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Online now: 1 member: TABLE SETTER 11; 50 anonymousDiscussion: The way softball was played back when:
| Posted | Discussion |
| Oct. 16, 2012 #6 Men's 60 1173 posts | The way softball was played back when: OK, I understand I will probably get hammered over this one and that is OK. But who would like to play senior ball like we did back when we were playing A,B,C,D AND OPEN. START WITH AN 0-0 COUNT,AND A REAL HOME PLATE, CAN SLIDE AT 2ND, 3RD AND HOME.No comittment lines, no home plate line. I play on a team that has some guys who can still run and slide. I KNOW WE'RE SENIORS AND SOME HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR LEGS AND OTHER THINGS, SO I WOULDN'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE ADDITIONAL BASE RUNNER.....Just wondering out loud, and No I am not yelling..just curious how some of you feel about the wat it was !I do like the 70 ft. bases. |
| Oct. 16, 2012 Olden Slow Men's 75 209 posts | I'd play in a heartbeat...70' bases were fun for me..Just have to run harder.... |
| Oct. 16, 2012 Olden Slow Men's 75 209 posts | Forgot to add..I just turned 64 but will still play like I was a young turd... |
| Oct. 16, 2012 #6 Men's 60 1173 posts | Olden Slow..thank you ! |
| Oct. 16, 2012 Fabe Men's 65 456 posts | I still run, slide, hit n play defense...I believe thats what softball is about! Would enjoy playn under those rules, yet I still enjoy playn today! |
| Oct. 16, 2012 Webbie25 Men's 70 2414 posts | I love the 70' bases-more 'old guys' to throw out!! (LOL) But the number of guys that can still hit, run, play D, etc. goes down as age goes up. It is a sad and irreversible fact of life. |
| Oct. 16, 2012 crusher Men's 75 524 posts | When I first heard about the MAT being used in California... My first thaught was WHEN WILL IT GET TO OKLAHOMA????? Takes some judgment away from someone who at times did not make correct calls for any number of reasons. Like the double 1st base. Saves feet getting steped on and springing an ankle. Like 2nd homeplate. REALLY REALLY prevents lots of injuries and sometimes fights. You can still slide at 2 & 3. I really did like the OPEN play in young ball. We were always limited to 3 hr's then outs in young ball most of the time. In spring however it was completely open. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 LP 317 posts | #6 you can slide at all the bases in SSUSA rule changed this year,i wish the comittment line was at least half way up the third base line,for now its at 20'from home if a player runs to that line hes not going to run 45'back to third.and as a pitcher i like the mat.heck some of the umps in Texas have a hard enough time with the heighth let alone trying to call the depth of the ball without a mat. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | LP, just wondering. Thirty years ago, if you were pitching then, how many times did you say "damn, I wish there was a strike mat"? Sounds like you are pretty sure you can tell height better than the umps. Seems like a lot of players believe that, not sure on what basis. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 Jawood Men's 50 943 posts | Bases used to be 60' before they went to 65'. Would like to see them moved full time to 70'. Much better game, more DP's, not as many automatic doubles that don't even reach the gap, and safer in that infielders can play back more. I know, the infields need to be cut deeper, but that's happening more and more along with the numerous turf fields we are starting to play on. It's also safer for the baserunners, standing 5' further back on first or third with no protection from the batter. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | In the good old days. People griped about strikes, height low or high, where they hit, and the game was much more subjective. I remember playing Utrip, thinking I needed a cup to catch or for that matter hit. More times or not, I would ask the pitcher if he was wearing a cup and if he continued to jerk around then I probably would have to go up the middle. Thank God I grew out of that or maybe it is a lack of testosterone and hair. Either way if I go up the middle now, it is a total accident. Especially when Ray - Double Play, is pitching, he doesn’t miss anything. Love the mat, love the double base, love 70’ bases (doesn’t hurt my lack of speed), and can live with the 2nd home plate or line. I miss the plays at the plate, but it is better for the game considering we don’t recover as quickly from a collision. Personally, I could care less if we were swinging Senior Bats or not as long as we have a good ball. It doesn’t normally affect real homerun hitters, but as long as they are legal, I am swinging them. See you on the field in Phoenix. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | Why would you cowardly hit back at the pitcher for just doing what U-trip rules allowed? If you didn't like it, why weren't you just playing ASA? |
