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Real name:
George Hall
Location:
Boulder Creek, CA
Division:
Men's 55
Messages posted by GeHall44 »Message board home »Start a new discussion
| May 8, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: Players looking to join a team Discussion: neeed a team in the east Bruce - It just hit me, BBQ must be the key to one of the sweetest swings in Senior Softball. Let's start up an MLM BBQ Company on the internet and get rich. All we need is an endorsement from Oprah and we will make millions. : ) |
| May 4, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Humor -another attempt to lighten things up Disclaimer: None of the below is true. I'm just trying to have some fun... Sacramento Office Outsource Status May 2009 – The Sacramento Softball outsourcing Project is on track to begin in June 2009. Below are some details on the new procedure to follow when requiring information or assistance from the main office. Your call will be routed to the new Bangalore, India call center where one of the newly trained personnel will be eager to help you. Please have you SS Card number ready to begin the call and be aware that after hours (India time) calls will be charged extra. All Sacramento contacts will no longer be available as of June 1 (Unless you can reach the old cell phone numbers on the “Senior Suckers” Yacht at a fishing village in the Caribbean). New number: 1-877-NO-HOMER Option #1 – HR Rules Option #2 – PPR Rules Option #3 – Ratings Classification appeal forms Option #4 – Host Hotel discount info Option #5 – New Card and event cost structure Option #6 – Directions (via satellite) to events Option #7 – Scheduling issues |
| May 4, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Demise of Senior Softball Taits, I agree, but I was just trying to convey that there really is no need to alter the Senior Bats unless you just want them break faster.: ) The powers that be do read this board as you can tell from the SSUSA prompt replies to issues that have a defined policy or rules answer. I agree that there will never be any debate from them on the board other than what we see every day. It's a no win situation for anyone really. If our voices and opinions could make a difference, then I believe more people would post and reply. I think you have suggested a poll option in the past which is an excellent idea in my opinion for SSUSA to illicit feedback on these important issues. |
| May 4, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Demise of Senior Softball Forgot the declining teams issue. Make 3 divisions, Major, AAA and AA or even 2 from each 5 year age group - Competitive and recreational. Another option would be to make 10 year divisions - 50-59, 60-69, 70-79 and Over 80. I would love to play in a tourney that had 10 or more teams in the same division again. |
| May 4, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Demise of Senior Softball Airbosn - this should be the hottest topic on this message board in my opinion. Thanks for bringing it up. I think that the Greatest minds in Senior Softball prefer to stay quiet on this message board for a variety of reasons I can only guess about. As for the rest of the usual suspects, there are 2 main things that always come up that I will agree with and are what attracted me to Senior softball. 1 - HR's should never be a DBO. Make them walks or singles. 2 - Bats - Keeping the legal hot bats in Senior Softball will attract new members and eliminate dealing with the complicated issue of altered bats occuring every day in the younger divisions. I played a father son event this past weekend and was able to hear some thoughts on the game from a few Major level players from the younger divisions. Bats are still a big issue. The Major Teams are allowed 16 HR's (USSSA? ) then, they are DBO's. These guys have learned to deal with that and I think they all looked forward to playing Senior Ball where over the limit HR's are singles, until this year. Illegal bats - they all know who is using them, but players who work hard and take a lot of BP, which naturally will break in a composite bat and make it hot, get accused of having altered bats also. The only answer is to keep the Senior Bats until there is a definitive testing method in the future. Balls- my opinion is that the balls will provide the best solution going forward. We are going to play in a private practice event in a few weeks where we will test the 52/275 ball and I am looking forward to seeing how it feels. I agree with Joe that the ball needs to feel good when you hit it and I also want it to not break my bones when I wave my glove at it, before it hits my shin. Is that too much to expect? As for the rest of the Einstein Conspiracy theories, I will wait for the movie to come out with Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts starring before further comment. (Just messin' with ya Joe) Another interesting thing I heard from young Major Player almost 40 was that there is now a whole generation of softball players who have never swung anything but composite bats. These guys have always had hot bats. I know everyone here over 50 can relate to the difference between an aluminum and comopsite bat. These kids don't really know what is was like to work hard at hitting and developing power with the old equipment. They all think that have more power than they really should. Interesting. |
| May 1, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Mens rules...We've seen & heard the women's Taits - I appreciate the lighter side on this board once in a while, thanks. So, I'll try to keep it going with a few quotes along the same subject line - GH "If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even considering if there is a man on base." - Dave Barry "Women complain about PMS, I think of it as the only time of the month that I can be myself."-Roseanne |
