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Real name:
Dave Dowell
Location:
Sacramento, CA
Division:
Men's 65
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| Oct. 16, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: TOC question SteveO'77 ... All players who participate in the 2020 T.O.C. must have a current SSUSA registration ID card for the 2020 Season ... It's primarily an insurance issue ... Congrats on qualifying! ... Good luck and will see you in Florida! ... |
| Oct. 12, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: stats New facts (or additional ones) change my answer... In a shortened "official game", with the home team ahead after four and a half innings, or after five regardless of the score, the game reverts back to the last completed inning ... Stats in a disregarded partial inning are also disregarded, except by the guy who had them when the team is at the bar enjoying a post-game adult beverage! ... |
| Oct. 12, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: stats Sounds like your league may be an "X number of minutes, game over" structure ... In SSUSA we have the "open inning" concept, so with us the runs would count in any inning NOT that open inning ... The closest related issue we have is in seeding games where runs allowed are a seeding criteria tie-breaker ... In the bottom of the open, tied game and bases loaded as an example: If the batter hits a walk-off grand slam, we hear the argument that only the winning run should count ... We count them all, just like MLB ... Thanks for writing ... |
| Oct. 11, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Game Balls Nothing unusual there ... That's the "normal" unpredictability of "The Rock" ball in flight ... It carries further, but behaves sometimes like a good knuckleball in the process ... |
| Oct. 10, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Vegas 65 AAA observations MO-Dave ... SSUSA didn't intentionally allow anyone to use a ball that would have resulted in a competitive advantage ... There was a communication mix-up somewhere (on our side) ... And yes, that qualifies as OUR MISTAKE that we will endeavor to prevent from happening again ... In the meantime, lets not "mountainize" this "molehill" ... The ball in question was a LESSER performing ball than the tournament official "The Rock" flavor ... Thanks to all who commented! ... |
| Oct. 10, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Vegas 65 AAA observations ▲ ▲ Agreed 101% ▲ ▲ |
| Oct. 9, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Is it a double play That MAY well be accurate, but is inconsistent with the initial fact pattern as presented ... These threads sometimes take on a nuclear half-life because of the never-ending "tweaks" or the "what if's" that distort the original proposition ... In this case, the tag was timely by definition based on the very first message above where timmyb says: "..I’m yelling at the runner at first to take off to second.." That's obvious that he was frozen at least momentarily on first base ... |
| Oct. 9, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Is it a double play Tomar ... The base runner must tag up on a caught "fly ball", but the threshold timing event is the "first touch" by a defensive player ... In this circumstance, the "first touch" was the contact with the pitcher's foot and NOT the eventual completion of the catch by the second baseman ... The base runner tagging up (or leaving first base for the first time) AFTER the ball hit the pitcher's foot constitutes a proper tag-up and he may (and did) advance at his own risk of being put out ... |
| Oct. 9, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Idea for next years worlds in Vegas (or any other large tourney) No worries, coop3636 ... It's not the first time that suggestion has been made, nor the first time we've offered the explanation as to why we won't modify on-the-field seeding results ... To quote the Farmer's Insurance ad campaign ... "We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.." over the years ... Good luck in the 2020 Season! ... |
| Oct. 8, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Rules of the game Discussion: Is it a double play Tomar ... Rick doesn't "do" the Message Board, so I'll take a swing at it ... I have read along and respect the analysis by everyone to date, almost all of whom got it right ... As the original fact pattern was described, it appears the umpire erred in mis-applying rule §8.4(8)D. about when a base runner may advance at his own risk ... That is on the "first touch" (batted ball striking pitcher's foot and not the ground) and NOT on the completion of the catch by the second baseman ... The ONLY way you have a double play in this circumstance is if the second baseman, after catching the ball, tags the base runner on his way by to second ... The correct call would have been batter out on the catch, base runner safe at second advancing after a legal tag-up and two outs ... Next batter, please! ... |
| Oct. 8, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Vegas 65 AAA observations Thanks Jack ... I have been a Tournament/Field Director on many occasions with NG² in the mix of teams and can affirm the integrity of you and your ball club ... Never a doubt in my experience ... The apparent confusion is only in trying to determine why a different policy was implemented at B.L.D. allowing us to trade out the non-compliant balls on a non-cash basis for the tournament-issue version ... We'll figure that out here internally and would recommend that if you pass on attending the Manager Meeting in the future, please be aware that you are presumed to be fully informed on all that transpires there ... Don't be shy about asking what was discussed! ... Thanks! ... |
| Oct. 8, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Idea for next years worlds in Vegas (or any other large tourney) mck71 ... A full round robin with 40 teams only requires 780 games ... The largest entire session game count this year was around 550 ... Ha! |
