First weekend

[MD Longhorn]

Finally got our first weekend of Fall Ball under the belt. Let me first thank my scheduler for giving me 10U. The play was awful but at least the coaches were worse. First time I've ever LITERALLY pulled the rulebook (the local, not the ASA rules) out of my pocket, handed them to a coach, and asked her to read them. Proper etiquette on my part? No, probably not. But she simply couldn't understand me and even her other coach was telling her I was right and trying to get her to sit down.

The recipe of walk - passed ball - passed ball - passed ball (SCORE!) - walk ... repeat and stir until time coach to pitch, toss in the occasional HBP - PB - PB - PB (score!), was not exactly appetizing.

Got to see a pitcher hit her self in the head with the ball (straight up.... straight down). Got to witness a SB attempt that took literally 20 seconds to resolve, as the runner (who still hasn't touched 2nd) collided with the back of the SS who already had the ball and kept stomping on 2nd base, but never tagged the runner on purpose. She finally turned to look at me (I suppose wondering why I'm not calling the out) and accidentally tagged the runner who was still standing about 2 feet off the base not knowing what to do.

During the first 2 games, where I was PU, my BU made exactly ONE out call. (Ironically, when I was BU, the very first batter grounded out on a nice close play that I got to sell - partner was pissed.)

I think I said, "Coach, 1 base per pitch" about 40 times.

All that said... it was great to be back out at the park.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Finally got our first weekend of Fall Ball under the belt. Let me first thank my scheduler for giving me 10U. The play was awful but at least the coaches were worse.
All that said... it was great to be back out at the park.

Sorry to hear your 10&U are so much less than ours.

Or, sorry to hear you have to play with local rules.

[CecilOne]

Although we did have the "must slide" and the "hands are part of the bat" come up in the same game.
That was also the same game the pitching distance was wrong and the game balls were late.

And my partner kept calling foul balls, etc. as BU.

[NCASAUmp]

Our 10U isn't much better, but they're only allowed to steal 2nd. No D3K, no IFF, no windmill during the pitch.

It's a lot of "ball... ball... ball... HAW! ball four. Ball... ball... ball... HAW! HAW! ball four."

Often takes a half hour or more to get through an inning, and that's calling nose to toes, box to box. Thank god for time limits.

[MD Longhorn]

We have 75 minutes, with 15 minute scheduled breaks. Unfortunately, when almost every half inning takes within 1 minute of 15 --- you can't end the game anywhere near 75 minutes - I lucked out yesterday with, for the most part, the home team leading after 2 1/2 or the visitor being up by more than the run limit... but this is going to get ugly one Saturday, I know it.

Note on the local rules... after a few years of good umpires here (and one of us on the board), we've got most of the nonsense out of the rulebook, and the rare deviation from ASA is actually spelled out and enforceable. Nothing like the thread I started on that other league a couple of weeks ago. MOST of the "local rules" are really just regurgitations of actual ASA rules. Things like "The lookback rule will be enforced." (I wanted to add, "along with the rest of the ASA rulebook").

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Note on the local rules... after a few years of good umpires here (and one of us on the board), we've got most of the nonsense out of the rulebook, and the rare deviation from ASA is actually spelled out and enforceable. Nothing like the thread I started on that other league a couple of weeks ago. MOST of the "local rules" are really just regurgitations of actual ASA rules. Things like "The lookback rule will be enforced." (I wanted to add, "along with the rest of the ASA rulebook").

Good!

[JEL]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

We have 75 minutes, with 15 minute scheduled breaks. Unfortunately, when almost every half inning takes within 1 minute of 15 --- you can't end the game anywhere near 75 minutes - I lucked out yesterday with, for the most part, the home team leading after 2 1/2 or the visitor being up by more than the run limit... but this is going to get ugly one Saturday, I know it.

Note on the local rules... after a few years of good umpires here (and one of us on the board), we've got most of the nonsense out of the rulebook, and the rare deviation from ASA is actually spelled out and enforceable. Nothing like the thread I started on that other league a couple of weeks ago. MOST of the "local rules" are really just regurgitations of actual ASA rules. Things like "The lookback rule will be enforced." (I wanted to add, "along with the rest of the ASA rulebook").

