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Online now: 1 member: TABLE SETTER 11; 77 anonymousDiscussion: The new sun rule 6.16
| Posted | Discussion |
| Feb. 28, 2016 garyheifner 649 posts | The new sun rule 6.16 Under the new rule: If batter requests pitcher to move, Ump and TD agree, OK Do you have to make request each inning? If Ump says no, can batter ask for the TD anyway to over rule? Heard this rule was going to go for the pitcher also who can't see the ball off the bat. Batter would tell pitcher which side to stand on. Is that true? Also, rule mentions wind problem in the title. How does that work? |
| Feb. 28, 2016 B.J. 1105 posts | this is the amendment made for the EFFECT of rule 6.16 in Dec 2015.... §6.16 • WIND OR SUN AFFECTING BOTH PITCHERS – Proposal to amend the EFFECT at end of section. If the sun is affecting the batter’s ability to see the ball, the umpire may request that the Field Director allow the pitcher to pitch from up to six feet on either side of the pitching rubber, at the side chosen by the batter as the only remedy. The request, if granted, shall be applied on a full‐inning basis only. • I'd like to know how they are going to move homeplate and the batters boxes if they move the pitcher left or right 6 feet if the plates are fixed...do they now pitch and bat at an angle? as far as the pitcher not being able to see here is the existing rule for that 6.16 • WIND OR SUN AFFECTING BOTH PITCHERS In significantly windy conditions, if, in the judgment of the umpire, the wind is having a discernible adverse effect on the accuracy of both pitchers, the umpire may declare that only strikes count. In the case of sun interference potentially affecting the pitcher’s safety, the umpire may invoke a short suspension of play. EFFECT: Softball is an outdoor game played in the elements. Sun position affecting the batter is not a potential safety issue and shall not be the basis for a suspension of play. |
| Feb. 28, 2016 garyheifner 649 posts | Thanks for the reply |
| March 1, 2016 Player 86 posts | Gary, you play the outfield - or did (LOL). So, what about a rule that sez, "the ball can only be hit into the shady side of the outfield" (Tongue-in-cheek here)? |
| March 1, 2016 SSUSA Staff 3483 posts | The actual complete language of the amended Rulebook §6.16 is in the document now available from the TOURNAMENTS > RULES > 2015 SSUSA National Rules Committee - Rule Book Amendments PDF digital file download link of this web site. |
| March 5, 2016 garyheifner 649 posts | I like where this is going. How about, any ball hit where the outfielder has to look into the sun is an automatic out, ball is dead, and all runners must return the the base they started from. |
| March 6, 2016 B.J. 1105 posts | 6.16 • WIND OR SUN AFFECTING BOTH PITCHERS.....EFFECT: Softball is an outdoor game played in the elements. Sun position affecting the batter is not a potential safety issue and shall not be the basis for a suspension of play. above is the rule title and (old) effct of rule... STAFF... I asked this a few months but never got an answer...how does the sun being in the batters eyes affect the pitchers? the rule was written for pitcher protection....and if the pitcher is asked to move to the side doesn't that put him more in line with the hitters zone? do the batters boxes and strike mats also get turned? |
| March 6, 2016 SSUSA Staff 3483 posts | B.J. - Please re-read this provision in the complete Rulebook Addendum available in this website at TOURNAMENT > RULES > 2015 SSUSA National Rules Committee • Rule Book Amendments PDF digital file. The title of §6.16 was amended to include sun effects on batters as well as pitchers and there is a sub-section for each. §6.16 • WIND OR SUN AFFECTING BOTH PITCHERS OR SUN AFFECTING BATTERS If the batter provision is invoked by the field director for an inning or two, it is presumed the sun would be (probably) directly behind the pitcher. As to your last question "...do the batters boxes and strike mats also get turned?", the answer is NO. |
| March 6, 2016 RIK56 Men's 60 137 posts | As a pitcher i think this is a bad rule,you are telling the pitcher to move 6 feet to the right,if a right handed hitter is up you put him right into the line of fire of a pull hitter.this could be potentially dangerous for the pitcher you really need to think about this its a very bad rule. |
