The SoCal area in general is a hotbed for baseball due to the climate. Baseball is played year-round and is comparable to HS football in the state of Texas. It's a pretty serious deal.

When was the last time you saw a batter hit a home run when a balk was called. I'd say 99.9% of the time, the pitcher never releases the ball.

Eight years of fed ball and I have never even had a guy hit the ball on a balk, well maybe one, and it definitely wasn't a home run!

Fed is like my wife, changes her mind every two seconds! I don't care one way or the other, just make up your fricken mind already!

To be honest I've never umpired the Special Olympics. However, I've been able on occasion to volunteer at track and field days. Had a blast each time.

I don't know how many MLB players I've umpired, but there have been a few. I just don't hang my hat on that nail.

BTW-I've umpired games where there were special needs kids serving in some capacity. They're quite fun to be around, and the teams really love having them there.

I hope you don't slip and use language like Special Olympian, or retard around the games you work.

It is that 0.1% of the time that a player hits a home run (or other manner of getting on base) on a balk call that the rule is written the way it is.

I don't hang my hat on the many players who made the bigs, I just state facts the way they are. Why do you continue to harangue me about every little word I say? I am getting very tired of having to defend my words to you.

And I meant (and said) nothing at all disparaging about special needs children. I never used the word retard either, where did that come from? I was just curious as to if that was the baseball league you worked in, since you seem to think there weren't many talented players playing FED baseball in your area. I find your posts to be greatly exaggerated at times. Please stop assuming you know anything about my life.

Having worked games in SoCal, I can attest to what SDS speaks. The baseball there is beyond anything found anywhere in the world. If it were not for the money, MLB players would move up the skill scale by playing in JV games in San Diego.

Of course, I jest, since they would have expired their eligibility. :p

And generally, baseball doesn't have to compete with that silly game played with nets on sticks. That sport has really hurt baseball in the northeast.

Has Muggle Quidditch grown so astronomically in SoCal? I did not know that!

http://75acresofawesome.com/wp-conte...dditch_159.JPG

That's because at the FED level, umpires have lousy balk timing. I can't count how many times a balk has been called by a partner for F1 failing to stop--only to see a throw to a base follow. Sadder still is the number of coaches who aren't aware that F1 doesn't have to stop when throwing to a base.

Of course, this is northern ball. Southern and western FED play is superior beyond belief to the crap that passes as baseball in the upper midwest.

Pitchers fail to release the pitch after a balk call in the NCAA around these parts approximately half the time. Post-balk batted balls (not necessarily home runs) occur frequently.

May 19, 2011.

I didn't say anything that was contrary to your opinion. I gave you my opinion. You don't have to go off on a tangent.

I'm fine with FED rules.

For the record, it sounded to me like the only ball I'm qualified to work is retards. You even said it again in the post I'm quoting.

Stay classy, San Diego.

I've got something even better. I've been in attendance for two MLB perfect games.

I hope my next big gambit is to win the lottery.

Agree and agree. I've had TWO varsity coaches complain that the opposing pitcher was not stepping off before throwing to 1B for a pickoff. Just sad.

It's not just batted balls but also wild pick off throws or pitches after the balk call. I had a balk the other night in a Pony game when the pitcher blew through his stop and committed to the plate. I called it and he ended up throwing a wild pitch. Nobody realized the ball was still live so the F2 lollygagged in retrieving it and R1 did a slow jog to second. He very likely could've had third.

And therein lies the problem the NFHS has to deal with. There is one San Diego area out of hundred's of thousands of teams in this country that play under Federation HS rules. I don't know what leeway each State association has with the Fed Rules however they should be able to adjust to the needs of the different areas.

Some of those questions though ???.

Size of Black mark on players face?
Triplicate lineups.
Speed Up Rule (which in 99% of the cases slows down the game)
Face Masks Guards
Allowing corporate logos
Use of foul language an ejection.
Clarify an ejection administratively
Time between pitches from 20 -12 ????
Adding verbiage relative to the Federal Anti-Tampering Law to Rule 1