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Jan. 24, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Best Pitcher Webbie25, it's established that choosing the "best" is a wide range considering the 8 age groups and 4 levels (32 different groups, all of whose teams have pitchers). I'm intrigued by the names, but except for a couple of national tournaments, will not likely get to see those so far nominated, and even then I'm usually at a different complex. I'd be interested in getting more explicit in this discussion: you've added best fielder to your criteria, and I suppose pitch selection relevant to each batter is part of the equation, but how about nominating some in the following categories (considering the limitations of arc and hitting the mat): best knuckleball (must dance on a windless day) best curve (largest? most spin?) best screwball (same as above) most accurate (at all heights) most distracting, but legal, motion
Jan. 18, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Players looking to join a team Discussion: Tournment Pitcher from NY looking to join a team Cerce, if you get on a good SSUSA team, you will discover for yourself what the guys are trying to say on this board (some of them in a denigrating and clumsy fashion). The SSUSA senior bats that are allowed are seriously hot—hotter than any single wall, hotter than a double wall, hotter than the notorious titanium bats of old. They are composite bats and have a trampoline effect. The average extra distance over a double wall seems to be 30 to 40 feet, depending on the hitter. In addition, the sweet spot on these composites is enormous! It is almost the whole barrel. Some guys can hit them out by hitting on the handle. With this expanded sweet spot, not only does the ball come faster and go farther, more hits have this extra distance because the bat is so forgiving. And the 12 foot arc, although allowed, is not always called a legal pitch by a surprisingly large number of umps. Some are used to the 10 foot limit in other associations and routinely call even an 11 foot pitch as illegal. And yes, there are many, many excellent hitters in SSUSA who have learned to use the composite technology to their advantage (shoot, some of them were excellent sluggers and high average hitters with the old wood bats). They typically use a lighter weight composite bat for more bat control since the technology gives them all the power they need to reach the fence. This is why many an excellent pitcher finds it very difficult to dominate a game as is possible in an unlimited arc league or one where "trickery" is allowed. And even though it seems to violate the laws of physics, most pitchers can curve a ball with an arc, and many can throw screwballs as well, and the dancing knuckle ball is not uncommon. Let us know how you fare this summer with your innovative pitch.
Jan. 9, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: 70' Bases Pricer, maybe the answer is that some fields are set up ONLY for 70 feet (all of Nevada, it turns out), so making that the distance solves some complaints (teams are used to 70 feet by the time they hit Las Vegas). I can tell you from discussions with 65 and older (my peers) that most of them like the 65 feet for the reasons you state. Wouldn't seem that an extra five feet would make that much difference, but then we didn't like the change from 60 feet to 65 feet. The major complaints seem to be from fast, but ground ball hitting batters, who get thrown out by a step at 70 feet; from all runners who try to stretch a hit to a double (the ball doesn't go any farther) and find 10 extra feet gets them thrown out at second; from winded runners who find that 20 extra feet to run on an inside-the-park home run, or second to home on a single, is too much; etc. I know the responses: get in better shape; easier to turn a double play; infielders back farther will reach more ground balls (they can't play closer because the ball comes too fast to intercept); etc. But loving the change? Nope. Living with it? Maybe, but your point about the smaller infields and the dangerous lip problem is a real one.
Jan. 9, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Bats Discussion: Recent bat poll I'm not too bothered by bare arms, but the occasional bare midriff because of a beer belly—ouch!
Jan. 8, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: More 1-1 Count Talk Staff, thanks for the explanation. Why I don't have an email puzzles me, since I'm the anal type of guy who fills in all the blanks on an application. I did ask around at league today, and not a single SSUSA member received the poll (of the 15 or so I contacted) with the exception of one 50-year-old who isn't even a league member yet—just filling in today. Those I asked were all men who had been members for 10-15 years, and thus were mostly over 65. As to the poll, the response of almost 1/3 of the emails sent out is very good! From my past experience and training in polling and sending out questionnaires, etc., it is a high percentage response. Congratulations. The weakness, of course, is that something is wrong with SSUSA's record keeping or data collection if so many don't have an email on file. Is it just older players who might have joined before they had email? Or is it west coast players (see Taits's survey above)? Somewhere there is a glitch, and with the success of this poll, you might want to do another poll in the future on a different topic, and having a more accurate and inclusive data base would be beneficial. As to this specific poll, most of the older guys said they would have voted to retain the current 0-0 count. But that's a point that Tim Millette and the wood can debate.
