Please, please, please tell me I did not just hear Lisa Fernandez say "The hands are part of the bat". This is one of the most experienced players in the history of fastpitch softball and her brains turn to mush when she's a TV analyst.

No, you didn't hear Lisa Frenandez say that. She was in the dugout. You heard one of the announcers say that. I think it was Nueman, but I wouldn't swear to that.

Why was she not awarded 1st base??The ball hit her on the hands and almost took her head off...
The only thing I can think is that the unmpire thought she was attempting to bunt at the ball....

I have a problem with the other Tennessee player that got hit on the knee..You must make an attempt to get out of the way of the ball(what is this..I can understand getting out of the way of a change-up). But this pitch was a 60mph plus inside fastball or screwball that ran in on the batter and caught her on the right knee...And she was not awarded 1st base..How many players can get out of the way of that pitch???Bad call....

I have seen some bad calls tonight..What does the real umpires think????

Too bad you werent the ump...Im sure you would have got it right.
Stop flaming. We are on the same team. Talking bad about the guys you might be working with/for is bad form.

"Why was she not awarded 1st base??The ball hit her on the hands and almost took her head off...
The only thing I can think is that the unmpire thought she was attempting to bunt at the ball...."

Did you see the bat move forward? I think I saw it move forward. That movement was an attempt to hit the ball - defensively hit it maybe, but still an attempt to hit the ball. Good call.

As for the other HBP, I had to leave the room, so I didn't see that one. I know that listening to the announcers is risky at best, but even they said that the batter moved into the ball.

I thought they did well last night. Each was where he needed to be when he needed to be there. That was the first game I've gotten to watch of this year's series.

How can it be a bad call when the decision is based on THAT umpire's judgment.

You may believe the umpire's judgment to be suspect, but the call belongs to the umpire.

"Did you see the bat move forward? I think I saw it move forward. That movement was an attempt to hit the ball - defensively hit it maybe, but still an attempt to hit the ball. Good call."

I didn't watch the game. Was that pitch called a dead ball/strike?

Bob

I disagree. Sure we are on the same team, but call a spade a spade.

It was Lisa Fernandez for sure. She was doing the color commentary on the game. Stacey Nuveman did the color on the Texas/Michigan game.

This is an interesting question. If it wasn't a DB/S, and the batter was not awarded 1B, could it have been Dead Ball/Ball because the batter did not make an attempt to get out of the way?

HIJACK

If a run-slapper gets hit by a pitch, would you call DB/B for not making an attempt to get out of the way?

I think umpires are understanding this rule incorrectly..

You must attempt to get out of the way of a pitch..
Only pitches that you have time..example (change-ups)
Players do not have time to get out of the way of a fastball nor do they always have time to attempt to get out of the way.

When a baseball player or a softball player rolls the front shoulder inward on an inside pitch he/she is not attempting to get out of the way..He/she is 1)trying to get hit by the inside pitch and 2) an inward turn is a way to protect the player from hurting the arm by a hit by pitch.. Umpires in baseball do not call players out for this inward turn unless they lean over the plate...

a good rule of thumb...1)change-ups and off speed pitches, you must attempt...
2) all fast pitches, fastball, rise, srewball etc..you do not have to make much of an attempt if any...dead ball 1st base...
What does everyone else think????????

I thought the 1st one was the right call - it appeared to me she was trying to hit the ball.

I agree, though, that the 2nd call may have been a little suspect, from where I was sitting (150 miles away). You have to admit though, that PU had much more info than the TV viewer did - and if PU thought she did not make an effort to get out of the way, then that's all that matters.

I know from attending a college clinic that an emphasis was on not letting batters move into any pitches or just stand in the box and take one for the team.

They showed video from last years World Series of sending batters to first base and that were turning knees into the pitches.