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Online now: 3 members: DieselDan, TABLE SETTER 11, kotonk; 115 anonymousDiscussion: Tournament Change
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| June 20, 2019 garyheifner 649 posts | Tournament Change In one tournament this year we used the double up innings do to rain. We do the same in 2 of my leagues. A guy from another team this weekend said they do the same thing in their league back home. Visitors bat their 1st and 2nd innings out of the gate. Home team bats their 1st and 2nd inning. This is repeated for the 3rd and 4th innings. The 5th 6th and 7th are normal. Now, I know some of U have a complete brain melt down when something new is suggested. The format works and we get 7 innings in with ease inside the time limits. My proposal is to use this format in "PRELIMS ONLY" at major tournaments. Go back to regular inning play during bracket play. Ponder on the time saved with this format. |
| June 20, 2019 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | Gary, I like it. We have played this format for more than a decade in our winter leagues. However, we play 1,2; 1,2; 3,4; 3,4; 5,6; 5,6 with the 7th inning open. It does speed up play and doesn't seem too tiring, even for 70+ players. We also play this format in all our leagues with two teams, but use other formats when we have three teams present. |
| June 20, 2019 Nancy Allen Men's 55 1438 posts | Gary, they play that way in leagues here too but only in the older divisions. I am not necessarily a fan of it, but I get why they do it...to not waste time changing sides and to keep from wearing themselves out changing sides. I believe that one of the guys brought it up from Florida while he was snowbirding and playing. Submit a proposal for a rule change if you feel strongly about it. You never know; you might get a pilot change for 70+. You know that I may not always agree with some rule changes, but I always uphold them. I hope to see you in Columbus. |
| June 20, 2019 TimMcElroy 942 posts | I can already hear the complaints- Why do we have to bat with the sun in our eyes for 2 innings? When the other team comes up they will be able to see what they're swinging at. No fair. We had to play 6 outs of defense in the rain and they got to play defense in dry conditions. We were rained out in the middle of our at bats and lost because the score reverted back to the last inning. The director should have let us finish. No thanks to any and all of that. |
| June 20, 2019 DaveDowell Men's 70 4317 posts | Just had to chuckle at this one ... "..Ponder on the time saved with this format.." ... Referring to the time saved in comparison to the time wasted having to scroll down to the bottom of 20 blank lines of wasted bandwidth times the number of persons looking in and having to do so? ... Hilarious! |
| June 21, 2019 Nancy Allen Men's 55 1438 posts | Remind me to put together some sensitivity training on age demographics. One of the best life lessons that I learned last century was from a 70+ team that told me that pain is God's way of reminding you that you are still alive. So when that ache or pain arises, I look up to God and smile. I will say that Gary is one of the smartest and most passionate players that I have ever met in senior softball. I personally am not a fan of the rule, but I get it. Our 70+ players love it. I think that it is fine in leagues if it makes them happy. Tim, those are all great scenarios, and, yes, I can hear 40+ players screaming all of those things. At 70+ most of them are glad to be alive and playing. So the arguments probably just would not be there. Any day above the diamond is better than a day below it. Dave, perhaps an adult beverage discussion? I'll buy. Yes, munchies too. My beloved husband got me into senior softball when I was 40 (over 20 years ago for anyone doing the math). He would have been 70 last year. The guys that took us with them were older, and either play 75+ (or more) now, can't play, or are dead. I learned a lot about senior softball from them. Yes, we all lose a step every 5 years. Aging is so not cool, but we only have one other choice. I love our 75+ guys here and understand why they adjust the game. They are just happy to be alive and playing the game that we love. I am not a fan of changing any rules that deviate us more from baseball (except hit and sit). That being said, I love this game, and I love our seniors. So, Gary, thank you for your input and for playing this game. Just because we die off as we get older and are a smaller percentage of the total senior players does not discount our opinions. You are a rock star here in the Midwest. I am glad that I know you. |
