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Online now: 1 member: TABLE SETTER 11; 50 anonymousDiscussion: pitching rules
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| March 3, 2014 Matt43 22 posts | pitching rules I to have been pitching for over 30 years and never took one in the face area. I don't know of anyone who has over that time period. I believe the old rule of signing a waiver was enough. However, I see other pitchers not getting in a fielding stance after they release the pitch. These individuals need more than just a mask, they need full body armor. Make it optional for those of us that understand the position. |
| March 3, 2014 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | Hello Matt43, I too have been pitching for a long time (my 62nd season this year) and have never taken a hit to my face. I have stopped innumerable line drives coming right at my head, however. I attribute this to being ready to field, quick reflexes, and luck. That said, only in the last decade have I had to field shots from composite bats (and that by players as young as 50s because of the strength of our team and playing in tournaments with brackets ranked by ability, not age) and some have been scary close that I have not fielded, nor hardly seen. Even more to the point, over the decades I have taken shots to both my arms, my chest, my gut, my hip, my thighs, and below the knees uncounted times. Why? Didn't I have the same readiness, the same quick reflexes, the same wooden or aluminum bats? Of course, but getting hit is just part of pitching. That's why I credit luck to not taking one in the face. If I can't even defend against a shot coming at my thigh, for example, why do I think I can stop all shots to my face? So, I wear a mask. |
| March 4, 2014 taits Men's 65 4548 posts | I notice many guys wearing a full set of catchers gear. Trouble with it is time it takes to put on and take off. Otherwise about the best to use. |
| March 4, 2014 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | " Trouble with it is time it takes to put on and take off." Another reason to increase game times! |
| March 4, 2014 taits Men's 65 4548 posts | You are absolutely correct Bruce. That's the up side but the downside is it gives an 'excuse' to raise fees which are done anyway like the short lived 'truck' did. |
| March 4, 2014 modi 18 posts | everybody keeps complaining or arguing the same thing over and over without a resolution, the answer lies within using the 52/300 ball, you are not going to change the bats or convince the associations to change the rules, if player safety is truly a concern then change the easiest thing and that's the ball, you complain about games times, home run limits and pitching masks, you change the ball and all 3 of those things change as soon as the ball is put into play, just my opinion, that it's the easiest solution, I have played with the 52/300 ball for over 5 years in numerous leagues and tournaments it is a good durable ball and after playing with it for a few games you won't even think about it unless you are an ego guy with 301 power cause now you will have 290 power, bring the game back to it's truest form singles, defense and base running, not swinging from your heels so you can brag about your home runs, 52/300 separates the true power hitters from the almost power hitters and base hitters and remain base hitters |
| March 4, 2014 Vance+50 Men's 60 66 posts | I'm not a pitcher, have great respect for the guys that will stand that close to a hitter. I'm not gonna do it. In reading your post, modi, the main point you seem to make is separating true home run hitters from pretenders. While I totally agree with you that the balls and bats used today give everyone home run power, I don't think changing the ball is going to get the ball away from the pitcher. Moreover, if a guy can't hit it out of the park, maybe there's now a greater chance of hitting back at the pitcher. |
| March 5, 2014 modi 18 posts | Vance, sorry if i misled you in my post, my response is not intended to have anything to do with home run hitters or keeping the ball away from the pitcher. I have no problem with guys hitting for power or the home run limits we play by. My response should have read something a little more like this: If we are truly trying to make this game safer especially for us older players then why wouldnt we make the easiest changes possible firt? We all know the bats are not going to change, but the quickest fix or at least quickest option would be to change the ball and see how that works out before we force players to wear protective equipment that doesnt even reach a standard to totally prevent injuries. I have pitched for over 30 years myself and have been hit by numerous ground balls and an occassional line drive. sometimes you react fast enough, sometimes you dont, its part of the game and you know that risk going in, do i want to get hurt or die from being hit by a ball?, no, but the desicion to