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I just started my third season doing Senior games here in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The league is composed of Winter Texans who come here for 3-5 months of warm(er) weather with a minimum playing age of 55. I was the first 'real' umpire show up to call games. No pay, but a free ticket to end of season banquet. Although the competition angle is downplayed in favor of fun, the old juices still flow heavy at the words "Play Ball".
The mat was used until this year. I didn't care for it twenty years ago and had long refused to call games that used the rug. The wind can blow pretty strongly in the Valley and ball action can be lively. Sometimes the mat can be a pretty small target. Batters would wait for ball four, as in "a-walk-is-the-same-as-a-hit".
I was able to convince the league to toss the mat this year since batters wouldn't be able to determine if they should swing based on where they thought the ball would land. I have and still do consider slow pitch a game of hit-the-ball-and-run. It isn't a game of power pitchers.
Since abandoning the old piece of carpet, the games have become more lively, have went faster, have had fewer walks, and more fun for the players. Especially for the less skilled hitters who have had more opportunities to hit. No one is yelling for them to "wait for the good one".
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BillB
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