Reminder: Bonus games Monday July 5th in addition to regular schedule. Great Lawn #8 at 5:00pm.
Games of 6/27:
Stoeth 7, O'Connor 1
Laura Stoeth (5-0) threw a 5-hitter, allowing a run in the first on an Ed O'Connor double, then completely shutting down a good lineup for the final 6 frames. She was backed by a balanced offensive attack led by Phil Ciccone (2-for-4, 2B, RBI), and Sam Magnus (2-for-4, 2 RBI).
Parfrey 7, Hewes 2
Ian Parfrey (7-3) scattered 7 hits and struck out 4, and was backed by Phil Ciccone (3-for-4, HR, 3 RBI), and 3 hits from Fred Lang. Alex Rivera (2-for-2, RBI, SF) led Hewes's team in a game that was close until Parfrey's team scored 4 times with 2 out in the top of the 7th.
Let's Play 2 update: LP2 split a doubleheader this week, losing 9-2 to the NYC Knights, but beating the Wallbangers 2-1 on a complete game gem by Jeff Appell and a 2-run, 2-out single by Nick Stefanides.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
Extra Games!
Softball For The Love Of It will play, as usual, on Sunday morning, July 4. Assuming the other leagues take the day off, as is their tradition, we will be able to play an extra game or two. Also, thanks to Joe Gerber, we will be playing on Monday july 5 at 5 pm on The Great Lawn Field #8.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
GAMES OF 6/20
Game 1:
Stoeth 5, Hewes 2
Laura Stoeth (4-0) tossed a 4-hitter backed by Ed O'Connor's batting (3-for-3, solo HR). Her team scored 3 times in the first and never looked back, capped by Paul Geoghan's 2-run single following a semi-intentional walk to Bill McLaughlin.
Game 2:
Melendez 6, Nilva 3
Freddy Melendez (4-4) scattered 11 hits and lowered his league-leading ERA to 3.43. Glen Lawrence had an excellent day at the plate (4-for-4, 2B, 3B, 3 runs, 2 RBI). Dave Sommers went 4-for-4 for Nilva's team, and Ed O'Connor was 2-for-4 with his second HR of the day, and 2 RBI. Nilva's hard-luck streak, temporarily broken with a win over Havelock, resumed today. He had pitched most of the way out of a 7th inning jam when Ian Parfrey hit a soft line drive to SS Phil Ciccone, who caught and then dropped the ball. It was ruled a catch, though in the resulting confusion, the defensive team 1) tried to double Glen Lawrence off of third, where he was safe; 2) tried to double Alex Rivera off of first, claiming he had never returned to the bag; 3) allowed Lawrence to sneak in with the 5th run in the ensuing argument; 4) allowed Alex Rivera to score all the way from first as the argument continued and home plate was left unguarded.
As this play, and a similar David Cone meltdown from the early 90s Mets both prove, it is best to call time out before arguing, or at least to guard the bases ahead of the runners.
Stoeth 5, Hewes 2
Laura Stoeth (4-0) tossed a 4-hitter backed by Ed O'Connor's batting (3-for-3, solo HR). Her team scored 3 times in the first and never looked back, capped by Paul Geoghan's 2-run single following a semi-intentional walk to Bill McLaughlin.
Game 2:
Melendez 6, Nilva 3
Freddy Melendez (4-4) scattered 11 hits and lowered his league-leading ERA to 3.43. Glen Lawrence had an excellent day at the plate (4-for-4, 2B, 3B, 3 runs, 2 RBI). Dave Sommers went 4-for-4 for Nilva's team, and Ed O'Connor was 2-for-4 with his second HR of the day, and 2 RBI. Nilva's hard-luck streak, temporarily broken with a win over Havelock, resumed today. He had pitched most of the way out of a 7th inning jam when Ian Parfrey hit a soft line drive to SS Phil Ciccone, who caught and then dropped the ball. It was ruled a catch, though in the resulting confusion, the defensive team 1) tried to double Glen Lawrence off of third, where he was safe; 2) tried to double Alex Rivera off of first, claiming he had never returned to the bag; 3) allowed Lawrence to sneak in with the 5th run in the ensuing argument; 4) allowed Alex Rivera to score all the way from first as the argument continued and home plate was left unguarded.
