[Andy]

Let's not give Stacey too much credit....

I remember last year's WCWS...I can't recall which game, but there was obstruction by the catcher at the plate...she blocked the runner off the plate with her leg, caught the throw from the outfield and tagged the runner out. The umpire correctly called the obstruction and awarded home. Replays showed that the umpire made the correct call.

All Stacey could talk about was how the catcher was only doing her job and the umpire shouldn't have called that and the catcher has the "right" to block the plate and on and on and.....

Then later on the same game, they did a "tips from the experts" type thing between innings where Stacey gave tips for a catcher defending home plate on a throw from the outfield. She basically stated that the job of the catcher is to block the plate any way she can and not allow the runner to score, whether the catcher has the ball or not.

After watching the WCWS and other televised games the last few years on ESPN and other sports networks, it has become obvious that very few, if any, of the commentators or so-called "expert analysts" understand the rules of the game.

I still enjoy watching the softball, I just don't put much stock in the "rules knowledge" of the talking heads.