AUw, that hurts!
 

Sunday the dutch national team played in training for the WC in Caracas a double header against the foreigners. This is a team made out all non-dutch players in the dutch competition.
I had the honor to be one of the 2 umpires.

The first game on the bases was an easy one. I've got not even one difficult call to make. The second game started with dutch pitcher Ginger de Weert. She returned last week to the Netherlands after having studied and played in the US for Central Arizona College. She delivers a hard ball, got hit on my left under arm. It realy hurts, still!
Visited hospital, yesterday (Monday), got the advise not to go to work (night-shift Mo > Tu)... Need rest for the arm, which is also subject all year for fysiotherapy after a tennis-elbow.
Saturday I'll have a men's game coming up, hope I make that!

Sander,
Have I met your partner?
Sounds like some really good cometition.
Hopefully, you Balled the pith that hit you, regardless of where it was - that'll remind the catcher to catch the ball.

Hi Steve,

I don't know; Jac van Riel. I know he was once standing in in Schiedam for a German umpire who couldn't make to the IndoorCup. There you saw the preparation for our competition...
Our competition is oke for Europe; the (or second) best! We have players from the US, Australia, Austria, Czech Rep. and Italy.
You might know Aimee Murch (Aus). She's playing for her country in Caracas and I see her in the dutch competition. Same as Italian catcher Kate Gentile.

So we have some world-class players over here...

Yep, I called it a ball. Asked the catcher if she couldn't catch that ball. She smiled and told me "no".

I call in the Jr College league that Ginger pitches in...saw her a few times this past season. She is a good pitcher.

Yep, that true. How did she do in that league? I haven't had the oppertunity to talk to her, since she came back to the Neth.'s almost two weeks ago.
O, before I get you all over me: The softball-community overhere is very small, we know each other all by name and after the games we are allowed to talk with another.
I saw Ginger for the first time about 5 years ago. She has grown a lot since then as a pitcher.

Andy, how was her 2 seconds stop before delivering the pitch? She's always been on the edge and now I feel her "stop" has been even shorter than before she went oversees... Or don't you play in that league with ISF-rules (= simm. to ASA)?

She does pretty well...one of the better pitchers in the league...we have 2 or 3 pretty good teams in that league that can hit the ball no matter who is pitching. She holds her own against those teams and is very solid against the weaker teams. She has decent speed, hit her spots well, not a lot of movement that I remember.

We play NCAA rules, which only requires a "pause" and does not define it at two seconds. My understanding is that is the biggest adjustment our USA college pitchers have to make when playing ISF rules.

Started working today again. Early shift 07.00 - 15.00h, at 10.00 my arm started to hurt again. Wanted to cool it, however no ice available. When I got home at16.00h, first cooled it... How does my arm gonna feel on saturday? I do want to be on the field by then! I know a pitcher who's to blame for my misfortune... Want to call ball's:rolleyes:, no I don't have the guts to sell a game:o


b.t.w. found this on the site of our national team:
http://www.dutchsoftballteam.com/hol10-day08.htm

The caption should read, "The trainer is amazed at how tough Sander is." :D