The Official Forum  

Go Back   The Official Forum > Baseball

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old Mon May 14, 2018, 07:58pm
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Rockville,MD
Posts: 1,139
Baseball vs Softball

I am both a baseball umpire and a softball umpire, and have noticed that some other users (bbman, BretMan) have experience umpiring both as well. I have also noticed that there are significant differences in mechanics between the two sports (softball umpires are less likely to call "Play" or point to the pitcher to signal "Play" than baseball umpires), and that some users in the softball forum have insisted that baseball not be discussed in relation to softball.

AFAIK, some baseball umpires with bad mechanics have borrowed their non-standard mechanics from softball (using "Dead Ball" on a stoppage of play, a big no-no for baseball umpires), and some softball umpires have inappropriately appropriated baseball mechanics (pointing on strikes), so some degree of crossover is inevitable (plate mechanics are similar in both sports, and the process of taking a play at a base is also basically identical).

Do baseball umpires have a similarly dismissive attitude towards softball and softball umpires as (some) softball umpires do towards baseball and baseball umpires?

Are there any baseball mechanics that are seen as unnecessary for a softball umpire, the way that brushing the rubber and bases and/or carrying the ball to the mound is for a baseball umpire?
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old Tue May 15, 2018, 08:30am
Oklahoma Official
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Posts: 5
Yes. Referring to them as "rubber" and "mound".
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old Tue May 15, 2018, 08:35am
Rich's Avatar
Get away from me, Steve.
 
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 15,770
Anyone who treats softball as baseball played on a small diamond should realize that they are two different sports. I work baseball and my daughter plays fastpitch.

The one mechanic that I find amusingly different is that fastpitch umpires signal EVERY CATCH of a fly ball, no matter how routine. As a baseball umpire, that strikes me as unnecessary or over the top.
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old Tue May 15, 2018, 11:07am
Official Forum Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2018
Location: Rockville,MD
Posts: 1,139
Of course, there is no mound, but there still is a rubber plate in the middle of the pitcher's circle. I'd still use the term "rubber" as an informal term to translate "pitching plate" to laymen, because it is still an accurate descriptor of the pitching surface.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Baseball vs. Softball ilyazhito General / Off-Topic 2 Wed Jul 04, 2018 02:13pm
Softball Baseball IRISHMAFIA Softball 34 Thu Feb 21, 2008 09:52am
Softball Vs Baseball UMP 64 Softball 2 Mon Mar 12, 2007 01:59pm
Softball v Baseball Umpiring Chess Ref Softball 15 Mon Jan 10, 2005 11:50am
Need help from those knowledgeable in FED baseball, softball, and OBR baseball. TwoBits Softball 5 Thu Apr 15, 2004 10:21pm


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:43pm.



Search Engine Friendly URLs by vBSEO 3.3.0 RC1