pick off
 

16" men's ASA softball. What is the rule for pick-off's? On an errant pick off attempt from the pitcher (or catcher), can the runner advance?

I've never umpired 16" men's ball, but it appears that USA Rule 8-4-K has your answer:

As a side note....

One of the prevalent plays in 16" SP is the hit and run. Because the rules allow the runner to lead off, if the batter likes the look of the pitch coming in, s/he will yell at the runner to GO and the runner starts running the bases.

It is the weirdest damn thing to see a runner from first rounding second as the ball is hit......

I've done 5 slowpitch games in my life, but this comment makes me want to work 16-inch mushball.

Where the heck is 16-inch "mushball" even played??

The last time I've seen one of those cantaloupes was in intramural softball at West Point when I played on our company team back in 1982. The only player allowed to wear a glove was the first baseman. Our team was in the Corps of Cadets' championship game, we had the tying run on base with two outs in the final inning, and yours truly tried to hit it over the first baseman (who was about 6'5" and had a mitt about 20 inches in length). I nailed it, but he reached up high and caught it. I still remember it to this day.

I read this entire comment twice, and both times all I could hear in my head was R. Lee Ermey. :)

But to your comment, I know they still play it. There was a 16-inch USA men's National nearby in Yuma last year. (And for what it's worth I miss men's FP)

I have heard that the 16" game is still popular in the Chicago area and some other pockets in the midwest. The City of Yuma, AZ hosts a 16" SP tournament on Memorial Day weekend every year...I think 2017 was the 45th annual or so. The ASA 16" A National SP was in Yuma in 2015.

I got to work the 16" tourney in 2016...some of the most fun I've ever had working SP. It's a different game because it is very difficult to hit that big ball out of the park...and that's with the fences at 275 or so. That tournament had approx 40 teams with some coming from Chicago and California. The teams from Chicago mostly played without gloves. As SP goes, it's a relatively low scoring game as it is hard to string base hits together...if you hit that big ball up in the air, it just hangs there. It becomes much more of a defensive game.

The other interesting thing is that you don't have the bat issues with 16". Because of the size of the ball, the spring effect of the composite bats is negated. Most players will swing the older, heavier aluminum bats or even wood bats.

If you ever get a chance to work 16", do it.....

Which is why I also love Men's Wood Bat fastpitch. So much small ball....