As this play, and a similar David Cone meltdown from the early 90s Mets both prove, it is best to call time out before arguing, or at least to guard the bases ahead of the runners.
Labels:
Ed O'Connor,
Freddy melendez,
glen lawrence,
Laura Stoeth,
Paul Geoghan
Monday, June 14, 2010
GAMES OF JUNE 13
Two dramatic finishes, and a 3-sac fly day for Jaime Orochena!
Game 1
O'Connor 6, Hewes 3
Jim O'Connor (6-3) scattered 11 hits for the win. Ian Lebowitz had 3 hits in a losing cause, and the game ended on the bizarre play described in detail below. Jaime's first sacrifice fly was a liner to shallow center in the bottom of the 1st.
Game 2
Parfrey 8, Appell 7
Ian Parfrey (6-3) managed to blow all of a 6-1 lead, and needed Phil Ciccone (3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) to bail him out with a long blast down the LF line to lead off the top of the 7th. Parfrey stranded the tying run in scoring position in the bottom half. Freddy Melendez contributed 3 hits, and Derek Martinez was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Appell's team was led by Alex Rivera (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI). Jaime had sacrifice flies in each of his first two at-bats, the first on a popup to shallow left that Phil Ciccone made an excellent catch on.
Game 1
O'Connor 6, Hewes 3
Jim O'Connor (6-3) scattered 11 hits for the win. Ian Lebowitz had 3 hits in a losing cause, and the game ended on the bizarre play described in detail below. Jaime's first sacrifice fly was a liner to shallow center in the bottom of the 1st.
Game 2
Parfrey 8, Appell 7
Ian Parfrey (6-3) managed to blow all of a 6-1 lead, and needed Phil Ciccone (3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) to bail him out with a long blast down the LF line to lead off the top of the 7th. Parfrey stranded the tying run in scoring position in the bottom half. Freddy Melendez contributed 3 hits, and Derek Martinez was 2-for-4 with 2 RBI. Appell's team was led by Alex Rivera (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI). Jaime had sacrifice flies in each of his first two at-bats, the first on a popup to shallow left that Phil Ciccone made an excellent catch on.
Labels:
jaime orochena,
jim o'connor,
Phil Ciccone,
sacrifice fly
Strange Plays I Have Seen
Sunday's Game One ended on one of the more bizarre plays I have seen in my SFLOI career. With one out in the top of the 7th, and runners on first and second, Bob Holzwasser-- the tying run-- hit a bloop to shallow center that fell in front of OF Derek Martinez. Martinez came up throwing to third, where runner Solomon Sarway was narrowly forced out. Trail runner Alex Rivera forgot how many outs there were, and wandered off of second base thinking the game was over. He was retired in a brief rundown.
Now, two obscure rules governed the putout at third base. Martinez's throw was low and into the runner, forcing the third baseman (me) to stretch towards home plate and inadvertently block the entire bag with my body. Solomon, rather than sliding into me and knocking me into next week, gave himself up. There was still a pretty strong collision. This is an interesting test of the no-collision rule. The runner would have been within his rights to slide into me. With Holzwasser, the batter, representing the tying run, it would have made good softball sense to slide, but perhaps bad common sense, because, as was mentioned a few weeks ago, there is nothing of vital importance at stake here, and we need to be able to go to work on Monday.
The other rule is the interference rule, which is widely debated and sometimes misinterpreted whenever it's called into play. As the fielder, I am allowed to go into the basepath to make a play, whether on a ground ball, popup, or attempting to field a throw. So the play was legit, the umpire made the correct call (assuming the ball actually beat the runner), the runner did the right thing by giving himself up, and the only unfortunate circumstance of the whole play is that it came in a situation of game-changing importance, and snuffed out a last-inning rally.
