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Online now: 4 members: LTSGOBLU, TABLE SETTER 11, cecil, shortstop13; 120 anonymousDiscussion: some rules will change
| Posted | Discussion |
| Jan. 5, 2009 gary#27nor.ca.storm Men's 55 58 posts | some rules will change when terry and the gang get back from the t.o.c some of the new rules will be changed you can bet on that.I know they will try and do the right thing.home run rule will be one of them sliding will be another for guys over 65 and moving teams up will be the hardest one to do fairly but needs to be done. |
| Jan. 6, 2009 TexasTransplant Men's 70 516 posts | Gary, Would you elaborate on your comment about sliding for guys over 65? Are there special rules about sliding for the 65+ age group? |
| Jan. 6, 2009 gary#27nor.ca.storm Men's 55 58 posts | jim i think the guys over 65 should run through and not slide it is not a good rule.I think to many guys will get hurt.i know some guys on my team that can not slide do you think it is a good rule. |
| Jan. 6, 2009 curveball Men's 65 705 posts | There are just as many, if not more, accidents from running thru, as there are from sliding. The rule is slide or get out of the way! Let us who prefer to slide and play the game as intended do so. Others also have a choice, GET OUT OF THE WAY. In the name of safety, don't change this rule............................ |
| Jan. 6, 2009 BruceinGa Men's 70 3233 posts | The reason for our second home plate is because of the danger of colision when running through home plate. I don't see why there is a need for a rule to run through second and third. Jmo. |
| Jan. 6, 2009 AlleninGa Men's 60 113 posts | I am not in favor of runing thru the bases. Leave it as a choice. My experience with the don't slide rule resulted with in me getting run over. Sort of defeated the purpose I thought. |
| Jan. 6, 2009 TexasTransplant Men's 70 516 posts | Gary, Thanks for the reply. I have to disagree about the run-through rule, however. We use it in our league in Richardson, TX. I think it causes more problems than it solves. Because of the danger of collisions, which Bruce pointed out, "run through" has become "run by" and its up to the umpires judgement whether the runner was close enough. We've had guys "running by" that are 6 ft away from the base. Also, too many guys, especially in league play, don't have the experience or agility, too get out of the way when they don't have a play on the runner. I would hate to see this rule used in tournament play. I agree with Curveball, slide or get out of the way. |
| Jan. 7, 2009 4x4 Men's 65 601 posts | Gary - NCSSA (which we both also play) has abandoned the run through rule and this year we will be allowed to slide. This was done as (1) a safety precaution/collision wise, (2) it's a lot safer to stick to one set of rules within the associations so it can be second nature to the players. Pete |
| Jan. 11, 2009 Omar Khayyam 1357 posts | This NCSSA rule change to eliminate the run-through is a change I don't agree with. I understand for the under-60s, that it is probably a toss-up whether run-through or sliding is safest. And yes, it is tough for the umpire to judge at times whether a runner was too far out of the base path when running through. This led to the institution of the "swipe" rule where a swipe before the runner passed the base was counted as an out, even if the fielder didn't touch the runner. But my experience with senior softball has primarily been with the 60, 65, and 70 teams. Our league uses the run-through and there are very few injuries in a year (we play three times a week). This is because a runner can run either left or right of second or third base and avoid the fielder. Not always, but usually. When my team goes to SSUSA tournaments without the run-through, I observe many more injuries and collisions. But this is not my main objection. As guys get older, they probably should stop sliding. Everything about aging works against sliding: bones are more brittle, bruises and raspberries take much longer to heal, other parts of the body are injured (wrists, hips, etc.) with sliding. But this is still not my main objection. For the older guys, the knees begin to go. I have played with men with artificial knees because of the deterioration of arthritis or wear and tear or injury. I would guess that more than 50% of 70s and close to that percentage of 65s wear knee braces because their knees are fragile and/or painful. The sudden deceleration at second and third is awfully hard on knees. Some of you young toughs who love to slide and even topple the infielder to break up the double play should wait until you're older to demand sliding. Jogging to the next base is not an option for the competitive oldster. Sudden stopping with pressure on the knee is a risky option. Running through the base is a good option. Just my opinion. Maybe NCSSA needs to have some rules for the older teams and some for the younger (although NCSSA doesn't follow age-group bracketing, but rather ranks every team regardless of age and this could cause some interesting rule interpretations when a 60 team plays a 50 or 55 team). Keep the old guys playing as long as they can. They are an inspiration. In my weekday league, there are guys in their 80s playing well. I'm inspired every day. |
