[KentuckyBlue]

Glad to see someone giving some thought to the co-ed game, a useful recruiting tool for men's and women's softball.

1,2,3 - yes, yes, yes -- broke in doing co-ed ball and always want it to be part of my schedule.
4 - both the 14-inch and the 11-12 inch work successfully. It's important to make sure teams know what they're signing up for. I've seen some teams disappointed when they realize early in a season that they would have preferred the other style of play (and I've seen the disappointment go both ways).
5 - Testosterone poisoning calls for some special sensitivity on the part of the umpires, but it's no worse than beer-soaked players in any league. I concur with the other respondents that alcohol is a bigger problem in co-ed or any leagues. If anything, I think a socially manageable level of social-sexual attraction between the players helps bring them out to the field every week. Most of the successful co-rec leagues I've been part of are Sunday-in-the-park social gatherings played almost completely for fun; players who want to win tournaments and advance through the ranks of competition would almost always go away bored.

Possible rules changes: The two-base walk for males has gone through so many contortions that nobody understands it any more. It was designed to promote gender equity (don't walk a man to get to a woman), but it's perceived as pandering to so-called "weaker" females. I'd also like to see some way to avoid crowding outfielders into the infield when a weak-batting player is at the plate. Seeing ten players standing on the infield dirt has to discourage a batter who can't reach the outfield.

Kentucky Blue