Our 10U plays 90 minutes. In the "live" games I have seen 1/2 innings take 40+ minutes! That is even with a 7 run per inning limit. Rarely get more than 3 complete innings in a game.

Worse yet, only the last 3 games of the season use love pitching! The bulk uses a pitching machine and two umpires at that! At least one umpire gets to load the machine.

Theory is, the batters can't hit because the pitching stinks. Doesn't matter that the pitching stinks because they don't get to pitch!

Oh well, machine games go about an hour, sometimes less. Get full game fee. Who am I to complain?

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by JEL

Our 10U plays 90 minutes. In the "live" games I have seen 1/2 innings take 40+ minutes! That is even with a 7 run per inning limit. Rarely get more than 3 complete innings in a game.

Worse yet, only the last 3 games of the season use love pitching! The bulk uses a pitching machine and two umpires at that! At least one umpire gets to load the machine.

Theory is, the batters can't hit because the pitching stinks. Doesn't matter that the pitching stinks because they don't get to pitch!

Oh well, machine games go about an hour, sometimes less. Get full game fee. Who am I to complain?

Hey, if they're willing to pay for umpires and umpires are available, I'm all for it. The girls have fun, they learn the game, and the umpires are there to make sure the game's called right.

Our 10U is VERY "instructional," and that applies both to the players and the coaches. I'm more than happy to talk with a coach who genuinely wants to learn, as most of them are just volunteers who have minimal clue about the rules.

[topper]

Originally Posted by JEL

Worse yet, only the last 3 games of the season use love pitching!

We never had that local rule here. May be illegal below 18U.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by topper

we never had that local rule here. May be illegal below 18u.

:d

[JEL]

Originally Posted by topper

We never had that local rule here. May be illegal below 18U.

Oooops!

Slight typo!

No love there at all, in fact kinda hate it (the pitching that is). Our 10U is known as the black and blue league. You need a suit of armor.

[jr131981]

before i moved i did the first game of the spring in a rec 10U or 12U town league (i forget the age group).

i hear the coaches talking before and they are going to let little suzy try catching today. she caught exactly ZERO balls the first inning!!! i know these girls arent exactly pudge but cmon. and its not that the balls were hurting me, its just gets old real fast when every pitch either bounces off the catcher/me or rolls to the backstop.

[BretMan]

Originally Posted by jr131981

it just gets old real fast when every pitch either bounces off the catcher/me or rolls to the backstop.

Don't you work slow pitch? You should be used to it!

Earlier this year, I worked a 10U tournament. For one team, the coaches had to be as inexperienced as the players.

First, there was a foul tip (with one strike). Coach argued that the batter should be out because his catcher caught a foul ball. I tried to explain to him what a foul tip meant.

A little later his pitcher walked a batter and the B/R rounded first and continued directly to second base. The same coach argued that the B/R should be out because his pitcher was holding the ball. So I tried to explain to him the Look Back Rule.

When his team went up to bat, one of his hitters swung at a pitch, but the pitch hit her on the arm. I called the dead ball strike and he started arguing that his batter should be awarded first base. Again, I'm over at his dugout giving a mini rules clinic.

Then we had an infield grounder where the throw to first went past F3 and slowly trickled out of play. I awarded his runner second base. He began yelling that she should get third because she was between first and second went the ball went out of play.

I walked over to his dugout, just about ready to unload on the guy...but I didn't. Instead, I took a deep breath, paused, then said, exasperated, "You guys really need to find yourself a rule book".

This was the cool part...the entire bleachers around his dugout erupted into applause when I said that!

[CecilOne]

over at his dugout

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

over at his dugout

I'm with Bret on that one.

It is clear that no one there had a clue; if you are going to explain the rules (mini-clinic, as was said), there might as well be everyone possible getting it first hand. Coaches, players, and parents.

Explaining it to the clueless coach won't get it trickling down accurately.

You have to know the time and the place, but this is a great technique we call "learning moments" in my local youth leagues.