| March 6, 2016 NYGNYY 215 posts | Not sure if there is a right or wrong answer here. However I do believe the tournament staff needs to do their best to avoid these situations. As an example I believe in Winter Nationals in Phx there was a game being played on a "sun field" where they asked the pitcher to move for a few innings and on another field where there was no sun issue at the time...no one was playing for at least a half hour or so. Simple move of one field to the other would have solved the sun issue with little effect on the schedule. |
| March 6, 2016 titanhd Men's 60 638 posts | I tend to agree with NYGNYY.This is a clumsy attempt to rectify a situation with yet another rule when a better look at field scheduling or a timely delay by the tourney Director is all that is required. |
| March 6, 2016 Bballer3 21 posts | Not too sure about this rule. Right handed batter states he can't see due to sun.... left handed pitcher moves 6ft to the right - into the line of fire for many righty pull hitters.... Now he has to hit the plate from an angle he is not normally used to. Pretty tough for a lefty pitcher to now pitch inside when he is at that angle unless he can throw one heck of a curve. lol. How many advantages does the batter need that they don't already have? |
| March 6, 2016 19 43 posts | Why does senior softball insist on making a mockery of a game we all grew up playing just fine for 40 years without such silly rules? |
| March 6, 2016 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | I agree with titanhd and NYGNYY, the tournament staff and director needs to be proactive here, not scheduling on fields where the sun blinds pitchers. No rule is needed. I will give props to ISSA, RB or Greg, for not scheduling on the a field in Manassas where the sun was in the pitchers' eyes (or was it the batters?). |
| March 6, 2016 nails Men's 70 71 posts | there is no need to protect the batter, just a useless rule, . Now if the sun is in the pitchers eyes,of course its a saftey issue and we need a solution. |
| March 6, 2016 SSUSA Staff 3483 posts | Protecting the pitcher is already addressed in the same rule, calling for a short suspension of play, if needed ... This amendment is a batter-only accommodation at the sole discretion of the field director, not subject to appeal or protest ... It would be unreasonable to presume that it's implementation would be anything other than very rare and only in extreme conditions ... |
| March 6, 2016 B.J. 1105 posts | STAFF...Thx. for the explanations...IMO the rule didn't need to be amended since you say it will only be used in "very rare" and "extreme conditions" ...now that you've given the batter a chance to ask for it, I believe they will be asking all the time...I hope that ALL of your field directors are on the same page especially if you are using multiple complexes |
| March 7, 2016 k man Men's 65 326 posts | Since games are timed, will there be a stoppage of time in order to get the TD or his staff to come over to the field and address this circumstance? |
| March 7, 2016 SSUSA Staff 3483 posts | Whether or not to stop running time will be an umpire's judgment, much the same as in the case of a minor injury, a discussion/debate over a call, etc., and is neither mandated nor prohibited. |
| March 7, 2016 garyheifner 649 posts | Moving a pitcher into the area of a pull hitter does bring up a good concern. With park districts around the USA mandating screen use in their local leagues, I believe most have a screen. Maybe this is the one situation that you put in a screen for one or two innings until the sun moves (umps judgement). Leave the pitcher in the box. Real simple, ball hits screen, no pitch, do it over. From what I have seen posted in the past, most pitchers do not like the screen and I believe would only request it if they felt in danger. |
| March 7, 2016 16wood Men's 65 77 posts | We played in Hemet, CA, 2 weeks ago (SCSSA) and played 2 early AM games when the batter was looking into the sun. In each game the mgrs agreed to allow the umpire to reduce the pitching height down to roughly 8 feet. This didn't alleviate 100% of the problem but it sure made it much better without 'reinventing the wheel'. BW |
| March 13, 2016 tall_thunder Men's 50 82 posts | When was this sun rule amended. We had this problem in Florida during the TOC. The director and umpires said that there was no rule to move the pitcher due to the batter having the sun in his eyes. Is everyone not on the same page. There shouldn't be a rule problem in a tournament of this importance, and directors are running it. |
| March 13, 2016 Dbax Men's 65 2100 posts | This is a 2016 rule. TOC was played under 2015 rules. |
