Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ
There are FED rules because it IS a different game. Their athletes are not all baseball players, and all their baseball players are not athletes. They are still growing, physically and emotionally. They do not handle failure and success in the same way older, more mature players do.
High School parents and administrations are worried about injury as well as litigation, yet still want students to have the opportunity to participate.
Fields, equipment, coaches, and trainers are not of the same caliber as higher levels of ball.
Some baseball rules need more clarification, refinement, and explanation at the FED level - for players, coaches, fans, AND umpires.
I'd love to have one set of rules for EVERY level of ball, but it will never happen, and should never happen.
JJ
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I have to disagree. If it is such a different game, then tell me why Colt and Palamino leagues are so successful, while using the same group of ball players from the local JV and Varsity squads. Why do travel and wood bat leagues for 16U through 18 level thrive using the same talent pool as the high schools use? There are many examples of OBR-based games around this area, and they feature the very same guys you see when you do high school ball.
I see no reason for 95% of FED rules at all. They manage to confuse people, for example the folks that wonder why in the world the umpire just killed the ball on that balk the batter knocked out the ballpark, as well as other screwy rules. The only rules the FEDs should concern themselves with are safety issues, but leave the playing rules intact. Have your little sissy FPSR and malicious contact rules, and anything affecting safety, but otherwise leave the game as it was meant to be played, and that is by the Official Baseball Rules. These rules are easily adaptable for safety by installing special rules, so I don't see the need for any further confusion. I've had many players question why a FED rule contradicted the rules they were used to playing by. I could only tell them that whoever made these rules was responsible for the confusion, and that they needed to learn and know both rule sets.
One set of rules for every level of baseball, with a few special rules for each level. That probably will never happen. But it should.