So after 3.5 hours and 9 innings of little ball hell, I had an epiphany

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser

Keep telling yourself softball is better. Whatever it takes, folks, whatever it takes.

I worked a great baseball game Sunday - 9 innings, 2 hours, crisp defense, great pitching. Played with wood bats, by adults.

Not all softball games are 55 minute, 1-0 pitching battles. I remember a 4 hour varsity HS game when I lived in Tennessee. Matter of fact, too many of those and not enough of the well played games and the ongoing, never-ending singing is why I gave it up.

(Before you ask, I read this board because there are situations in both sports where one can learn. I just find these threads funny.)

I cannot stand the chanting, either. To call it singing is being extremely kind. I don't mind the cheers so much as the screaming which accompanies it.

A 4-hour softball game? I'm sorry, but the umpires must have really screwed up that game. No one plays a 4-hour game without a rain delay of some sorts.

I quit doing baseball because of the prima donnas who all thought that there were 30 pro scouts at every game and there was an urgent need to show-off for them.

And yes, this even seemed to be true at the adolescent stages of their life only with mommy and daddy being the motivators of stupidity. Unfortunately, too often this is the problem with youth sports.

There are probably very few softball umpires on this board that haven't encountered, and taken pride in, a catcher or pitcher looking into the stands and screaming, "Shut up, dad/mom/grandpa. You're embarassing me." Sometimes, probably quite often, the kids are smarter than the adults and know how to handle playing the game WITHOUT help from others.

The difference between the baseball stars and the SP stars is that in baseball, the umpire's abilities are often not taken into account in how they react in a certain situation (for clarification, I base this opinion on personal observation and conversation with my umpire buddies from the dark side). In SP, much of the crap you get will depend on the hustle, effort and knowledge of the rules. Yeah, you will still get your idiots and the better umpires will just get rid of them, often with approval from the idiot's team.