Well, Well, it finally happened

[DG]

Originally Posted by jkumpire

As a junior, he decides that he has a better shot at making the softball team, and wants to tryout. Here's a sixteen year old, six foot, five inch, 225 pound, testosterone filled, muscular, male, who would have an obvious physical advantage over these young women.

I have coached some very good girls on baseball teams, but I have never seen one playing on a "boys" team above the age of 12. Above 12 is generally the age at which physical attributes swing toward the males for baseball at least.

I can think of only one word to describe a six foot, five inch, 225 pound muscular male trying out for the girls softball team, and I disagree that he is testerone filled. He has none.

[jkumpire]

I have not thrown my .02 because I wanted to hear other thoughts. Frankly, I don't care that much about a girl playing Baseball, except she will be totally physically outmatched if not this year, next year. The problem as I see it for an umpire is this, when she gets thrown at, or she gets run over at 2B, or gets treated like any other player, her and her family's first response is going to be to sue the school, or player, or umpire. Further, what if the coaches decide not to play her?

This kind of garbage is just garbage. She and her parents run to court to get a long-term and fair rule changed by some governing body. And right behind them are the other trial layers and supposed do-gooders who are so tightly wound up in their anti-male feminism that they will inflict themselves on every part of society. And the way Title IX has destroyed men's college athletics is coming to HS athletics, and the same results will happen.

I've spent 30 years officiating sports on the HS level, and for the most part, it has been a great run. We are now at the point that it sems obvious in the near future some trial judge and special interest group will find a way to destroy it. That should bother any official. The only way men's sports is going to survive in the next 20 years is to go to the European club sport model, which is hideous.

DG, I agree to a point about your post, but let's say he came from a family where men's FP was a big part of the life of the family, and until 20 or 30 years ago there were still a lot of men's FP players. There are still some places in the country where men's FP is a serious game, and it is a fun game to umpire, as opposed to girls FP, IMO. Does that mean this kid who want to play FP instead of the local keg league when he gets older has to play against men until he is physically developed enough to play with them? Will he have to go to court too?

See the problem? A female can win a suit and be loved and showered with kudos because she went to court and won her place on a boys team in a boys sport. But if a guy who loves FP SB tried to play on a team, he is an object of shame. It is another example IMO in how our society is being feminized.

[gordon30307]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Re-read my post, Kevin. I don't care if they play. What I care about is that women want to be equal with conditions. That is not equality in my book. Some people think that this is "cave man thinking" (like Ump153 does) but I've been through enough of this "equality crap" in my life and I don't have to agree with it!

I guess you don't have daughters. Maybe you should move to Saudi Arabia where the women can't drive..... Just a thought.

[Kevin Finnerty]

In the 1984 Olympics, I watched a team of studs like Mark McGwire, B.J. Surhoff, Will Clark, Cory Snyder, Barry Larkin and Shane Mack get their asses handed to them by a Japanese team with a bunch of little guys who were built like Ichiro. It was astonishing how a bunch of little finesse guys could beat a powerhouse like that.

So I can see how a woman could finesse her way onto a club and contribute just fine. It is an occasional exceptional gal who brushes with greatness enough to compete at the same level as guys ... the Michelle Wie of baseball, if you will. For people like us to have the door closed seems inappropriate and based almost solely on bigoted thinking.

However, I do not have a stomach for the social and legal nonsense that JKumpire alluded to that often arises from issues like these. I also laugh at specious contentions made about the overall equality of male and female athletes ("The WNBA is just as competitive as the men's NBA, so why don't they get paid like the men?").

We are legally and socially equal, but not physically. A woman who makes it in competitive baseball will do so with a style of play that is based on guile and finesse, along with a huge share of character and determination. It will be a rare and remarkable woman who'll do it, but it can happen.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by gordon30307

I guess you don't have daughters. Maybe you should move to Saudi Arabia where the women can't drive..... Just a thought.

You know what? I happen to have two daughters who agree that if you want equality, it should be equality all the way! they played softball and girl's basketball. Neither would dream of playing baseball as they both said that men are barbaric when it comes to sports (that's their opinion, not mine).

Now you can take your statement and shove it where the sun doesn't shine, there Gordie! And so can the rest of you out there!

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

You know what? I happen to have two daughters who agree that if you want equality, it should be equality all the way! they played softball and girl's basketball. Neither would dream of playing baseball as they both said that men are barbaric when it comes to sports (that's their opinion, not mine).

Now you can take your statement and shove it where the sun doesn't shine, there Gordie! And so can the rest of you out there!

Often you will see that along with narrow-mindedness also comes extreme defensiveness. Since your views are obviously biased and knee-jerk in nature, it is unlikely that anything close to a majority would agree--even in the relatively conservative legion of umpires. I am sorry that you think that your narrow brand of thinking goes on in anything close to the majority of people, because it does not. Your being defensive about it to the exclusion of all others, and in the process, to the exclusion of intelligent debate, is quite common among those who form their beliefs in that manner, and serves to prove that your stance is weak. Your narrow, little world that includes and considers only your experiences, has yielded an unrealistic and somewhat backward picture for all of us to see.

After spewing that crap, you were bound to get lit up. Take it with a whole lot more grace.

[PeteBooth]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by jkumpire

I have not thrown my .02 because I wanted to hear other thoughts. Frankly, I don't care that much about a girl playing Baseball, except she will be totally physically outmatched if not this year, next year. The problem as I see it for an umpire is this, when she gets thrown at, or she gets run over at 2B, or gets treated like any other player, her and her family's first response is going to be to sue the school, or player, or umpire. Further, what if the coaches decide not to play her?

Jk I hear you but there are frivilous lawsuits throughout this country.

In LL there were parents who sued EVERYBODY over the following incident.

Their child was playing the field and couldn't catch. One day a fly ball was hit his way and it hit him in the head. I can't remember the status of all injuies the kid sustained but it wasn't life threatening etc.

The parents sued the coach saying that the coach did not properly teach their child how to play the game. They sued the umpires, and the entire BOD.

That's the last I heard about it because most lawsuits in this country are settled out of court hence no official record. I am not saying this case was settled but as mentioned there was no official record hence no more info available other than what was said on the news.

There was a recent case about the parents suing LL Incorporated over the use of the metal bat.

If people are going to sue they are going to sue whether it's a boy or girl playing. That's the world we live in and why insurance costs are high and we have to belong to an association to keep the costs down.

We treat a female on the playing field no differently. It's akin to someone's race. We would not treat an Hispanic player any differently then an Afro American Player or a Jewish Player, etc.

if someone is going to sue they are going to sue and it doesn't matter if they are male or female.

I see this type of issue more of a problem for the team members than umpires.

Pete Booth