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Notes for Game 07 By Andrew Wolan / WRCS Game date: Aug 8, 2011
Recap: Big THANKS to everyone who came out to attend "Mud Bowl". (See below.) It's unfortunate that a rain storm soaked the field shortly before the start of the game, but we made the most of it. The game will go down as one of the more memorable games in team history. A "thank-you" is also in order for everyone who helped remove the rain water and mud from the infield. At the end of the day, no one slipped or fell running around the infield. (Except for me, but I always fall regardless of field conditions.) Final score: 17-3. Jeff Woo would like to remind Bob Safner that we scored 2 more runs than in our last game. The Mud Bowl: About 3 hours before game time, the area was doused by a passing storm. Though the rain was heavy, dumping as much as ¾ of an inch of rain in 10-15 minutes (WBZtv.com), it was short lived. The playing field was expected to dry up by game time. But with 30 minutes to go before game time, a second passing shower hit the area. With almost no time to dry out, matters were not looking favorable. At game time, the team captains of both teams inspected the field. The infield had patches of mud, with areas of concentrated rainwater near home plate and the pitching circle. The outfield grass was wet, but not soggy. The clouds had cleared, bringing in plenty of sunshine. The area was expected to be rain-free for the rest of the evening. In all, the field was not perfect, but not as bad as some had expected. With both teams at full attendance for this game, neither was enthusiastic about postponing the game. Instead, both teams agreed to try and salvage the game by making the field as playable as possible. If the teams could not make the field playable after a reasonable amount of time, the game would be called off. Rakes and shovels were obtained from the maintenance shed to remove standing water and mud, and to rake-in any standing water. (Photo on right.) To ensure that both the infield and outfield had time to dry, the captains delayed the game to 6:40pm. By that time, the only area that could not be addressed was an area in
To ensure a runner trying to score did not have to step in the mud, the teams placed a second “scoring” home plate adjacent to the “batting” home plate, about 8 feet toward the left side of the plate. Outs were to be made at that “scoring” plate while batting was limited to the “batting” home plate. Finally, to ensure no fielder had to step in the mud, a circle was drawn around the mud near home plate. Any ball landing in this area was considered “dead” and would demand a re-pitch. Hitting: - Originally, I had planned for Naren to appear before Ajeet in the batting line-up. However, Ajeet made an at-bat before Naren did, so their order was reversed. Since Ajeet is not fast on the base pads, it makes sense to have him hit last in a string of batters near the bottom of the line-up. Doing so would take advantage of his strong batting average in situations where there are likely to be base runners, while ensuring he is not followed by someone who is quick. - Most of the women on the opposing team could hit well. This observation is complicated with the observation of many questionable swings made by these players in the 4th. (See comment below.) Fielding: - The presence of Morley at 1B helped anchor the infield unit. The infield starters did pretty well considering the muddy conditions and the lack of practice.
In addition, I should have considered putting Ajeet at FI F instead of FOF, where the presence of multiple outfielders only created confusion for Eno and Pete. - The M’s 3B was very active, and snagged some hard line-drives out of the air. Try not to hit the ball towards him. Coaching: - The M’s appeared to have a new coach, with the team being led by a group of women on the team. In general, their team appeared to have some turn-over from seasons past, as there were many unfamiliar faces. Rule Clarifications: - Late in the game, the point I was trying to make with the opposing team was the height in which the pitches were being thrown. In a normal slow-pitch league, (and in accordance with the ASA,) the minimum arc of a pitched ball in flight must be 6 feet high; otherwise the pitch is “illegal”. This rule is enforced by an umpire at the game. In our “self-officiating” league, I personally don’t bother enforcing this rule as long as a pitched ball does not look “flat”, or if special considerations are being made to a batter that has trouble hitting. As pitcher, it is usually wise not to deliver a “flat” pitch because the end result is a low, hard line-drive back to the pitcher or infielder. This can sometimes be a safety issue for fielders. (Ask me about what happened in 2007.) However, our league does not recognize a minimum pitch arc. According to Game Rule #12: 12. A ball must be pitched underhand at slow speed. The rule does not say anything about pitch arc height, meaning a team can pitch the ball as high or low as they want. This means I was wrong to raise the issue, and that my point is moot. I apologize for any commotion I had caused. - For the first three innings of the game, most of the M’s women batters were hitting the ball well. When hit, the ball would travel to the edge of the infield, or beyond. In the fourth inning, many of the women batters were intentionally making light contact with the ball, causing it to land somewhere near the pitching circle. When compared to their previous at-bats, their swings were half-hearted and deliberate, with sole intention of tapping the ball so it could not travel far. Verdasys tried to counter their hitting by putting someone in. But when they did, the M’s women batters would revert to swinging with full contact and hit the ball over the infielders’ heads. When Verdasys infielders resorted back to their original positions, the women would return to their “tap” like hitting. In a normal baseball game, their strategy would be considered clever; Force the infielders in with a bunt, and follow it with a hit over their heads. But according to Game Rule #14: “No bunts will be allowed”. Is it possible that their hitting was illegal? Wikipedia defines a bunt as when “the batter loosely holds the bat in front of the plate and intentionally taps the ball into play.” Slow-pitch softball in general discourages bunts because of the amateur nature of the game. However, it is not uncommon for someone to take a legitimate swing at a pitch, and only see it travel a few feet from home plate. These types of hits, though short, are not classified as “bunts” because the batter’s intension was to hit the ball as hard as they could. Technically speaking, the women batters on the M’s were not holding the bat over the plate, and were swinging the bat, if half-heartedly. However, their intent was obvious, and that was to tap the ball short. It is unclear if they were in violation of the rule or not. But when you consider that (1) they were intentionally “tap” hitting the ball, and (2) the women batters on that team can hit well, then it’s clear that they were trying to “bunt” the ball to where there were no fielders.
Game Highlights: Memorable Events:
Web Gems:
Big Bats:
A-WOL Watch: Game was attended and photographed by A-WOOF, with the club president, Ms. S.B., participating in the game. A-WOL was quite dirty after the game. (See photo.) Fielding: Started at SS. 2 put-out, 2 assists. A few botched plays or no opportunities.
Batting: 2 for 3. Ended 2-game no-hit streak. For the first two ABs, was trying to pull ball into RF. Bat was “flat” when swung. For 3rd AB, I tried to pull ball down the line into LF.
Andy Wolan is a reporter and photographer for Verdasys Softball. This story was not subject to the approval of the league or its clubs. |
