It's been in the teens all week and now we are getting what was forcasted as 6" to 12" of snow, but it started early and It's coming hard, so some areas are probably looking at 9" to 15" inches or more.

Thank you :)

Snow now no softball season in site yet.
 

Started snowing about 3,4 hrs ago in So. Jersey & I'd figure 3 plus inches already. Close to an inch an hour.
At this rate we'll be in deep by tonite.
Seems like S'Ball season will never come if this stuff keeps coming.
Any word on how the NCAA S'ball Mtg/Clinic went last week in Philly. Anything new or earth shattering rules wise ?

Yeah, I'm happy. You can have it. The storm left Michigan several hours ago.

I was out at 6am moving 10" of snow out of the parking lot; then again at noon removing the last 4-5". And I will take a warm up into the teens; it hardly gets out of single digits the last week or so.

Whatever - ONLY 57 DAYS TILL SPRING! :D

WMB

Same stuff, here in north central Pa.

As for the college clinic last weekend - no new rules, but big emphasis on identifying/defining and calling obstruction. Check the cactus site in mid-February for some downloads. The downloads will not be made available until after all of the clinics have taken place.

My opinion on Minnesota is that it is about time. I could see the grass in my front yard until yesterday. Finally it looks like winter.
We deal with it and then softball starts. I can't wait.

I was at a clinic put on by Emily Alexander today. She didn't like the snow too much.

Emily Alexander is a Goddess..

I'm sorry

Season starts 2/2 with games in Abilene and have games every day that week. Then it gets busy. Looking forward to Rebel games in Fla in March. You guys can come south like the teams do for the first month. We need the help.

And yes, Emily is a goddess

In an answer to 1231234. The thing about the clinic I was at today was the emphasis in the NCAA about obstructed runners when no play is made.

R1 takes off from 2nd base, the shortstop obstructs her on the way back. The catcher doesn't throw the ball down. The umpire will warn the player and inform the coach. The plate umpire will document what player was warned. If it happens again the obstructed runner will be awarded 3rd.

We were given a detailed video presentation on what is "about to receive". ASA and Fed. have gone to "No ball no block" The NCAA doesn't want to go there and wants to keep those great plays in the game.

We as umpires have to call obstruction when it occurs even if the player was safe. This is so the coaches know what is going to be called and that we see it.

The emphasis was on looking for the obstruction before looking for the tag.

The clinic was well worth my time and those of you in Texas should attend in Dallas.

I apologize for the BLATANT hijacking of this post.


[Edited by Rachel on Jan 22nd, 2005 at 10:34 PM]

Rachel,

No problem on the HI-JACK, another MN person does it
all the time. Just kidding Tom. :rolleyes:

Winter Texan Senior Softball League started on Jan. 4 here in the Rio Grande Valley. Doing a minimum of 4 games per week.

The nation-wide onslaught of nasty weather has invaded us too. 'Twas 83 in McAllen, TX yesterday but awoke to a very chilling 50 this morn.


Cheers!

Bill

Damn, another Texan!

What do you guys do, publish this web site on billboards!

No, someone probably uses "official.com" as a brand!

Bill, say hello to Joe Brown for me.

Sounds more like baby-sitting to me. Obviously, another "coach's" rule based on what another coach is teaching.

Quote:

We were given a detailed video presentation on what is "about to receive". ASA and Fed. have gone to "No ball no block" The NCAA doesn't want to go there and wants to keep those great plays in the game.

Just out of curiosity, what "great plays"? Sounds like they want to be more like baseball. I never had a problem with the "about to receive" caveat to the obstruction rule. However, I cannot help feeling that this, too, is coach-initiated. As we have seen, and have read folks on some boards post, such "great plays" shouldn't be denied because of an umpire's judgment on about to receive. We all probably know an umpire or two, including some who work NCAA, that will not step up and make the big call if they feel it will get them criticized or draw an argument. I know, maybe they shouldn't be there, but sometimes they are. Believe we saw demonstrations of it going both ways last year in the NCAA Championship Series and the Olympics.

Quote:

We as umpires have to call obstruction when it occurs even if the player was safe. This is so the coaches know what is going to be called and that we see it.

Speaking ASA, this has always been so and I have taught it that way for the 10 years I've been at some level of instruction. The book tells you what to do when you see it. It doesn't tell you to not call it based on what you believe will eventually happen. It looks terrible when an umpire fails to call obstruction, turns out it affects the play, and the umpire is going to look like an *** one way or the other.

Quote:

The emphasis was on looking for the obstruction before looking for the tag.

I don't know if that is the correct way to say it (as I can see some taking it a bit literally and miss the remainder of the play altogether), but I don't think there is anything different than what an umpire has supposed to have done for years.

Quote:

The clinic was well worth my time and those of you in Texas should attend in Dallas.

They usually are. There is no such thing as too many clinics. I'm sure I'm not alone on this, but nothing gets my goad like an umpire who thinks, "I've been doing this for ..... years, what can they teach me?" These are the folks who either don't show up at clinics, or stand in the back of the room telling anyone who will listen about hoe "he" will do things. How often have we seen this type of umpire be sooooo out of date, it is embarrassing to work with him/her?

