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Nov. 23, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Update from USSSA National Convention Webbie, you play at a high level, so you might not have observed that a lot of pitchers, especially 60 and older, are men who have lost much of their functioning in their legs. This is probably more prevalent still in AAA and AA, where lessened mobility doesn't allow these guys to run for themselves on base, or function at many other positions than catcher or possibly 1B, so they can be enough of a liability that a major or major plus team may not want them. These guys are not able to retreat rapidly after a pitch to be set to field a shot up the middle. Some of them are exceptional fielders with quick reflexes and good gloves, but they just aren't very mobile backing up (or of course, left to right). But even their good reflexes as they age aren't enough for the high speeds coming up the middle. Add to that the question of stamina that begins to affect men in their late 60s and older, and you have mobile pitchers who just don't want to run back except on known sluggers or guys who often come middle. Lots of these guys (we pitchers talk to one another) would probably welcome a screen. I have never been in a tournament with a screen (except for sun problems) but almost all my league play uses screens. I can take them or leave them, but many pitchers prefer them, and you would be surprised, probably, about the one-time experienced, good pitchers who no longer play that position because of the danger to themselves (sometimes eyesight, etc.). They might return with a screen. Wearing protective gear is either too cumbersome or they still don't feel protected enough.
Nov. 22, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Associations Discussion: Impact Players List twins25, couldn't agree with you more that just because a player is on an all-tournament team that he is automatically an impact player. Here's just one example in my own case. We were playing in a major SPA tournament and won. Big deal. It was one of those quirky tournaments where there were no other teams in our ranking or age group! We had it won before the first pitch. We played teams older and younger and had a good time, but "winning" our division was a ludicrous concept. Our manager was asked to nominate five guys for the all-tournament honors. I had a decent tournament, pitching most of the games and hitting about .800, so I was one of the five he picked. So I was/am an "impact player"?! NOT! The odd thing is that we did have two true impact players on our team that year, but neither of them were able to make this tournament. So they were not nominated and have never been on the impact player list. Needs to be a better system for identifying impact players. All Tournament or All World is a start, but only a start until more data is gathered.
Nov. 21, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: What are you thankful for? boston, what a great idea for a thread. Here are my thanks from a softball perspective. I am thankful that my relationship with Jesus infuses my every day with meaning and joy. I am thankful for a loving wife of 51 years who puts up with my affection for softball and my Saturdays and Sunday afternoons away at tournaments. I am thankful for my two wonderful children and four grandchildren, each successful in their own ways and happy in life. I am thankful for this country and its commitment to freedom and opportunity. I am thankful to live in a beautiful part of the country which allows me to play softball most days of the year. I am thankful for the health to be able to still run and jump and play as I did when I was a boy (even though I don't have the stamina I did then). I am thankful for the many friends I have made in senior softball, and my teammates through the decades who enriched my life in many ways and heightened my joy in playing. I am thankful for the many interesting posters on this board who have expanded my knowledge and given me many hours of stimulating enjoyment (and oh, how I miss einstein). And my prayer for other readers is that you will have an enriching and magnificent Thanksgiving Day, filled with as many family and friends as possible, and with the celebration of our privilege to live in this wonderful country.
Nov. 20, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens garyheifner, I remember teams also where they assumed the pitcher couldn't defend and some would hit at him. That's not been my experience when I'm pitching. :=) When I say hard liners at the pitcher, I'm not just talking about those coming right at me, head high. I consider a shot that misses my legs because I jump, or my stomach because I dodge (with my glove out hoping) or God forbid, the one that I can hear going by my ear but did not see, as shots up the middle when I say I experience about one per tournament, not one or two a season. I used to back up on every pitch, but that's very tiring over 5 games, so now I try to do it only on the power hitters (if I know them). I do take a defensive position after every pitch, not just stand there like a target with my hands at my side! I don't think most players target the pitcher, either. But there are an awful lot of poor control hitters in AAA and Major where I play, and my other points about "power swings" work against controlled hitting.
