Just Softball

[BuggBob]

I too did both for a while. I started in softball moved to baseball. Too me the choose to ONLY do softball was clear and simple.

Softball is played by girls and baseball is played by boys. Every umpire makes a bad call, when that happens most girls look at you like you’re stupid accept your ruling and move on, while most boys will whine and complain excessively.

In softball the tempo of the game is much faster, the excitement is higher, and the game takes less time. Now I don’t mind working for three hours but in baseball it is more like working for 15 minutes with 2:45 of just standing waiting for something to do.

Softball has a STRIKE zone and base all as a strike zone.

Lastly when I started umpiring the softball umpires welcomed me, trained me, and became my friends; whereas the baseball umpires were generally closed minded, elitist who would not take the time to talk to a new guy to save their own lives.

Ultimately the choose to do softball over baseball came down to the way other umpires treated me. I offer this forum as a paradigm; the softball forum is generally more friendly and civil whereas the baseball forum often degrades to less than polite and civil behavior.

Bugg

[TwoBits]

Originally Posted by BuggBob

Softball is played by girls and baseball is played by boys.

A few areas have fast pitch boys softball. I was one of the fortunate ones to have played fast pitch on a high school sponsored team. Most of the schools in my area were small and poor, and couldn't afford to play football. The field these schools had access to was also too small for baseball, so softball was the perfect choice.

[DaveASA/FED]

I started in LL baseball, coaching my son the league had rules that you had to umpire the other leagues games(minor division umped majors, majors coaches umped minor games) so I umpired. Figured if I was going to do it I better read the book, BIG mistake....called a few things by the book got jumped by fans, coaches etc. When daughter started playing softball (ASA league) started umpiring there went to ASA schools (no LL schools in our area) liked the teaching aspect that they had, felt like I got better from that and never did baseball again!

So my answer is more on a rec league level, but people geet WAY too excited over baseball, guys living more through their sons I guess. I have been involved in some ugly situations on baseball side (I am on park board so big issues get brought to us sometimes) and am SO glad I am on softball side.

I also have to agree with BuggBob in that FED baseball guys around here, although I don't know a lot of them closely, seem to have this air about them. The my sh*t don't stink kind of vib I get from them. Example, last night me and my partner are dressing right next to baseball guys, neither of them would even look our way, when I did pass them to go to the bathroom I spoke and they both were like it was killing them to have to speak to a softball guy! You dont' know how bad I wanted to ask the one guy who he had on last years patch instead of this years, I wondered if baseball allowed that, cause us softball guys have to put our new one on every year to be legal! BUT, I didn't I just said hey guys.....but I wanted to!!!!