Home of Senior Softball-USA and Senior Softball World Championships
| March 9, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: Players looking to join a team Discussion: 61 year old looking to play (OHIO BASED) Hello, B. Your profile didn’t say where from, but looking at your clues, I believe still southwestern Ohio. Have you had any interaction with the Dayton Legends Softball Club? I am guessing that are more interested in tournament play. I know that leagues are a good way to pick up with a team. Many of our Indiana teams play in a league locally. Best wishes. |
| Feb. 26, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Runner missing scoring plate JohnO28, the missing the plate or a base is not an opinion. That is taught in umpire clinics and is an appeal play only. As far as the rest of the scenario, I agree with B.J. |
| Feb. 26, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Runner missing scoring plate JohnO28, it is always an appeal play. Umpire clinics stress this. At home even though clearly see the miss, we signal safe or do nothing unless it is properly appealed. You really don’t want umpires making calls on everything see that should be an appeal instead. A good umpire will never do that. Only a poorly trained or very inexperienced umpire would make that mistake. |
| Feb. 20, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Orange bag hitnrun, I know that was an appeal play in SSUSA long ago. Dave could talk more to that timeline. Having officiated USA Softball (formerly ASA) for a very long time, I like the appeal at 1B. Of course we can call Time before any player could appeal it. Most players don’t know that rule anyway and never had anyone appeal it. Umpires get into enough trouble anyway on their own. So I like it to keep umpires out of trouble. That being said, I will call that by the rules of the association that I am working. I am there to enforce the rules not judge them. The NSA jewelry rule was maybe the worst rule ever. We were to automatically eject a player if saw jewelry on them. It definitely created some very emotional situations, but it was the rule. |
| Feb. 4, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Safe or out Randall, it is most likely an out. Dave said it much more academically which I appreciate. The only way in normal circumstances that the runner is safe is if the runner’s foot is clearly touching some part of the bag when tagged. A fielder wearing a size 5 cleat is going to have great difficulty completely blocking a size 13 cleat from touching the base. |
| Jan. 27, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: 2026 aloha bowl Bush08, you might want to talk about your ability to run as well. Someone who can be a courtesy runner or doesn’t need one is definitely a great asset as well. I hope that you get to play. I know is a great tournament from those has talked with about it. |
| Jan. 27, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Requesting an Intentional 3rd out JohnO28, in all of the years that I have officiated, I have never had a request for a 3rd out. I have in maybe a half dozen times and only once in a tournament called a ball or strike for misuse of time by a team and almost always at the end of a game. My league teams know that will and fortunately act accordingly. What I notice players doing most is trying to step on the plate and hit the ball for the out. What I find amusing is how many of the young guys do not understand the concept. I had 2 in 1 year that did not know that have to make contact with the ball when doing it. Both caused the clock to expire. Good for me and the other team but bad for them. I know an umpire that won’t call it unless the ball is fair which is completely wrong, but he insists no matter how much he is told. Now his brother wins the award for that. He had a player do that perfectly and didn’t call it. “My foot was on the plate.” “No it wasn’t.” It clearly was but game over. Umpires seem to know rules less than they used to. I see less clinics than ever. I always suggest that new umpires do coed leagues first because the odd things come up there more. I tell them to call what they think but to look it up later to be sure or learn. Too many don’t reference rule books unfortunately. Best place for crazy infield fly situations is definitely league coed play. |
| Jan. 22, 2026 Nancy Allen | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Fair or foul 9 ball, unfortunately many players and a few umpires believe that. It is always based on the ball and never the fielder. That is the trajectory of the ball. Read what Dave posted which very clear as the rule. |
| Nov. 22, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: What is the ruling B.J., thanks. I guess that I took it too literal that didn’t say that touched first. Yes, doing the right thing is not usually the popular alternative. These things do not happen often, thank goodness. |
| Nov. 21, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: What is the ruling B.J., there is definitely a lot going on here. So let me make it a little more interesting. I am referencing 8.3 C. So when the batter-runner enters the dugout, the ball should be dead; batter-runner should be out, and the other runners return to their bases at the pitch. Yes, the umpire totally missed it. So I believe that this is a correctable error. So while unpopular in many ways to the defense, I believe that to make it correct that would have to restart at that out but would have to make the next batter bat again since the ball was dead. Now Dave knows as an offensive coach (yes, batting team joke) that I would be all over it because that would eliminate the out at home. So please let me know if totally misunderstood the scenario because didn’t see it. I have had it happen but called it correctly. Yes, I did look it up when got home because is very odd. That one was just like this one, just didn’t go to first. The only other one had, he thought that he hit a home run. He did hit it deep. I was sure was not deep enough though. Sure enough it loudly hit a board on the fence. There he sat in the dugout…out. |