| Oct. 17, 2012 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | Which rule states that I could not go up the middle, at least I warned them. Just saying and for the record I said I grew out of it. I remember Bruce Mead putting one between the pitchers legs when he was doing some very entertaining gyrations on the mound. Was he a coward also? Nice try 46/36, but you can't field a ball from your keyboard or your couch. Won't see you on the field in Phoenix. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | No rule at all, just a cowardly way to handle a "situation" that only you are creating. Do you often "retaliate" against people who who do nothing more than just something you don't like? Glad you did outgrow it, I guess, but I hope you were like 9 when you were doing this. Most anyone in their 20s has already reached that level of maturity. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 rightrj1 Men's 55 286 posts | Mike I agree, I do like the senior bats, however if we go back to the older bats and the Red or Blue dots Balls, I'll be cool with that. Defense played a big part back then because the outfield could play the coed line on the little guys, knowing that they couldn't (for the most part) burn you. Now we have to play 290 on everyone! |
| Oct. 17, 2012 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | My point was made by you, thank you. I was playing within the rules. I just hope I can reach your level of awareness as pertains to the state of softball. As it is, I will just do the best I can, playing the game I love. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | If what you were doing was completely justifiable, you would not have had to "warn them". How many other plays within the rules do you give advance warning for? |
| Oct. 17, 2012 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | I am glad you asked. In fact this last tournament, the pitcher threw me low and inside, I asked the 3rd baseman what he had done to make the pitcher mad, because where the pitch was thrown I could only pull the ball. I try to let those know that might be in harms way. All BS aside now. We jawjack at eachother quite a bit and I have little respect for you as a poster on this board, but I would never try and hurt another individual in course of playing a game, even you. The truth of the matter, most of my BS - false bravado is gamesmanship. Ask the SS-Motto for Hollis. I hit him a ball in Reno, the next time up, I told him, "watch out SS comes your way". The last place I wanted to hit it, was to him, I wanted it to go out of the park, but I wanted him thinking about it. For me I am just having fun, kind of like, busting your chops. For the record Mr. Motto has caught more of my balls than have got past him. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | Hey, I am all for gamesmanship. Makes things very interesting. So I can understand you coming from that perspective. I just have never agreed with or understood retaliating with someone else's technology instead of doing it in a bit more manly manner. But if that was not your intent, it is all good. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 samg 35 posts | I have been playing this sport since I could at the age of 18 and in the military. I want to thank one person that motivated me the most to excell in it, my brother Mike aka softball4b. He taught me that sportsmanship is the best tool in a bat bag, he also taught me that as long as you play this sport you will have someone to jawjack you to get into your head. I never let that bother me until reading the above posts. I have been on this board for two years now, again thanks to Mike. And in this time I have rarely said much when people like Gary19 do a lot of "JAWJACKING". However after seeing your above comments I am going to let you get into my head when it comes to family. Dude you are the most arrogant non playing person in Ohio! I live in Ohio and have yet to see you play on any field or team competitively. If you do look me up I play for Universal Softball, I am easy to spot, I am a little guy and will out hit, out run, out throw you and if you do play and pitch, I will hit it up the middle because I do have that much bat control! Sorry guys but everytime I get on here this person has nothing but negative to say to anyone about anything and is really a nobody! I know I should not have let it bother me but enough is enough. If I get blocked for my comments I can only ask ahead of time what do I have to do to get back on here. Now I feel a little better. Hey Mike! Miss ya brother! |
| Oct. 17, 2012 HJ Men's 70 481 posts | G-19, correct me if I am wrong but my recollection is that in a number of discussions here about hitting up the middle your position was that it was OK because it was w/in the rules. If so, then motivation is irrelevant and you are just being a poseur for your own obnoxious reasons. