Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich Ives
But that's just it - there are allowances which means the rules aren't the same for the different circumstances.
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I'm not talking about things like field size, length of game, etc. Clearly you can't have 8 year olds playing on the same field size for the same length as adults. Regulations is one thing. Rules is another.
Rulesets such as HS and NCAA don't need to be different. Take this for example: Strike Zone in ASA,NFHS, ISF is defined as armpits to top of knees, while NCAA defines it as top of batter's sternum, which is actually around 3 inches higher. Softball is one game. The strike zone is the strike zone is the strike zone. Or it should be.
I know I'm being pedantic and arguing for the sake of being contentious, so sorry.
My least favourite is in the fed I work in, which is mostly adult coed rec, I'm working a tournament this weekend that locally their rule is 12" ball for men and 11" ball for women, and the first base coach is responsible for swapping the ball for each batter (!) The local league (thankfully not mine) argues that the 11" ball travels further so women hit more to the same level as men. In my mind all that does is alter the game to suit the players, rather than the players training harder to play within the rules.