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His partner is a friend of mine and an ASA/ISF umpire from SoCal. I noticed she was wearing her contacts, I hope d:-)
I believe the errant throw from the SS could have been saved if the first baseman knew how to play first. The OU 1st baseman may have had a shot of at least knocking down the throw if she didn't have to make an awkward lunge for the ball.
Somewhere along the way, coaches have stopped coaching good first base mechanics. Whether softball or baseball, too many young players run to the bag, plant a foot on the bag and stretch toward the player fielding the ball.
Any good first baseman will tell you that you don't even select the foot to touch the bag, let alone begin to stretch, until the throw is released and inroute. One of these days, some coach is going to start teaching this mechanic and will probably be hailed as a great defensive innovator. Go figure!
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The bat issue in softball is as much about liability, insurance and litigation as it is about competition, inflated egos and softball.
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