The NCAA is the coaches game. The coaches write the rules. The main points of emphasis in this year's clinic were "Obstruction, batter interference and hit by pitch". These were the things that the coaches and the umpire evaluators felt that were not consistantly called. It is also where the wiley players were working on their acting skills in an attempt to help their team.
The video footage about what is and is not Obs, Int. and HBP was very useful for those who want to call it right.

I'm not ripping on the ASA. I knew umpires that were calling about to receive if the ball was in the infield. I've known coaches that said they were going to teach their kids to obstruct because they wanted to take the chance to get the out. The punishment was only that they would be safe anyway.

It is the umpire that will make the right call even if it will cause an arguement. If all the umpires are consistantly calling something it won't be argued anymore it will be expected.

The exact reason I think it is such a problem. You don't see many folks throwing gloves. Perhaps they should make obstruction a three base award if they really wanted it stopped.

ASA rules more likely offer reconciliation as opposed to punishment.

Yes, obstruction is taught by some unethical coaches, but more often than not, it is unintentional. Quite often, so is interference.

All ASA does is compensate the offended team by giving them nothing more or less than what they most likely would have had if there was no violation. The only time ASA really allows for an additional penalty is when it is obvious the violation is intentional to the point of ejecting the player.

That was my point. I have no problem with coaches being involved in the rules process. However, as we have all seen, sometimes is can get to the point of absurdity. I'm not particularly fond of the arrogance, or is it disdain, some coaches show towards officials.

Quote:

The main points of emphasis in this year's clinic were "Obstruction, batter interference and hit by pitch". These were the things that the coaches and the umpire evaluators felt that were not consistantly called. It is also where the wiley players were working on their acting skills in an attempt to help their team.

I guess this is part of my problem with the coaches' input. They recognize that they have coaches who are intentionally coaching in a manner which places a player in jeopardy. However, instead of a little in-house administrative action, they dictate the rule interps and place the onus on the umpires to cover their collective tails.

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I'm not ripping on the ASA. I knew umpires that were calling about to receive if the ball was in the infield.

And that is a baseball influence that somewhere along the way must be exercised to insure softball games are called by softball rules.

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I've known coaches that said they were going to teach their kids to obstruct because they wanted to take the chance to get the out. The punishment was only that they would be safe anyway.

That just isn't true. I have seen players who have been recognized as intentionally or habitually obstructed runners, be given a warning and then ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct if such action continued. There is no problem with this and a good umpire will take that action without hesitation or fear of being chastised for doing their job. The problem here is that coaches are so used to getting their way, a coach caught will attempt to "red line" (or whatever designation is used in your area) that umpire and that just isn't right. I'm not saying this is prevelant, but I have seen this occur in NCAA, NFHS and ASA. I know an ASA Elite and ISF Certified umpire who could not work a local Div I university as the coach simply would not allow him on HER field.

Quote:

It is the umpire that will make the right call even if it will cause an arguement. If all the umpires are consistantly calling something it won't be argued anymore it will be expected.

And as the NCAA takes more control of the softball officials, many of the problems should be resolved. However, there are still a bundle of GAGA umpires around who will adjust their game to the coach's desires as opposed to the rules. And I don't think that is a good thing at anytime.

Sorry for the rant and, of course, JMHO,


[Edited by IRISHMAFIA on Jan 23rd, 2005 at 06:47 PM]

Mike:
I agree with you. That is why the umpires that do the NCAA must go to the clinics.

Emily is quite thin blooded....she gets her jacket out when the temp drops below 70 degrees....

To be honest, baseball is moving in the direction of "no ball, no block."

Matter of fact, the NCAA was the first major rules body to put this in place. No ball? Obstruction. All obstruction is delayed dead, too, in NCAA baseball (like NFHS, but very much unlike the OBR).

--Rich

I think that is a good thing. When I mentioned a "baseball influence", I am basically referring to people emulating what was once a given in baseball and what they see on TV.

Quote:

Matter of fact, the NCAA was the first major rules body to put this in place. No ball? Obstruction. All obstruction is delayed dead, too, in NCAA baseball (like NFHS, but very much unlike the OBR). --Rich

Really, I thought it was ISF who raised the issue at the turn of the century, but couldn't put it in the book until 2001. Nonetheless, the rule is still a good one as a player putting themselves in front of a potential play, I believe, has a better chance of getting the throw clean for a put out than if they need to go for the ball while tangling with a runner.

Thanks,

In the NCAA if they are tangling with the runner without the ball it is obstruction. The question is where is the ball when when the fielder blocks? If it is closer to the fielder of the thrown ball than the runner is, it is fine no obstruction. If the runner is closer to the fielder of the thrown ball than the ball then it is obstruction.

If the defenders position (without the ball) causes the runner to change her path to the bag then it is obstruction. The reason for the emphasis is to ensure that the college umpires call this consistantly.

The NCAA may eventually go to the "no ball - no block" but for now they would like the umpires to be more consistant in calling obstruction instead of just calling the runner safe. Those of you that have been to Emily's clinic please chime in. This is the message I got from the clinic I attended.

I'll agree, Rachel - that's pretty much what I saw & heard the emphasis to be at the Philly clinic.