[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

The problem stated in the opening of the thread is a difficult situation to deal with. I can live with players at the younger age groups who are still learing the cather's position, but by the time their are at the varsity level and sometimes at the jr. varsity level, the player should be "skilled" at the position.

But I have two of my own horror stories. In both instances it involved jr. varsity baseball games and the play was the same: the catcher set up for an outside pitch and both times the pitch came straight down the middle and the catcher never made any attempt to move his glove over to catch the ball; the catcher just let the pitch come straight down the middle and senile old me didn't realize the catcher was not going to attempt the catch the ball until it was too late. Both of these plays occured early in the games involved and in the second instance, my forearm was so swollen by the end of the game I had to go to the hospital to see if I had a broken arm. Needless to say I let the player's coach know in no uncertain terms that if his catcher didn't start doing his job that he would have to find a new catcher. It was amazing how good these two catcher became after the possibility of ejection became real.