Nov. 19, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens HJ, you are correct that I think all composite bats with their greater distance and faster exit speed have changed softball for the worse. And it isn't just safety for the pitcher that I worry about in this regard. Gary19 is correct that several posters on this site have stated that they would not play in a tournament (or an Association) that did not allow the senior bats, while to his credit, Gary19 has often stated that using a bat that was not so hot would not be a consideration of ceasing participation. I agree with this, and have even argued in the past that senior softball is slowly dying out because of the dropouts who are not having as much fun with diminished value on defense, base running, and strategy. Back to the pitching screen question and your information on pitching speeds, I'm sure all pitchers will agree that there is quite an adrenaline rush when a ball is coming 100 mph right at you! Whether you field it, duck it, or deflect it, you realize you were very close to serious injury. I have decided I will keep pitching as long as I can protect myself (which I have done for 60 seasons, not counting the occasional broken finger, deep bruise, or damaged leg). What concerns me is having to field one of those rockets almost every tournament, not just once or twice a season as in the past (pre-2000). The number of players in every line-up who can now do serious damage because of the composite, big-sweet-spot bat, wild power swing is obviously increasing and that's what makes me uneasy as a pitcher.
Nov. 17, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Update from USSSA National Convention Gary19, I think you're right. I dimly remember that ASA allowed unlimited arc for two years, but due to the whining and crying in our area, our rec department changed the rule the second year for league play. Maybe even half way through the season. Did you ever have a pitching umpire behind the plate? I had one, a young guy like myself at the time, and his strike zone was very generous, considering the mathematically narrow window a 20' pitch has to go through, and he had no tolerance for second guessing. Don't remember him tossing anyone, but he certainly gave warnings about challenging his calls.
Nov. 17, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens Curveball, you're probably right. I never had the funds to think about purchasing a DeMarini, so I didn't know they were selling for $300 like my Miken in 2003. Also, I forgot about the dents. I hit with two aluminum bats that both had dents. No "bat police" back then because shaving a bat was considered serious cheating and guys had more integrity, so no one told me that dented bats were also illegal! Who knew. I thought it deteriorated performance if you failed to rotate away from the dent. ?, as to aluminum bats not hurting a pitcher, of course they did. When I was pitching from 37 feet, I got winged a couple of times by wooden bats. I'm sure that aluminum bats hit pitchers often, might have even seriously injured some. Big bruisers swinging hard will always be a risk for a pitcher. Part of the game. My point is that the odds for getting hurt has greatly increased with the composite bats. Still got big studs swinging hard, but now the bat is hotter, even relative to a dumbed-down ball, and the sweet spot is bigger, and bat weights have gone done for faster bat speed, so the pitcher is more at risk than ever.
Nov. 17, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Update from USSSA National Convention Ah, southernson, the unlimited arc. What a year that was (and it only lasted a year in my area because of the whining of the batters). Throw that puppy up 15, 18, even 20 feet—and those were they days when it had to pass through the strike zone and hitting the plate was a ball. I had a couple of shut outs and lost a no-hitter in the last inning that season. What a joy for the pitcher. Actually, any guy that can hit fungoes was pretty unaffected by the high arc. It's amazing how many men cannot hit a fungo.
Nov. 17, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens HJ, I agree that there is little difference between composite bats, whether for ASA use or SSUSA. My gripe is with all composite bats. They were only introduced to produce longer balls and higher averages because of the larger sweet spots. The original aluminum bats were a great improvement over the wooden bats because of their durability. That was a technological improvement with little performance advantage. Now we hear nothing but complaints about the short life of the composite, especially with its dramatically higher price. The composite was a technological improvement purely for the ego of the male softball player of advancing years (and fatter wallet)!
Nov. 17, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens HJ, I still think it is primarily the bats. 1. Everyone, including the professor, acknowledges that given an equal bat speed that the ball leaves the bat faster than with any double wall or any single wall. The difference is small, but it is there. 2. My first Miken was the best balanced bat I ever owned. It felt lighter in my hands and it just swung faster. Maybe due to more expensive and careful production, but it gave me (and tens of thousands of other batters) more confidence and I hit the ball harder...and the ball came faster. 3. The composite bat has a wider sweet spot than previous metal bats. This means it is much more likely that the batter hits with a part of the bat that has the most rebound...and the ball goes faster more often than with a metal bat. 4. With the wider sweet spot, the better balance, and the faster launch speed, batters are more often swinging from the heels to hit the big boomer, and swinging wildly is the opposite of placement hitting, with a result that more balls go up the middle inadvertently than in the past. When Mikens were new, I pitched against a team that I had faced many times before. I knew most of the guys, good guys, good sports, but they were all excited about the potential power of the composite. In that game, I had 12 hits up the middle in six innings! Were they trying to hit me and take me out? No, I didn't think so, since that would be against their character. They were swinging as hard as they could and swinging wildly. 5. With all of the above factors, many former punch and judy hitters (like me) were suddenly able to reach the fence...or even clear it! So when a miss hit occurs, there are more batters in a lineup sending the ball faster up the middle than there used to be. It's the composite bat. And you're right, pitchers now need to be protected more. I wear a mask and shin guards now after pitching 55 seasons without them.