Jan. 7, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Cure for AAA after 3rd HR! southernson, I'm sure some AAA teams will be penalized by having a great day or playing with a strong wind blowing out, but most of the concerns here ARE about the AAA teams that routinely hit more than 3 HRs a game and should consider moving up. In my experience playing AAA teams, I don't remember a team (including my own) that had 3 over the fence in a single game unless it was a known sandbagging team, or a team that managed to get a Major Plus player into a tournament without being noticed by the TD.
Jan. 7, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: More 1-1 Count Talk ffdonnie, reading the staff's explanation again, I note they said "bad/outdated email address". There are few things more difficult to transfer accurately than an email address with its run-together words and a mixture of numbers. Since all of my correspondence with SSUSA has been by postal mail, it may be that they recorded my email address (and hundreds, maybe thousands of others) incorrectly when I first joined and this was the first time they have ever sent out a mass email. Your address may also be recorded incorrectly. We'll see if others are missing the survey as well, solely because it was recorded wrongly when given to SSUSA.
Jan. 7, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: place best hitters last strategy HJ, your observation on fast runners who make infielders hurry their throws and placement hitters who pick on weak fielders was spot on. I have had both on my team and their OBP more than makes up for their lack of power.
Jan. 7, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: More 1-1 Count Talk Staff, thanks for the explanation on those to whom the survey was sent. I have yet to talk with an SSUSA member who received the survey, and I interact with about 60 softball players a week, about half of whom are members of SSUSA. Now that I know the criteria, I'll ask again. In my case, I have been a member for 10 years, my card is current, I have not changed my email address during that time, and I check my spam filter every couple of days to catch items that should not have been trapped. And I received no survey. Do you routinely ask for an updated email address when cards are renewed? If not, that could be one reason no one around here seems to have received the survey.
Jan. 6, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: place best hitters last strategy Changing a lineup is an art in itself for a manager. On the first AAA team I played for, in my first tournament, I hit three triples in the first game. The manager moved me up to hit fourth where I didn't belong. It took me most of the season to demonstrate that was not the best place for me (I kept overswinging, trying for the big blast, to justify my placement in the lineup). On another team, some years later, I was hitting 9th in a 12-man continuous lineup. I stayed there the whole season. When the year-end stats came out, everyone was surprised to see that I led the team in RBIs, even though I was up about 25 times less than the third and fourth hitters. I was also second in batting average, another surprise. Probably a lineup change should have been made sooner. Where do I like to play? Second or sixth work for me. But it is difficult for a manager to balance in stats along with guys who sulk if they are too low in the lineup, aging power hitters who don't have the 3-4-5 power anymore but have ALWAYS batted fourth, no-hit but speedy guys who like leadoff or second, courtesy runners who have to be a certain place in the lineup to maximize their use, occasional late arrivals who get placed at the end of the lineup, close buddies who get to choose where they hit, etc. etc. It is an art.
Jan. 5, 2013 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Cure for AAA after 3rd HR! In contrast to Steve 27, I thought the unlimited arc was one of the BEST rules ever in softball. Finally, a pitcher could have some legitimate impact on the game. Only challenge then was just clearing the plate by 4 inches or less. If more, the ump declared it impossible to go through the strike zone. And of course hitting the plate was a ball. I helped pitch an inter mural team to a championship in college with this rule (and the fat softball they used) and I had my best year pitching ever with an unlimited arc in rec ball. Webbie25 is right that some guys could hit it. If you can consistently hit fungoes, you can hit the unlimited arc. It's amazing how many guys can't! My shutouts, my two one-hitters, my almost no-hitter came from that wonderful year. But boy did the prima donna hitters complain! They complained so loudly, the rule was changed back again. Different time. Different strokes for different folks.
Dec. 24, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Texas State Championship-2013 Good for SSUSA! Maybe this helps the Texas State Championships.
Dec. 23, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Texas State Championship-2013 I know it is common for Big League Dreams complexes to ban Mikens (although they are not the only hot bat out there) for safety reasons. However, the one in Manteca has allowed Miken for the last two years, if every player will sign a waiver concerning safety. These complexes, unlike most rec departments, likely have access to counsel which caution against the hot bat/ball combo prevalent in senior softball. Conditions are not as safe as in the past, so the lawyers advise banning hot bats (but only Mikens, it seems). Perhaps a solution for Texas would be to see if the local BLD parks would allow signed waivers of liability in order for seniors to play there with Mikens.