| June 21, 2019 msw4indy 25 posts | Nancy, we also use it in the 50+ league at Midwest. It was the same at Metro as well. It works well for league play since we go on a 60 minute clock. Last inning is always an open inning and if the clock is down to 10 minutes or less, the start of whatever inning it is will be the open. All others are 5 run limit. |
| June 21, 2019 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | TimMcElroy, you make some good points...and showed how spoiled I am to play here in California. Playing 6 outs in the rain? Never happen. We Californians don't even show up if the streets are wet! Rained out in the middle of an at bat? Happened to me once in 60+ years of playing...and that was in a January game! Sun in our eyes? Yes, that could be a concern at times, and does rarely happen, but Nancy is right that most of our oldsters are just happy to be playing and would never squabble about such a minor unfair advantage (not to mention batting with the sun in your eyes is to have a very quick two innings and then the other team gets to battle the sun). |
| June 21, 2019 garyheifner 649 posts | Nancy Thanks for the kind words about my passion about softball and my wife will agree. As far as me being smart, I think my wife would like to have a serious discussion with you about that statement! |
| June 22, 2019 Mike Henning Men's 70 1 posts | Come on Dave, 20 lines of CR LF is only 20 bytes of bandwidth. Mike |
| June 23, 2019 Nancy Allen Men's 55 1438 posts | Gary, I have never had the pleasure of meeting your wife. She definitely lets you enjoy your game. I don't know if you remember playing against Coachie. Most of our guys couldn't get their wives to the ballpark. He couldn't get his out of it. He left me this legacy, and I am very grateful for it. I hope that you, the other guys from Chicago, and I have many more years of enjoying this game. |
| June 25, 2019 garyheifner 649 posts | Linda has been a tournament warrior and has attended most especially if there is a casino or shopping opportunity nearby. She now has a health issue that will probably leave her home for most. She probably has a senior softball achievement that no other wife has. In Ft Meyers Winter Nationals a few years back, she was ejected from the ball park for riding the ump for a series off questionable calls. The irony of this is that some other teams that were in the area remember it besides our team. |
| June 26, 2019 Nancy Allen Men's 55 1438 posts | Gary, thanks for sharing that. I must have at least talked with her then over the years. Take good care of her; I am sorry that she is having issues. She can have the achievement award for that category. I hold it for the in the dugout participation. Coachie was pretty ill the last four years that we had the team; so I took care of everything just to make sure that he had no worries at game time. I always took the flip (better listener and communicator than most coaches) and have several really interesting stories from those moments. I only got close to getting thrown out once because of an umpire in total disregard of senior rules. I behaved and then had him banned from ASA for a year because of his actions, not because of our rules. That happened up in your neck of the woods. I still have guys that reminisce with me about that noisy scorekeeper and some memorable moments. You might remember me bringing you your wallet on diamond 5. I love this game. Are you going to Columbus? |
| June 27, 2019 garyheifner 649 posts | I do remember the wallet. It had very little money in it as most of my investment ideas for retirement have pretty much "SUCKED" |
| June 27, 2019 Obad2019 19 posts | My only question and maybe this was addressed already. So do the run limit and inning go up to 10 instead of 5. My problem then is when you go in, you will be down 10 runs. That is a lot bigger than 5. |
| June 27, 2019 DaveDowell Men's 70 4317 posts | You COULD be down 11-0 after the first two innings at bat (before your team has had even one batter come to the plate) if you are giving an equalizer in the game ... Equalizer recipients are always the Visitor, and they get the runs at one per inning played, innings two through six ... It COULD be 5 + 5 + 1 = 11 if the Visitor "got their five" twice ... This is the prime reason the National Rules Committee several years ago moved away from the equalizer runs all being given in the top of the first inning ... |
| June 27, 2019 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | I was in a tournament bracket where all teams were same age. Equalizer was given in the first inning all at once. Very weak team versus much stronger team. Weak team had a miraculously good start and scored 5 runs. Second team came to bat in bottom of first inning being down 11-0!! Rest of the story: stronger team overcame deficit and won the game. |