Nov. 16, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens HJ, I think it is not only the difference (as noted by the professor) that balls hit by composite bats DO arrive faster at the pitcher (even if only slightly faster), but that more and more batters are able to drive the ball faster than in the past. The common experience on this site is that composites add about 40 feet to distance...for all batters. These are real hitters, not a machine in a professor's lab. This means that more and more batters are hitting the ball harder, faster, longer. My point is that in the past I only had to watch out for 2 or 3 hitters on a team that could launch a rocket up the middle. Now I have to be on careful guard against more than half the lineup. The same thing has happened with infielders. In the past, my third baseman backed up for one, maybe two batters on a team. Now he routinely plays 10-15 feet behind third base because of the increased speed of the ball through the infield. garyheifner, I have had the same experience as you. Thought I was just getting older and having to fight the belly to get down on a low grounder, but it also has something to do with the ball arriving faster before you can get down.
Nov. 16, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens HJ, are you saying that all the hundreds of senior pitchers that have been drilled over the last 5 years, say, all had poor technique?! I think most would disagree (as I do). What they do seem to be unanimous on is that the ball is coming faster off the composite bats and human reflex time, which is scientifically known to diminish as we age, not to mention deteriorating eyesight, is what results in a formerly good fielding pitcher getting hit by a batted ball that he picks up too late to field. Solution could be a return to ASA bats, or dumbing down the ball, or a screen, but it is NOT poor technique that results in a pitcher getting plunked by a heater back at him. Of course some pitchers are a danger to themselves by not getting set to field after the release (and/or backing up to give themselves more time), but most of those guys stopped pitching after a year or so. Those left, in my observation, have very adequate technique; they're just older...and older...and older.
Nov. 15, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: pitching screens When I pitch batting practice (which I do every week) I consider it a success if a guy hits 8 out of 10 off of me. That means I'm throwing strikes, not too high nor too low—a successful batting practice pitcher. When I pitch in league (or tournament) I consider it a failure if a guy hits 800 off of me. I try for shutouts at both levels. If I groove a pitch for a batter, it was a mistake and I don't plan to make many mistakes.
Nov. 14, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Awards for championship teams jimjoesgman, I actually play in league with a guy who uses that half-pack. He arrives on his Vespa! LOL Gary19, about the time that entry fees started to soar from $125 to their present $500. Guys wanted more for their money than just a trophy for the sponsor (who often didn't exist). Now, it seems evident, they still aren't satisfied. I like the idea of sunglasses for second place—a welcome change from yet another shirt for my crowded closet.
Nov. 14, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Update from USSSA National Convention crusher, I agree that pitchers might have better than average reactions, and experience helps anticipate a hit up the middle. Likely, the many who wanted to pitch in the past were driven out by the danger when they realized they couldn't get their glove in place fast enough for a screaming line drive up the middle. And this has always been the case. I began pitching only 37 feet from the plate back in the 50s. It was fast pitch, so there was no time to reverse weight and back-up on a batter. Even with wood bats, the ball could be very hot coming up the middle. Either you could protect yourself, or you found another position. The composites, with the extra speed that allows the ball to go 350...400 feet for some batters have exacerbated the problem. I can see why associations are mandating screens because few pitchers are really safe at those speeds. Even with backing up after release, the pitcher is vulnerable to getting hit by a ball they can't stop, and these are experienced pitchers with faster than normal reflexes. And of course, as pitchers continue into their 60s and 70s and even 80s, their eyesight and reflex speed decline enough that a strong batter that age has even more of a dangerous advantage. I appreciate batters like you that work hard not to hit a composite up the middle. May your tribe increase!