Dec. 19, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: What did you do in your last at bat? Weather's getting worse, so today might have been my last game before December 21, although I know it will be a bogus fear because I have already bought several gifts for Christmas. In my last at bat, late in the game, I hit a sharp grounder to the shortstop who couldn't make a clean field, and I had an extremely fast runner ahead of me on first. He beat the throw to second and there was no way they were going to get me at first. Not a great hit, but it put two on with nobody out. I later scored, but for nought since we still lost when the other team put on an offensive display in the last inning.
Dec. 15, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: AAA Home Run Outs Pricer, you might be right. Everyone worries about the thousands of guys who have bought expensive composite bats. The thinking is they wouldn't want to give them up because they have so much invested. But I think it would be easy to phase in a return to single wall aluminum bats. First you ban composites and double walls for the major plus. They can hit them out with the older bats, anyhow (maybe not 400 feet, but surely 300). And the way they complain on this site about going through composite bats (3 or 4 or 5 a year), it would save them money within a couple of months. Next come the majors, and many of them complain about durability of the current hot bats, so they too would quickly save money with a durable bat. Also at this level, pitchers would not have to invest in face masks, shin guards, etc. with a more normal bat. Also, any true home run hitter in the majors will still be able to jack them out; it just won't happen for guys like me who never hit one over the fence in decades of play until I owned my first Miken. Then the AAA, and finally the AA. Could be done in 3 or 4 years and players would save millions in fragile bats. Manufacturers would start promoting their bats like the old days, based on endorsements of known sluggers, balance, weight, grip, style, etc.
Dec. 3, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Grading the Rule Changes curveball, I know several 70 and older players who no longer have the power to hit past the outfielders, and don't have the bat control to hit consistently in the gap between infielder and outfielder. What they have successfully done is hit the left-side hole with a ground ball to keep their average up. Can't be 100% that way, either, so sometimes the ball is within reach of either the 3B or SS, but since they are extended while fielding it, their throws can be off-balance, or it takes time to get set to throw. These older guys I know usually are fast enough to beat the throw to first (I've had good luck with this myself when trying for the hole). When we play with 70 foot bases, a lot of these guys (and myself) are now out by just a step going to first. That's just one example of why older guys don't like the longer distance. I also know a couple of 70+ 3B who gripe about 70 foot bases because it makes the hole slightly larger and the ball gets by them more often. They feel like they can't play deeper, because that makes the throw farther to first. Maybe its just perception and things equal out (nothing equals out having to run 20 feet further trying for an in-the-park home run), but when a team is faced with an unexpected 70 feet distance at a tournament, I hear a lot of moans and unhappiness.
Dec. 2, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Grading the Rule Changes Fairly happy with most rule decisions. I love the one about limiting AAA and then making homers outs. Played on a AAA team most of my senior career. We had a good team for 2 or 3 years and had ONE (1) guy who could usually be depended upon to hit more than 300 feet once in a game. Then we added a second slugger and got bumped to major! If AAA teams have trouble keeping their home runs under 4 in a game, they ought to consider moving up to major. I'm neutral on the 1-1 count. Seldom played with it so don't know the strategy. I prefer 0-0. The 70 foot bases are not popular with most 70 and over guys I know. The legs slow down faster than the arms, it seems. Also, adding 5 feet to every base pushes guys going for a double or a triple.
Nov. 24, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Product review Discussion: Best website for titanium necklaces? Can't argue with life experience.
Nov. 24, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Update from USSSA National Convention Webbie25, I wasn't saying that Major Plus pitchers are the only good pitchers, I was just remarking that there are so few Major Plus teams that their pitchers, with their skills and derring-do and experience, are mathematically only 1% of all the pitchers in league and tournament play. And unlike most rec and AA teams, and many AAA and even Major teams, pitchers in Major Plus must perform, not be tolerated because they are buddies with the other guys. I would guess that when a pitcher for a Major Plus team cannot make a tournament, that the manager tries to recruit another excellent pitcher, not just rely on his right fielder who throws a consistently accurate batting practice ball. As to hitting the screen from the outfield, maybe it just has to do with getting used to it. I play about 130-140 games a year with a screen. I cannot remember the last year, even, when a throw from center field, or a relay of that throw, hit the screen. Didn't happen in 2012. Of course, it may be that none of our guys have a rocket arm like you!:=)
Nov. 23, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Questions to ponder..... boston, that was good information. Gives me even more appreciation for New Mexico. Webbie25, keep trying. Maybe a city council/rec department change might happen?

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