[MajorDave]

Jim Porter's article on the paid side of the site today? The subject of the article is inspecting the field prior to game time. I will admit that I have never inspected a field before a game other than a casual look as we walk on before the game and if I am the plate man, before the first pitch of the game, I will scan from left to right field then first base to third base then third base dugout and first base dugout then, if all is well, point to the pitcher and say "play". I have never measured a mound or looked for holes in the fence anywhere myself. I have never walked the outfield looking for stray balls hidden in the grass or dangerous situations lurking out there. Jim admits never doing so in his article but tells us why we should. Experience is the best teacher. Experiences of others, if we can remember them, is a distant second.

My question and specific commentary relates to the mound. Around here in Central Kentucky I know of at least a dozen pitcher's mounds that tower somewhere between 15 inches and two feet above the rest of the playing surface. No one ever complains. I have never measured one even though I know some of them are way too high. I have built mounds in my coaching days so I know how tall they are supposed to be and what they look like when they are the correct height.

Has anyone ever rejected a mound or reported a mound that is obviously too tall to meet the rule? I have treated it like the white on a pitcher's glove rule in FED, if no one complains, I don't call it. So far, so good. Just wondering if anyone else has noticed this because some of the mounds I have seen are ridiculous.