| April 29, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Rules questions Leftie - I have an ASA Anti Virus I will trade for the 58 Ford Meteor.: ) Butch - He was in the box typing insults to the message board on his handheld computer. |
| April 29, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Rules questions 150 pound AAA Player comes to the plate all jacked up from drinking a whole bottle of ACAI Juice he just got from Jim16. He’s swinging his shaved Ultra 2 he got on EBAY and the unknown pitcher wearing full armor serves him up a meatball with the new “ Einstein” 75 cor 825 compression ball. Batter proceeds to hit a 125 MPH line drive off the pitchers helmet (which he purchased from Trumpball), and the ball still goes over the 325’ center field fence. The team is already over the HR limit and even though they are playing on a lousy field in Vegas, it is a SSUSA event. How many rules did this play break? Is he out twice for breaking the PPR rule and hitting a DBO HR? Will the umpire (on loan from LVSSA) confiscate the bat for inspection? Will SSUSA make the batter submit to the first ever softball urine test for banned substances? Will SSUSA now force him and his whole team to only play Major Plus from now on? Does anyone really know if the pitcher was indeed Dirty in disguise and if this guy shot middle on purpose? Will what happens in Vegas ,stay in Vegas? Inquiring minds want to know… |
| April 24, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Softball danger - how do we fix it???? Hi Joe. You and I agree on one thing that we both enjoy in softball. Hit ball hard, watch ball go far. But, there are always things we will disagree on which is cool with me. Balls are the simplest and cheapest solution to this mess in my opinion. I don't think anyone is going to get rich selling softballs. They are like golf balls and have a very small profit margin. Like golf, the money is in the big ticket items - clubs, and in softball -bats. Think about this - how many HR's have you mishit that still went out while using Sr. bats and current balls? I still feel like I'm cheating when that happens to me. A direct result of Catholic School guilt maybe. I also used to get a kick out of buzzing a ball down the third base line just out of the defender's diving reach, or hard up the middle where the pitcher couldn't get to it. Now, we can't do that without risk of hurting some one who is often your friend on the mound. Why should the middle be taken away from us as hitters? Some of the best hitters I've played with hit it hard up the middle, but none of them intentionally want the pitcher to catch it or to hurt the pitcher. If we had a ball that would bounce off of people without killing them, maybe it would be OK again? I know for me, I don't always get something until I see and feel it first hand. Seeing a buddy lying unconscious in a bloody heap on the mound is something I never want to see again. Having my jaw wired shut and eating through a straw for 9 weeks is something I never want to experience again. Something has to be done to get the game back to where it should always have been. When you hit an HR, you should know you crushed it, got it all and hit it perfect, not oops, missed it, then wow, it went out... James LG - nice to know someone in this world agrees with me on something. : ) Thanks. |
| April 23, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Softball danger - how do we fix it???? All the new safety discussions have prompted me to state what I think is the problem that no one seems to address much if at all. It is the BALLS that are causing all of these injuries my friends #1, then #2 the bats contribute also. If the balls were changed, the bats could remain in my opinion. The worst injuries I have seen on a softball field have mostly been from thrown balls. I had my jaw broken in 2 places by a Skyhawk Blue Stitch 47/525? ball thrown back in 1992 before special bats. I have the plate with 4 screws still in my jaw to remind me of that one. I know of and witnessed 3 people who sustained permanent damage from being hit by wild thrown balls at 1st base trying to beat our grounders. Brain damage, broken cheeks, jaws and eye sockets resulted. I witnessed an Ultra 2 line drive that shattered our pitchers eye and socket in 2003. I sustained a ground ball injury to my shin at 2008 Spring Worlds that had me concerned about losing my lower leg from infection being a type 1 diabetic. That injury happened in April and lasted until August last year. Bottom line is that the current softballs are just hard plastic with no give nowadays. They break bones when they hit you now. Joe Lecak recently published a very interesting article from 1982 about softballs changing. The old balls were not plastic, they were wound or cork center and did not kill you or shatter bones when they hit you. Kevin (Trumpball) gave us all good info on ball technology a while back also. Now I love to hit and I dig the long ball, but I feel I could always adjust to being a singles hitter if I had to and leave the home runs for the big boys just like the old days. If we could just get a higher cor, lower compression ball, that would not feel like a pillow when you hit it, that is the solution in my opinion. It would eliminate missed balls going over the fence and the little guys banging them out and acting big and also bring defence back into the game a little(for me hopefully:) I remember playing softball many years ago without gloves at picnic type games. I would never dream of doing that now. I would rather be hit be a hard ball today that a softball because the hardball is actually softer, not being plastic. Sorry for the long post, but had to give my 2 cents. PS - I don't like HR restriction rules or the ridiculous PPR rule because no pitcher I know ever stays in the stupid box. |