Nov. 13, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Update from USSSA National Convention Thanks for the news, Stick. I predicted a couple of years ago that screens would become mandatory. In this case, USSSA upgrades to a senior bat and then mandates a screen PLUS a mask! Wow. I predict that SSUSA won't be far behind. Kind of hard to say that a pitcher can sign a waiver because of the hot bats and then another association mandates a screen for safety. Why is safe for an SSUSA pitcher to not use a screen with composite bats, but not for an USSSA pitcher? As to the rule, I can live with a screen. Play with one every week and it's not a problem. I love the idea that the pitcher can also be a fielder, and thus the requirement for a mask. Don't like a DBO for hitting the screen. No reason for such a penalty. The pitcher is already protected with a screen and with a mask. Why penalize a mishit so much? I could live with the ball hitting the screen being a dead ball, but would prefer that it be a strike to keep the game going. Who will provide the screen? TD, of course, which makes it standard, well-maintained, and very affordable. About $1.00 more per team should purchase the screen within its lifetime.
Oct. 25, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LV World Tournament Discussion We're over 50, don't move as fast. A lot of us are over 60 and REALLY don't move as fast. Some of us are over 70 and moving fast is relative. So what are we faced with? Enormous fields for outfielders to cover. 300 foot fences are the norm and a lot of the new fields are now 315, 320, even 325. Why such large fields? Because of the hot bats now illegal (but common) for youngsters and the senior bats approved for over 50. Having a fifth fielder (used to only need 3 fielders when fields were smaller and bats didn't hit as far) can help compensate for aging, slower legs. Infield gaps where the hot bats shoot the ball through the holes before infielders can react (with their lessened speed, remember?). These guys used to play at the bag (when it was 60 feet away) or maybe a little deeper. Now they play on the edge of the grass, hoping to give them more time to cover the hole on a grounder. And most pitchers can no longer field as well because the reaction time required to stop a ball coming 90+ mph is beyond most human abilities (do you remember when pitchers could field acceptably and the rubber was closer than 40 feet?). A sixth infielder can help compensate for aging reaction times and less quickness. Take away the hot bat/ball combination, and there is much less need for that eleventh man, except perhaps with 65 and older.
Oct. 24, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Teams looking for players Discussion: NEED 1 OR 2 AA or AAA PLAYERS FOR WINTER WORLDS IN PHOENIX 65'S It's a California team and pretty successful in big-time tournaments.
Oct. 22, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LV World Tournament Discussion When I started playing softball, there were 9 fielders, just like in hardball. Of course, with the conditions current then, many fields were around 250 feet (some even shorter) so three outfielders could cover. Then came the innovation of adding another fielder. We called it a buck short. On most teams, we played the buck short wherever we thought the batter would hit. Even if it didn't work to stop a single, it often took away the hitter's favorite spot. Home runs were so infrequent, that they were not a major factor. Then came the standardization of four fielders where most teams (because of the rapidly enlarging fields to accommodate the hot bats and balls) didn't play a fielder close to the infield, but helped cover gaps by playing back. And now as an older player, I am on teams where four fielders are standard, but we are also allowed a fifth fielder, usually guarding the middle behind the pitcher. The game evolves. But as Gary19 notes, much of this would not be necessary were it not for the super-hot bats and the resulting enormous fields (who is going to cover 325 foot fences with only 3 fielders—they've have to be cheetahs to cover that much territory (or members of the Super Major Longhorns). This is a kind of evolution that I don't enjoy because it is distorting the game and diminishing the importance of running, fielding, and strategy. It's all about offense.
Oct. 18, 2012 Omar Khayyam	Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Pleasanton, Oct 27-28th, am curious as to who's going taits, you're right that the website has trouble being current. The link to the new site works fine for me, but the new site still has a problem staying current. Case in point is the Tracy tournament—supposed to start in 32 hours and still no schedule posted. I heard that it had been cancelled for lack of teams (too many teams at Huntsman?), but that should have been posted for sure if the tournament was cancelled. I know you like to drop in on nearby tournaments to see what's happening, even if your team isn't playing. What a disappointment to drop in and find the tournament had been cancelled. I'll look for you in Pleasanton if our schedules coincide.

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