isn't available to deal with something. I mean I can set an umpire schedule from home.

Exactly which means you are already paying for it

 

[testandor]

Totally agree. There are times when people absolutely should protest.

I am good with a reasonable protest fee to keep away the fishers and complainers, but what is the point of a UIC on-site if he isn't available to deal with something. I mean I can set an umpire schedule from home.

I'm not sure if this is just a local thing, but at our USSSA tournaments, you need to cough up a hundred bucks in cash before the UIC will listen to and rule on a protest.

 

[marriard]

I'm not sure if this is just a local thing, but at our USSSA tournaments, you need to cough up a hundred bucks in cash before the UIC will listen to and rule on a protest.

Yeah I am good with that. $0 and these coaches will protest everything.
$100-$200 makes them think whether it is really worth it and the UIC in general only gets the real issues.

I have a problem when there is no avenue to protest. That is BS.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Obstruction is ANY ACT that hinders or impedes the defense. That includes verbal chicanery.

 

[The Man In Blue]

Here are your official citations:

USA Softball Official Rules Of Softball (2019)

Rule 1 — Definitions
OBSTRUCTION: The act of a defensive team member:
B) Who impedes the progress of a runner or batter
-runner who is legally running the bases unless the fielder is:
1) in possession of the ball
2) in the act of fielding a batted ball


For your question on the bunt attempt, you have to go to the rules supplement portion of the book.

Rules Supplement
10.) CHECK SWING/BUNT STRIKE
On a bunt attempt where the batter puts the bat across the plate and the pitched ball is out of the strike zone, a ball should be called unless the batter moves the bat towards the ball.

(I may have said it before, but I’ll say it again ... that bunt thing is the dumbest rule I can think of. What other reason would a batter have for putting the bat out over the plate except to make an attempt to bunt the ball. And if you say “to protect the runner who is stealing” I’m going to call you out for interference ... )

 

[Comp]

And I would say that any ruleset that has adopted the batter must withdraw the bat or be charged a strike regardless of where the pitch is located is the dumbest rule I have ever heard of. What reason would a batter have to withdraw the bat for a pitch that is going over the backstop, 10' outside/inside or rolling on the ground? The rule was initially changed by NCAA with the reasoning it would make the umpire job easier by removing judgement as to if it was an attempt or not. They said the same thing about when they changed the rule about the batter making an attempt to avoid or not, yet the umpire must still judge if the ball was entirely in the batters box or not and if not then still make a judgement as to if there was an attempt to avoid or not. Both stupid rules that never should have been changed, but NCAA coaches in their infinite wisdom have to continually mess with the rules and then NFHS thinks they have to follow along.

 

[NJgators14uSPARK]

Here are your official citations:

USA Softball Official Rules Of Softball (2019)

Rule 1 — Definitions
OBSTRUCTION: The act of a defensive team member:
B) Who impedes the progress of a runner or batter
-runner who is legally running the bases unless the fielder is:
1) in possession of the ball
2) in the act of fielding a batted ball


For your question on the bunt attempt, you have to go to the rules supplement portion of the book.

Rules Supplement
10.) CHECK SWING/BUNT STRIKE
On a bunt attempt where the batter puts the bat across the plate and the pitched ball is out of the strike zone, a ball should be called unless the batter moves the bat towards the ball.

(I may have said it before, but I’ll say it again ... that bunt thing is the dumbest rule I can think of. What other reason would a batter have for putting the bat out over the plate except to make an attempt to bunt the ball. And if you say “to protect the runner who is stealing” I’m going to call you out for interference ... )

Excellent. Not impeding the runner. The runner is making a decisssion. Noone would be interferening with her progress. She creates her own progress. I totally agree with impeding the cathcer's ability to throw. I'm looking at the rule will no runners on. My player squares to bunt. The ball is clearly a ball and she doesn't move her bat. So based on your comments. You would call that a ball. Is that correct. This is the only scenario that I run it. So in your ruling it would be a ball. Correct?

 

[MTR]

Yeah I am good with that. $0 and these coaches will protest everything.
$100-$200 makes them think whether it is really worth it and the UIC in general only gets the real issues.

I have a problem when there is no avenue to protest. That is BS.

Rubbish. There should never be a fee to file a protest. When there is, you are not in a competition event, but a money grab