Before I recap this week's games, here are a few other strange plays from the last few years:
In the bottom of the 7th inning of the last game of the 2007 season, Phil Ciccone was on third base as the tying run with two outs. The next batter, John Pyne, hit a soft ground ball down the third base line. Phil remained on the bag, and made no effort to avoid the ball (and may have even leaned into it a little). It hit him and bounced into foul territory. Phil was called out for interference, and a long argument ensued. As I interpret the rules, the call was correct, even though being on the bag usually provides protection for the runner. I believe the hit-by-pitch rule in baseball is a reasonable parallel. If a batter leans into a pitch, he may not always be awarded first base.
Amusingly, while umpiring, I fucked up a similar call in early 2008. Phil was the batter this time, and smoked a line drive that hit runner Seung Lee on third base. I called Seung out, as he was in fair territory. This was probably the wrong call, IF he was still on the bag. I don't remember. Maybe Seung does.
Now, here's a couple of interference plays. While pursuing a popup in one of the Great Lawn bonus games last year, 1B Freddy Melendez collided with a runner. Both runners were declared safe because of Freddy obstructing the lead runner. This was an incorrect call, because Freddy was the fielder nearest the play, and HAS THE RIGHT TO ENTER THE BASEPATH TO MAKE A PLAY. The runner has the right to leave the basepath to avoid him, but the fielder has the right-of-way if he is pursuing the ball AND is the closest fielder. I believe the correct call would be that the runner should have been out, and the batter awarded first base. If the runner's interference were intentional (it was not), both would be out. In this case, the legendary vociferousness of Joe Gerber influenced the umpire's call, but the game was still won by Freddy's team.
The other case is Marvin's injury from last season. A slightly errant throw carried Marvin's momentum into the baseline, where Jim O'Connor collided hard with him. The umpire ruled Jim safe, and this was also correct, because Jim was in the baseline, and had no time to try to avoid Marvin-- when ball, fielder, and runner arrive at a base simultaneously, there is no interference.
Now, two obscure rules governed the putout at third base. Martinez's throw was low and into the runner, forcing the third baseman (me) to stretch towards home plate and inadvertently block the entire bag with my body. Solomon, rather than sliding into me and knocking me into next week, gave himself up. There was still a pretty strong collision. This is an interesting test of the no-collision rule. The runner would have been within his rights to slide into me. With Holzwasser, the batter, representing the tying run, it would have made good softball sense to slide, but perhaps bad common sense, because, as was mentioned a few weeks ago, there is nothing of vital importance at stake here, and we need to be able to go to work on Monday.
The other rule is the interference rule, which is widely debated and sometimes misinterpreted whenever it's called into play. As the fielder, I am allowed to go into the basepath to make a play, whether on a ground ball, popup, or attempting to field a throw. So the play was legit, the umpire made the correct call (assuming the ball actually beat the runner), the runner did the right thing by giving himself up, and the only unfortunate circumstance of the whole play is that it came in a situation of game-changing importance, and snuffed out a last-inning rally.
Before I recap this week's games, here are a few other strange plays from the last few years:
In the bottom of the 7th inning of the last game of the 2007 season, Phil Ciccone was on third base as the tying run with two outs. The next batter, John Pyne, hit a soft ground ball down the third base line. Phil remained on the bag, and made no effort to avoid the ball (and may have even leaned into it a little). It hit him and bounced into foul territory. Phil was called out for interference, and a long argument ensued. As I interpret the rules, the call was correct, even though being on the bag usually provides protection for the runner. I believe the hit-by-pitch rule in baseball is a reasonable parallel. If a batter leans into a pitch, he may not always be awarded first base.
Amusingly, while umpiring, I fucked up a similar call in early 2008. Phil was the batter this time, and smoked a line drive that hit runner Seung Lee on third base. I called Seung out, as he was in fair territory. This was probably the wrong call, IF he was still on the bag. I don't remember. Maybe Seung does.