wear a mask should be mine, not somebody else's. the associations want to change the bats and balls, that's their decision same as if they had the common sense to move the mound back a few more feet which also is an easy thing to do. in golf its crazy how that game has changed with the balls and clubs with driving distance, do you think if they didnt want players to hit the ball as hard and travel as fast or far as it does now they would make a player tie one behind their back or swing with one hand? no the would tone down the ball and clubs. it wont be long before an umpire gets hit with a ball as the base umpire, next thing we will only have 1 umpire per game because its too dangerous to stand in the playing field or the base umpire will need to wear safety equipment. god forbid a spectator gets hit with a foul ball or a tournament director standing in the wrong place at the wrong time and gets hurt, are we going to see safety equipment in the stands? my suggestion, change the ball, players will still play, this is proven by all the rules they jam down our throats and we adapt too and still continue to play. if changing the ball doesnt work, change the bats, move back the mound, do the easiest things and most sensible things first. before grasping at straws. the young guys dont play with the equipment that we use so why are we using it? dont get me wrong i like to hit the good ball with an ultra 2, but i am not opposed to using the same equpiment that i use playing with the young guys, the game is still the game and after a few games you dont even notice, sure guys will bitch at first, but hey those guys are going to bitch anyway about something even if its their playing time or where they are hitting in the line up, i truly hope nobody gets hurt playing ball in any way, good luck this season and stay safe. |
| March 5, 2014 mad dog Men's 65 4191 posts | modi.....you are kicking a dead horse.....i have been suggesting using this ball for at 3 years now,but the ego's won't allow it...everyone has to be babe ruth now a days and hit the hr..... all the assoc i play in now use it(ASA,USSSA) in the young guy div's....why don't we....the ball is way safer and still goes out....we use the ball in our senior league(run by ASA rules)and also use our senior bats.....everyone has a great time,and no complaints about using the ball....oh,also we have had no serious injuries by being hit with the ball,just bumps and bruises.... |
| March 5, 2014 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | mad dog, keep pushing. Played in a tournament recently where your favorite ball was used. There were a few gripes about the ball not carrying as far, but of course the outfielders adjusted and moved in. Then my third baseman took a shot to the nose. Not a bad hop, just a lot of top spin on a fairly hard infield. After bleeding profusely, being looked at by paramedics (nose was broken), refusing to go to the hospital, he was told there would be an automatic out if he failed to bat in his next turn and only after that could we skip over his position because of injury (seemed like a strange interpretation). Manager told him to go stand in the box and hope for a walk (not bad odds with a wind and a pitcher struggling). Stand he did, but couldn't resist the inevitable fat pitch, and hit it well (too well, it carried to the left fielder). My point is your point: I'm not sure he would have gotten off so easy if he were hit with the same velocity by a Baden Fire Ball, for example. Keep pushing. Our rec league has gone to the 52/300, and some guys have not YET noticed the difference! |
| March 6, 2014 modi 18 posts | We here in penna. have been using that ball for over 5 years, in fact some of the original testing and developement was done in 2 of the leagues I played in, we use utrip and asa bats and nobody has been seriously hurt, like you said just a few bruises that otherwise would have been more serious with a 44 or 47 ball, the ball carries well but may take some undercutting spin to get it to travel but that is true with most softballs. You would think that common sense would prevail, try this ball in the beginning of the season for a few tournies and get feedback, then make an educated decision, allow pitchers to make up their own minds about wearing a mask or other safety equipment, plus the kicker is if the ball isnt as good then the games actually may go the 7 innings that we are paying the umpires for and waste our entry fees on when we only complete 5 inning games, do we forget when the composite bats first cqme out we were hitting 47/525 balls, then we changed to 44/375 balls after a few games nobody cared, now the bats are even hotter so why not reduce the ball again? It still travels when you hit it and infielders actually have a chqnce of fielding it instead of standing there and watching it blister by them with no chance at getting a glove on it, put defense back in the game and lets get the game back to talent and not equipment based |