| April 15, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: 4-25 & 26 LVSSA 50 teams where are you Mike - you will have to stop sandbagging as a Major Team in SPA first, before you can say something,he-he. Hoping you win this one, so that Ridge will move you up for the July event. Good luck. PS - Gary is bringing the ACAI to Turlock this weekend. George |
| April 2, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LVSSA Spring Classic April 18 &19 Gary - I'll look for you so we can talk some more about this. 4 triples, wow. Every time I see you hitting , it is usually a long bomb. C-ya on Saturday. GH |
| April 2, 2009 GeHall44 | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: LVSSA Spring Classic April 18 &19 Mike - Vegas on April 18 & 19 is not on the MTC 55 updated schedule I sent you. We will be in NCSSA - Turlock that weekend. Started taking Genesis Today ACAI100 this week and couldn't sleep last night. I think that stuff just jacked me up. Hopefully I will feel positive effects after 5 games in Folsom this weekend. George #44 |
| Dec. 16, 2008 GeHall44 | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: RULE CHANGES...COMMENTS I appreciate the effort by the summit members to try to increase the Major Plus and Major team numbers. What scares me with this rule change is the effect on all infielders when the really big guys like the Wood mentioned "adjust" to get singles and take the same hard home run swing while trying to hit the ball down after HR's are gone. Not too many of these guys like to dink the ball over the first baseman's head for a base hit. I see many 1B, 3B and Pitchers getting missiles launched at them and injuries will result. If that does start to happen, then what are the logical next rule changes? I think with a 5 run limit per inning, the over the fence singles would be controlled to a tolerable level. At least it would be better and faster than the 45 minute fireworks displays we witnessed on defense last season with unlimited runs per inning. |
| Dec. 15, 2008 GeHall44 | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: RULE CHANGES...COMMENTS SSUSA Staff - Wow, you have made a MAJOR change to home run rules for all of the divisions and effectively blamed it on the Major Plus Divisions. What does changing the best rule in Senior Softball for all divisions have to do with just Major Plus? I agree with Bruce, Audie and the others that after limit home run outs can only be bad for all divisions of Senior Softball. While it may be effective in moving some sandbagging HR hitters up from the lower divisions, I would be willing to bet that a majority of Senior Softball players DO NOT want to be penalized for hitting a ball over the fence. Equalizer plus one up works great. Singles after the limit works fine everywhere. Worst case please reconsider and at least make them foul balls. I think you will lose players to other interests if you instate penalties for over the fence hits. You also put the pitcher at greater risk, which is a whole other debate. Please reconsider by taking a vote, poll or other method of finding out what your customers value. GH |
| Oct. 22, 2008 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Favorite Quotes Bashbro - Nice, I never get tired of Rodney quotes. i always have to stop and watch caddyShack when flipping channels also. How about Dave Barry? “You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.” “What Women Want: To be loved, to be listened to, to be desired, to be respected, to be needed, to be trusted, and sometimes, just to be held. What Men Want: Tickets for the world series.” This one's for you Joey - “The problem with writing about religion is that you run the risk of offending sincerely religious people, and then they come after you with machetes.” |
| Oct. 22, 2008 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Favorite Quotes I'm liking this post. Can't believe no one has quoted the man Rodney Dangerfield yet. Here are some Rodney gems. They say 'love thy neighbor as thy self' , what am I supposed to do jerk him off too ? I came from a real tough neighborhood. In the library the sign says "shut the f..k up"! This morning when I put on my underwear I could hear the fruit-of-the-loom guys laughing at me. I met the surgeon general - he offered me a cigarette. |
| Oct. 22, 2008 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Favorite Quotes Some golf quotes that could apply to softball ... "You've just one problem. You stand too close to the ball after you've hit it." -Sam Snead "I play with friends, but we don't play friendly games." -Ben Hogan "The mind messes up more shots than the body." Tommy Bolt "As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round." -Ben Hogan |
| Oct. 14, 2008 GeHall44 | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Favorite Quotes "I try to think, but nothin' happens" Curly |
| Oct. 2, 2008 GeHall44 | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - PARTICIPATING TEAMS LIST Wow, if the Major Plus and Major were combined into one UPPER Divsion, with rules that would equalize the competition, there would be 31 teams in the 50, 17 in the 55 and 18 in the 60 events at Phoenix. That would maybe even make Dirty Gary happy! Sure would like to see that happen down the road sometime and be able to play in a 30 team event again. GH |