Now, here's a couple of interference plays. While pursuing a popup in one of the Great Lawn bonus games last year, 1B Freddy Melendez collided with a runner. Both runners were declared safe because of Freddy obstructing the lead runner. This was an incorrect call, because Freddy was the fielder nearest the play, and HAS THE RIGHT TO ENTER THE BASEPATH TO MAKE A PLAY. The runner has the right to leave the basepath to avoid him, but the fielder has the right-of-way if he is pursuing the ball AND is the closest fielder. I believe the correct call would be that the runner should have been out, and the batter awarded first base. If the runner's interference were intentional (it was not), both would be out. In this case, the legendary vociferousness of Joe Gerber influenced the umpire's call, but the game was still won by Freddy's team.
The other case is Marvin's injury from last season. A slightly errant throw carried Marvin's momentum into the baseline, where Jim O'Connor collided hard with him. The umpire ruled Jim safe, and this was also correct, because Jim was in the baseline, and had no time to try to avoid Marvin-- when ball, fielder, and runner arrive at a base simultaneously, there is no interference.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Maybe Sal Was Right
While I vociferously disagreed with Sal Cipriano about his suggestion that we divide playing time evenly, in the seventh inning on Sunday I found myself not sitting lesser fielders in the seventh inning. My team did have a five run lead, so putting in the lesser fielders was not bound to lose me the game. As is often the case with civil rights issues, the goal of a protest is the changing of a law or a rule, but as great a gain can be in the hearts and souls of those administering a rule. Congratulations, Mr. Cipriano.
With my new found outlook, I thought "how can we apply this evenness in a positive way? It came to me that if the lesser fielders on a team played when the team was ahead it would be more likely that the opposing team would catch up and we would have a close game. Concurrently, if a team were behind and played its finest fielders it would be more likely to catch up. The combined effect of such a system (the team behind using its best fielders and the team ahead using its worst fielders) could produce the close results we strive for. Each week, the opposing captains would list the five worst fielders on his opponents team. In any inning in which a team held the lead, those weaker fielders would have to play. In any inning that a team was behind they could play the best fielders (with the priviso that no one sits more than two innings).
With my new found outlook, I thought "how can we apply this evenness in a positive way? It came to me that if the lesser fielders on a team played when the team was ahead it would be more likely that the opposing team would catch up and we would have a close game. Concurrently, if a team were behind and played its finest fielders it would be more likely to catch up. The combined effect of such a system (the team behind using its best fielders and the team ahead using its worst fielders) could produce the close results we strive for. Each week, the opposing captains would list the five worst fielders on his opponents team. In any inning in which a team held the lead, those weaker fielders would have to play. In any inning that a team was behind they could play the best fielders (with the priviso that no one sits more than two innings).
Monday, June 7, 2010
GAMES OF JUNE 6
Game 1
Hewes 11, Rosengard 7
After giving up 6 runs in the first, Rosengard settled down, and his teammates rallied to cut the deficit to 8-7 after 3. Hewes slammed the door after that with four scoreless frames, and got his league-leading 7th win. The winning team got 3 hits from Derek Martinez, and consecutive 2-run doubles from Jaime Orochena and Solomon Sarway.
Game 2
Martinez 6, Melendez 2
In a strange coincidence, Martinez' team, with most of the same players, scored 5 in the top of the 1st, and cruised to a victory. Zach Nilva homered, and Solomon Sarway tripled and drove in 2 runs. Freddy Melendez backed his pitching with an opposite-field HR, but it wasn't enough, as Martinez scattered 6 hits for the win.
Hewes 11, Rosengard 7
After giving up 6 runs in the first, Rosengard settled down, and his teammates rallied to cut the deficit to 8-7 after 3. Hewes slammed the door after that with four scoreless frames, and got his league-leading 7th win. The winning team got 3 hits from Derek Martinez, and consecutive 2-run doubles from Jaime Orochena and Solomon Sarway.
