[Big Slick]

Originally Posted by teebob21

As a true fan of fastpitch at any level: The pace of the game is fine at the NCAA level; rule change or not....once the ball is in play. IMO -- Now pace of the game between innings....well....it's slow, but TV doesn't help with that. That said, TV is good for the game. It's sometimes bad for the players and fans, but I think it's good for the game to have coverage, even on ESPN3 with their 2:30 commercial breaks between half innings.

The pace of the NCAA game, and the trickle down effect to club and high school games is AWFUL. Back in the day (and I feel as old as Mike saying that) time of game was between 1:15 and 1:30. I remember college DH's starting at 3 and being finished by 6, and that included time in between games. Heck, I once had a 1pm DH, 70 miles from my house, worked the game and made it back in time for a 6pm class. Now a "quick" college game is 1:45 with expectations of 2:15 to 2:30. It really is becoming what baseball used to be and now baseball is worse.

There has been two significant changes since I started: 1) composite/lighter bats and 2) armbands.

I have a longer discussions about the bats, but let's just say for now that it is the increase in foul balls that make the game longer. Bad hitters are able to start their swing and foul the ball off, while with the heavier bat it would have been a swinging strike. Again, another time.

But armbands -- look at time between pitches. This has become a problem even before the armbands, and NCAA put in the 10-10-5 to try to control the pace of the game. The armbands just made it worse, especially going to the first part of the "10." And the batters -- actually what is needed is to have the batters keep a foot in the box between called pitches. NCAA baseball first introduced this rule in 1992, so there is precedent.

Speaking of ESPN, the network has make some pointed comments about the time of the innings.

As a student of the game: I agree with your assessment of armbands being a "problem in need of a solution". Armbands and the "4-3-1"/"2-1-2" etc. vocal signals from the bench created a situation where softball pitchers walked through the pitch preliminaries. Umpires, by and large, may have failed to enforce the rules on pitch preliminaries....at the club level, high school level, college level....you name it (I don't dare comment on ISF/WSBC/NPF as that level of play & officiating is beyond me).

In a way, you are correct. But I will disagree that "pitcherS" were walking through the pitch. There were possibly a select few. More often, the pitchers were "not simulating a signal" but not walking through the pitch. Effectively, the "pause" was with the hands together. This procedure was not by the written letter of the rules, but it complied with the "spirit" in that the pitcher was not discerning the batter with a quick pitch. I really viewed it as a "no harm" situation, and didn't call it at any level. I only received grief from one coach, and this was directly prior to the "2 seconds" interpretation; actually, this coach may have been a catalysis to the interpretations.

But speaking of WBSC: the pitching procedure has a 2 second pause with the hands TOGETHER. I believe it was implemented in the early 2000's, and was due to the USA women's pitchers, mostly with the "touch and go." Implement this, then we don't have to worry when they put their hands together. Or let's just have a rule: you can't pitch until the batter is ready. Why call an illegal pitch, as we have already taken the sting out of that penalty*.

The saying goes "what we permit; we promote". At some point prior to the 2018 rulebook being written, TPTB decided that pitchers needed to get back to the letter of the law in the pitching preliminaries...and thus the original 2-second pause verbiage was born. The more I think about it, the more I think this recent interp is just a stricter application of the way the rule is at all levels, as in back to basics:

1) The pitcher must be in the pitching position with hands separated (location of the feet variable depending on code ASA/NFHS/NCAA)
2) The pitcher must take, or simulate taking, a signal from the catcher
3) The pitcher must bring her hands together, and deliver a pitch immediately after separating the hands, with no more than one step forward towards the plate within the 24-inch width of the pitching plate.

As I said, the more I think about this, the more I think this is a return to "Fastpitch Pitching Basics #2" above by the rules interpreters.

I could be 100% wrong, and if so I'm OK with that, and would appreciate help from my crew.

Actually, I'm surprised that Mike agreed with you in total. What you described as "FP basics" are revisions from the original pitching rule. I'm sure Mike could tell you the original procedure (he might have been in the room ). The "taking the signal or simulation of the signal" is not original. That was put in so that pitchers didn't walk through the pitch. And interestingly, the "simulation" was added so that pitcher could get a signal while not in the pitching position. But what did NCAA do . . . they made it illegal to get most pitching signals while not in the pitching position.