[bniu]

Originally Posted by aceholleran

Glad to see a softball board here.

Maybe some of youze slo-pitch people can help here. The only softball I do is LL (all levels), whose rules are essentially those of fastpitch, I believe.

Sitch: I've got the dish. Less than two strikes. B1 attempts bunt. The rock strikes her bat and arcs about a foot into the air, then settles pleasantly in F2's (she's in foul territory, as if it matters) mitt. I wait my beat and call B1 out.

Manager of offense gets his shorts in a knot and relates his disapproval to me. He then starts with [and here's where I need your help] this, "It's gotta go over her head" horsesh&t. Now, this rule exists nowhere in LL, trust me.

I explain to him it's either a foul tip or a fly out, and I chose the latter. QED. I tried to keep him in the game, just because he was so earnest, even when he gave me old "Show it to me in the rulebook," to which I replied with my standard, "Nope. You show me." No EJ resulted.

After the game (of course, the complainer won), he approached me again, in kindly fashion. I said, "Found the rule yet?" He laughed. I at least showed him how the play could NOT be considered a foul tip.

Now, is this over-the-head palaver an existing or archaic rule in slo-pitch? This is, obviously, only for my own edification.

Ace Holleran

The foul tip mechanic, I've had several LL coaches mis-interpret it as calling the batter out. I would simply brush my hands several times, indicating the tip and give the hammer, indicating the strike. And then, the offensive coach comes up to me asking why I'm calling his batter out, and I have to explain that the hammer is used to indicate both strikes and outs. Makes me wonder, in LL, wouldn't it be easier if I just used the baseball method and point to indicate the strike?