Maximum Arc in FP?!?!

[mcrowder]

I admit it's been a year since I called ASA... but:

At a Dixie league game last night, ages 9-10, one pitcher was consistently throwing 6-10 foot arcs just to try to get the ball to the plate. Opposing coach asked me after the game why I wasn't calling illegal pitch - I looked at him flabbergasted. He then said, "Oh, yeah - it's Dixie here. We play ASA," in a very condescending tone. He started to walk away, when I told him that even though it's been a year since I did ASA, I was almost positive there is no maximum arc for a legal pitch in any jurisdiction of fastpitch. But I did promise I'd check. I couldn't find it in my 2003 ASA book last night, so I thought I'd ask here.

I'm told the ASA folks in his area call it an illegal pitch consistently.

[Skahtboi]

Originally posted by mcrowder
I'm told the ASA folks in his area call it an illegal pitch consistently.

If they do, then they are sadly mistaken. ASA makes no provisions limiting the arc of the ball in FP.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by mcrowder
I'm told the ASA folks in his area call it an illegal pitch consistently.

Then either he is misinformed or those local ASA fast pitch umpires don't know the rules.

There is no arc or speed rule in the ASA book relating to fast pitch. A slow pitch arc is perfectly legal in a fast pitch game.

We have a non-competitive fast-pitch league here in Omaha that we call the Rainbow League. It's called that for two reasons: 1) The teams' shirts are all different colors, making you think of the rainbow, and 2) the pitches have a nice arc, like a rainbow.

Sounds like this coach needs a rainbow song! LOL

[Dakota]

Originally posted by mcrowder
He then said, "Oh, yeah - it's Dixie here. We play ASA," in a very condescending tone.

If Dixie is beneath him, why was he "lowering" himself and his team to play? Has he no self respect at all???

[mcrowder]

Every time ANY team from this town comes to our area, at least one coach will make some comment at some point indicating that Dixie is beneath them.

This after AGREEING to play Dixie rules in our district. I'm going to call the UIC in the area now that I've gotten confirmation.

[greymule]

Odd, I used to do a modified-pitch league—I was one of 2 total umpires—where the players made all sorts of claims about the arc. The pitch cannot have:

1. Any arc
2. More than 3 inches of arc
3. Noticeable arc
4. Significant arc

This would always come up on a change-up when somebody looked at a third strike. They wouldn't argue that the pitch wasn't in the zone; they would argue that it couldn't have arc. Of course, no one could show me anything in black and white.

They claimed that the umpires in the other league they played in routinely called violations for too much arc. From the description (red shirts), it sounded like USSSA umps, so maybe U-trip has an arc-limiting rule.

I've heard some similar whining in FP, too.

[SamNVa]

In fact an illegal pitch in slow pitch (too much arc) is also perfectlY legal in fast pitch.

SamC

[Dakota]

Originally posted by SamNVa
In fact an illegal pitch in slow pitch (too much arc) is also perfectlY legal in fast pitch.

SamC

So is too flat and too fast!

[Skahtboi]

Originally posted by greymule
They claimed that the umpires in the other league they played in routinely called violations for too much arc. From the description (red shirts), it sounded like USSSA umps, so maybe U-trip has an arc-limiting rule.

I've heard some similar whining in FP, too.

Nope. USSSA makes no such provisions. Again, it sounds more like uninformed umpires than limits by an association.

USSSA does not have anything similar to Modified that I know of. However, there is Fastball (and I have no idea how that works), but it's more like baseball and slowpitch softball combined from what I hear.