| Oct. 8, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Idea for next years worlds in Vegas (or any other large tourney) coop3636 ... I think I did understand your suggestion, but for the same team balance reason(s) listed above, some "specialist" from at least one team, and maybe as many as 39 teams in your 40-team example, will determine with absolute confidence that your suggestion is unfair ... It comes to us as: "The other seeding group is just plain LOADED, and ours has all of the weaker teams! ... It's not fair to cross over us in the 'Goldfish' pod over to start the bracket against the 'Piranha' pod!!! ... Trust me on this: Every team has a designated math major for advanced seeding AND a designated National Scout who knows all of the other teams and how they handicap out before the tournament even starts! ... Conventional seeding is preferable in my view ... And especially if you have a circumstance where one pod has 20 teams all at 1-1 after pool play and the other pod has nine teams at 2-0, nine more at 0-2 and two teams at 1-1 ... Those match-ups will result in a lot of "ambient noise" from managers as soon as the cross-over seeds would be posted ... |
| Oct. 8, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Idea for next years worlds in Vegas (or any other large tourney) coop3636 ... On first reading, I thought you were referring to the "pod" structure setup, but then I realized you were talking about your smaller 27-team 55-AAA bracket ... That's simply not going to happen ... It's important that a single fully contained (non-pod) division seed globally and play the bracket accordingly ... About 10± years ago, at the annual convention in Tucson, I proposed to the National Rules Committee that the Director be permitted to slide a seeded team one slot up or down to prevent a re-match of a seeding game in Round #1 of the bracket ... I was roundly condemned for it and I'm hopeful, but not totally confident, that the laughter from my colleagues may have finally subsided! ... Moving even ONE team from a calculated seeding position requires moving ANOTHER team and is only the first domino to fall that creates a potential impact on every other team in the bracket ... Teams and players fully understand the purely mathematical nature of seeding, and introducing a subjective Director's judgment criteria is inappropriate ... This probably comes down to what I often (respectfully) tell teams in any tournament ... "I am totally responsible for who you play in seeding games, but you are totally responsible for who you play thereafter based on how you played in those seeding games" ... Your suggestion, in my view as the national scheduling consultant, creates the potential for more, rather than fewer, issues and isn't justified ... Thanks! ... |
| Oct. 8, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Vegas 65 AAA observations Thanks, Dave ... I'll make some private inquiries, but the results of that will remain private ... Thanks for your insights and for the heads-up ... |
| Oct. 8, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Vegas 65 AAA observations "Other" Dave ... I, too, believe everything you said, but there is an obvious administrative inconsistency here somewhere ... I was the lead Director at BLD for Sessions #3 (40-Major) and #4 (50-AAA), and there was a very different instruction there ... A few teams were advised, also quoting Terry, that we were authorized to trade out any non-compliant balls for the tournament issue balls ... We took in over five dozen of those balls, on a straight non-monetary trade basis, to get the right ones in the hands of the teams ... Consistency and a level playing field for everyone is critical in any tournament ... Although the balls we encountered are a LESSER performing ball, it can still be an advantage to hit them if, say, you are out of home runs ... It's not my position to question other Directors at fields where I wasn't present, but I'm absolutely certain of the instruction we received and fully complied with at BLD on our watch ... |
| Oct. 7, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: Tournaments Discussion: Vegas 65 AAA observations There is no "clarification" required ... At least one of the following happened, none of which should have ... • The manager of the team that introduced the non-authorized ball was not at the Manager Meeting where the ball rules were clearly discussed, or he was there and chose to ignore the rules as explained; • The pitcher of the team throwing the non-authorized ball(s) failed to notice them and bring it to the attention of the umpire; and/or • The umpire failed to instruct both teams, and require compliance, that all softballs put in play come through the umpire for verification ... An unfortunate circumstance for sure, possibly bordering on shading the rules or cheating ... However, this should be self-policing since one team's pitcher handles every softball presented for pitching to the offensive team ... Advice for the future: Don't hesitate to inform an umpire and ask for a Director if in doubt as to the correct softball being introduced for play ... Sometime people cheat and sometimes the opposing team and the umpire are not aware it's happening ... |
| Oct. 7, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Auto bump confirmation Win ... We didn't have any 59 or 64 (2 of them) team brackets in your session ... Good luck in 2020! |
| Oct. 7, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Auto bump confirmation The ONLY "automatic bumps" are the Champions, except in Major+ ... All other decisions are discretionary, but the usual starting point is the top 10% are considered ... Personally, as a Director in some of the largest divisions, I would maybe advocate anyone playing on Sunday to be considered for an upward move ... |
| Oct. 7, 2019 DaveDowell | Topic: General and miscellaneous Discussion: Initial Coin Flip Rule I'm throwing my lot (pun intended) in with Gavin5 here ... It always comes back down to the simple 50/50 probability of the relevant flip, and no amount of mental gymnastics or procedural hysteria will change that ... As a Director, I would back an ump who awarded the calling rights to the first of the two managers who greeted him verbally at the plate conference ... It's as fair and statistically relevant as ANY other method ... stick8, the SSUSA approach of flipping in every game is most of the time an easy concept to understand, but apparently not always .. Here's how that conversation usually goes ... Manager or umpire: "Do we flip for home in the Championship game?" ... Me: "Yes, we flip the coin in all games" ... Mgr/Ump: "What about the 'if' game?" ... Me: "We only flip a coin for the 'if' when that game is in the group of games known as "EVERY GAME" ... Once in a while it takes a few moments for that to register, but I haven't had the same question repeated by the same Mgr/Ump too often! ... |