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 garyheifner 649 posts | Yep, let's go back to the old U-trip days. I broke one guys collar bone on a slide at home and another guys ankle sliding at 2nd. Yep, I am real freggin proud of that. The umps don't even know what a 12' arc is today. How are they going to call balls and strikes without the mat. I remember dropping a legal arc 8 inches behind the plate and having it called ball 4 and we don't go to the semi's of a national tourney. He said a training course said that could be a ball. Or our 4 hitter in the same game who stood as deep as you could in the box have 3 straight pitches go over his back shoulder and have them called strikes. I remember so many games being a total bitching event for 7 straight innings. Lets go back to aluminum bats so players can cut the handles, add 2 inches and reweld to a 36" bat and sneak them into the tourney. Or cut off the end and stuff superballs in the barrell and reweld/refinish and then brag about all the Hrs they hit. For those of you who think the pitchers don't get hit at in senior ball, an opponent we played twice in a big tourney went directly up the middle "15" times in 2 games. Hey, that doesn't bother me because that's part of the job. Now, the 70 foot bases were, to me, a game changer. I kinda liked it. In vegas it definately brought the double play to a new level. I talked to several guys on a team after they beat us and we agreed there were at least 11-12 outs at 1st by a step that would have been singles on 65 footers. I think that with a runner on 1st and less than 2 outs you are going to see more guys shooting for the green rather than grounders through the infield. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 garyheifner 649 posts | Yep, let's go back to the old U-trip days. I broke one guys collar bone on a slide at home and another guys ankle sliding at 2nd. Yep, I am real freggin proud of that. The umps don't even know what a 12' arc is today. How are they going to call balls and strikes without the mat. I remember dropping a legal arc 8 inches behind the plate and having it called ball 4 and we don't go to the semi's of a national tourney. He said a training course said that could be a ball. Or our 4 hitter in the same game who stood as deep as you could in the box have 3 straight pitches go over his back shoulder and have them called strikes. I remember so many games being a total bitching event for 7 straight innings. Lets go back to aluminum bats so players can cut the handles, add 2 inches and reweld to a 36" bat and sneak them into the tourney. Or cut off the end and stuff superballs in the barrell and reweld/refinish and then brag about all the Hrs they hit. For those of you who think the pitchers don't get hit at in senior ball, an opponent we played twice in a big tourney went directly up the middle "15" times in 2 games. Hey, that doesn't bother me because that's part of the job. Now, the 70 foot bases were, to me, a game changer. I kinda liked it. In vegas it definately brought the double play to a new level. I talked to several guys on a team after they beat us and we agreed there were at least 11-12 outs at 1st by a step that would have been singles on 65 footers. I think that with a runner on 1st and less than 2 outs you are going to see more guys shooting for the green rather than grounders through the infield. |
| Oct. 17, 2012 Fabe Men's 65 456 posts | Looks like u made another good friend Gary19! Just attempt to be positive n not get so personal with your comments, but then again this is the USA.. Aloha, Fabe |
| Oct. 18, 2012 Webbie25 Men's 70 2414 posts | Gary-when even the most positive person I've ever met-Fabe-says something about you being to personal- you really have a serious problem of your own. Have you ever thought of seeing a psychiatrist to find out why you have this compulsion to be this way. Denigrate, antagonize, attack personally, and all about an association that you refuse to even play tournaments in because they are too small (or is it too big, now). Yes-you have the right to blog here-but most of us are responsible enough to not constantly abuse that right as you do. OCNISB is a terrible disease and you are in the last stages of it. (Obsessive compulsive negative irresponsible softball blogging) |
| Oct. 18, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | Not sure what was "personal". The "cowardly" comment to softball4b? He first seemed to say, but later did clarify and I completely understood, that he warned the pitcher he was going to hit at him because the guy had the nerve to use what was legal pitching motion. I have said many times, not just to him but in general, that to attempt to hit a guy with a batted ball just because he had the nerve to do something you don't approve of is cowardly. To go after a pitcher because a teammate did something you don't approve of is many times moreso. I stand by that. You have a problem with a guy, real or perceived, take it up directly with him in some manly manner. Not sure what is so controversial, negative, or antagonistic about that. "I live in Ohio and have yet to see you play on any field or team competitively." If you played for Universal Mechanical a few years back, yes you have. |
| Oct. 18, 2012 spoonplugger Men's 60 95 posts | We had ALF . Now we have ALG . ( Annoying little gnat ) |
| Oct. 18, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | Do I get a TV show, and merchandising revenue? |
| Oct. 18, 2012 softball4b Men's 70 1248 posts | Thanks Sam. Truth is you have always been a great player, I just am older, so I could point you in certain directions. 46/36, Sam indicated that he has only played Senior Softball for 2 years. Conversely, if you had played UM within that time period, you would know who he is. |
| Oct. 18, 2012 Gary19 Men's 50 2609 posts | Probably true. I did not say I don't know who he is, he said he never saw me play. |