| Oct. 31, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: Players looking to join a team Discussion: looking for a 85 team Raycap, since you didn’t include your location in your Details or post, you may not get any responses. I know a couple of teams but without knowing your location, there is nothing can do with your request. Best wishes. It is probably my favorite age group. |
| Oct. 22, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Illegal Pitch Rule B.J., it does amuse me as loud as I tend to be when a man says that they did not hear me yell Foul ball. You could probably hear me from there. Yes, I have been know to look at them and say Do I sound like your wife? Yes, we girls can say things that you boys cannot for sure. I do have to give a shout out to The Villages. I had lady friends on both the first and second place teams last weekend. They were very impressed and said had 4 umpires on the championship games. If they were lucky, you were one of them. |
| Oct. 21, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Illegal Pitch Rule stick8, I know that SPA calls it too, but I really don’t know about other senior associations besides those 2. The trouble though is that other than USA Softball or seniors umpires, that many have never done that before. I really don’t like the idea of them trying to learn it during a senior tournament. They will definitely mess it up at least to start if they ever do it right. I do watch the umpires at ISA seniors tournaments and is an interesting exercise. Like I said, I really don’t get much heck on calling it on the high pitches but do on the low ones most likely because am pretty vocal and say that it messes up their swing. Now if I sound like their wife, they can’t hear me anyway. ???? |
| Oct. 21, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Illegal Pitch Rule The only association that I am aware of besides senior ones is USA Softball which have worked for years and do call illegal pitches. My honest opinion only is that it is just another way for umpires to get into trouble when they already have enough ways to do that. As a batter, I know what I want to hit. More people seem to want to hit flat pitches anymore. It is a tough call for the umpire because the ball is quicker to get to the batter at its highest arch because is low. In my experience more batters complain about the correct call on a ball under 6’ because messes up their swing when are going for it. |
| Oct. 17, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: Teams looking for players Discussion: Eric Stephens You do not have your location in your details. I believe that is a Texas exchange but is often not a good indicator anymore of where a person actually resides. I would include location details in at least in your post for better results. Best wishes. It is fun to play with kids your own age. |
| Oct. 17, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Team Ratings That would be a question for the office. Some things don’t happen until all of the results are in after the tournament is over, and results can be further analyzed in an office setting. I just thought that you would want to see what the rulebook says. Thank you for your analysis. |
| Oct. 16, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Team Ratings TJSenior, did you read page 66 of the rulebook? I would start there with your question. |
| Oct. 16, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Purposeful Stalling stick8, yes, it does say that time may be added to the game. It doesn't say will be though. I have a personal taboo about touching or adjusting the clock at all. While it has rarely happened in my games (a little math says .07% and probably less than that), if the delay is offense, a couple of times have called a strike. Usually it is defense in my many games but still very rare. Putting the batter in the box and calling a ball usually gets their attention and takes care of the problem. I only ever had one so bad that the batter got advanced to first which described earlier. I think that the clock really only bothers me because of clock cheats. One year the park that I worked at had this guy that we called The Closer. If a diamond got behind, suddenly he was there to do your next game. Magically it was caught up before the next game. So the umpires lost a game pay and came back to an on time diamond. That really bothered me. I only ever had it happen to me once, but we all were aware of what he must be doing. Yes, Dave, it is that park. I have never done One Nation and at this point probably never will. I have had a long and great umpiring "career" and am very grateful for it. |
| Oct. 11, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Purposeful Stalling Anthony, if you want the rules committee to discuss something, you need to make a formal request. This forum is not part of that process. Stick8, I have never touched the clock, but I have awarded balls to the offense on defensive stalls. My favorite one was in a tournament that started with a 1-1 count. For some reason after I said Play, the pitcher turned around and was looking at his left center fielder. When he didn’t turn around I said Ball 2 (you and Dave know that I tend to be loud). So then the pitcher is talking to the shortstop while still looking at his left center. Ball 3. Still doesn’t turn around. Ball 4, take your base. When he finally does turn around after about a minute total, he looks at the new batter and then at the runner on first. What happened? Perhaps you should ask your left center. They turned a double play on that next batter, so worked out for the defense, but I am sure that they had some lively discussion over adult beverages that night. |
| Aug. 20, 2025 Nancy Allen | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Pump Fake stick8, exactly. That ship had long sailed. |
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