70' bases
 

How are your leagues doing w/ the 70' bases for men's slow pitch?

We have a league that plays on a couple of fields that are girl's HS fields w/ bases set @ 60'. Those are some long games. Trying to find other fields is apparently a problem.

A couple of other fields, the infield cutout is too short. Putting first base @ 70' ends up on the grass and up a little hump. So they pull 'em in a bit to at least have them on the dirt.

Another field has bases set @ 65', so not the worst case. I don't know if they'll be moving those or not as other leagues and/or associations may use that field.

Some leagues just won't move them even though they were told over 5 years ago to prepare for it, they recut the infields and ignored the information given.

Worked some games a couple weeks ago with 70' bases and there wasn't that much of a difference. It is only one stride of an adult in a running gait. I think it is more of a head game to some of these players than it is an actual effect upon the game.

Next season women's slow pitch goes to the 70' bases. We have a league that has dedicated fields for their men & women leagues so those fields won't be a problem.

But we utilize several fields that are used by different leagues using other umpire affiliations.

Are any of the other major calling groups moving to a 70' base distance for slow pitch?

I'm wondering how to leverage the local parks & recs people to adjust the skinned part of the infield to accommodate the 70' distance. What's their incentive to incur additional cost and labor if not every league is the same?

Do they play FP on the same fields?

On several of the fields all types of softball is played. They're used for HS games, mens & womens slow pitch, mens modified, all of which are ASA [or NFHS]. There are USSSA slow pitch games held on some of the fields as well, which I why I was asking if other affiliations are going or have gone to 70' distance for slow pitch.

My point was there is already variable types of games with different distances of which some, if not all, have changed in the past couple of decades. So, they have probably already dealt with changing fields before.

If memory serves me correctly, USSSA allows either 65 or 70 foot bases

Agree with the head game comment.....

One of the leagues that I work went to 70' bases for this summer season...much groaning the first couple of weeks by the players.

One guy got called out on a banger at first base, tells me that he would have been safe if the bases hadn't been moved back...I tell him that on the 65' basepaths, the infielder would have been in closer and the end result probably would have been the same....he had to think about that for a couple of innings before he figured it out.....:D

I have noticed an increase in successful defensive plays made in the infield with 70' base's. It's just a small sampling so far but it really has brought some D back to the mens game IMO. The good players aren't playing much deeper if at all and the 5 extra feet is pretty substantial to be honest.

After umpiring one of our season ending SP tourney's up here that we play on baseball fields with 90' base's I knew I was going to like the 70's for slow pitch...:D

* Our city's Coed league moved the bases back this year. As an aside, another softball league had to cancel their first week of games on that field because the city didn't inform them of the change and they couldn't find the stakes for the bases since they were all five feet away.

From an umpiring perspective, I don't think it's a big deal.

From keeping my friends' team's scorebook (Coed team), there was a drop in extra base hits this year (74 to 57, about a 23% drop), but I wouldn't say the new distance is the sole factor, but probably did have some influence on that.

* Additionally, in the social club league I play in, I think they moved bases back on the field we play on during the spring and summer seasons. I've noticed that the infield hits I could easily get last year are now close plays at first or even outs. :D Also had a play at home where I ended up out by a lot where I probably would have beat the throw home last year.

Our upcoming fall league is played on a youth baseball diamond, so the change, if it's been made already there, won't be quite as obvious.