Game 2
Martinez 6, Melendez 2
In a strange coincidence, Martinez' team, with most of the same players, scored 5 in the top of the 1st, and cruised to a victory. Zach Nilva homered, and Solomon Sarway tripled and drove in 2 runs. Freddy Melendez backed his pitching with an opposite-field HR, but it wasn't enough, as Martinez scattered 6 hits for the win.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Games and Notes of Memorial Day Weekend
Sorry this took so long to put up, but I was haunted by my epic meltdown in Game 4 (see below), and it wasn't until now that I was ready to focus on the positives. Despite the fatigue and occasional frustration of playing 5 games in a weekend, we managed to get some good ones in.
Game 1
Sunday 5/30
Rosengard 9, Appell 1
Dave Rosengard returned from the DL to baffle Appell's team with an 8-hit gem. Ben Indek and Bill McLaughlin were each 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. This game also marked the return of Phil Ciccone (ankle) and Marvin Cohen (eye surgery) to active duty.
Game 2
Melendez 5, Martinez 4
Melendez's double broke a 2-2 tie in the 4th, and Solomon Sarway drove in 2 runs. David Sommers had 2 hits and 2 RBI for Martinez's team.
Game 3
Nilva 7, Hewes 5
Zach Nilva recorded his first win as a pitcher, after going a hard luck 0-7 over the last two seasons. Fortunately, unlike 1990s Met hurler Anthony Young, Zach had his outfielding and hitting to fall back on. Derek Martinez backed Nilva with 4 hits including a solo HR. Jaime Orochena homered in a losing cause, and Ian Lebowitz drove in 2. Nilva stranded the tying run on base in the 7th.
Game 4
Monday 5/31
Stoeth 9, Parfrey 5
Crusing with a 5-1 lead in the 6th inning, Ian Parfrey surrendered 8 runs. The first 4 came on Ken Walker's grand slam. Freddy Melendez's 2-run single broke the tie later in the inning. Bill McLaughlin was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Parfrey's team, and Laura Stoeth ran her record to 3-0 on the year. Havelock Hewes recorded his 100th career sacrifice bunt in this game, on an amusing play where pitcher Parfrey accidentally kicked the ball right into the waiting glove of Marvin Cohen.
Game 5
Hewes 7, Martinez 2
Alex Rivera broke a 2-2 tie with a solo HR to lead off the 6th inning. Rivera was 3-for-4 in the game, snapping out of a slump. Hewes pitched masterfully, scattering 6 hits.
Dave Sommers' LP2 team dropped a 4-0 decision to the ridiculously named Lawyertime.com, and are now 5-1 on the year. LP2 is off this week, and resumes action Wednesday June 9th.
Game 1
Sunday 5/30
Rosengard 9, Appell 1
Dave Rosengard returned from the DL to baffle Appell's team with an 8-hit gem. Ben Indek and Bill McLaughlin were each 2-for-3 with 2 RBI. This game also marked the return of Phil Ciccone (ankle) and Marvin Cohen (eye surgery) to active duty.
Game 2
Melendez 5, Martinez 4
Melendez's double broke a 2-2 tie in the 4th, and Solomon Sarway drove in 2 runs. David Sommers had 2 hits and 2 RBI for Martinez's team.
Game 3
Nilva 7, Hewes 5
Zach Nilva recorded his first win as a pitcher, after going a hard luck 0-7 over the last two seasons. Fortunately, unlike 1990s Met hurler Anthony Young, Zach had his outfielding and hitting to fall back on. Derek Martinez backed Nilva with 4 hits including a solo HR. Jaime Orochena homered in a losing cause, and Ian Lebowitz drove in 2. Nilva stranded the tying run on base in the 7th.
Game 4
Monday 5/31
Stoeth 9, Parfrey 5
Crusing with a 5-1 lead in the 6th inning, Ian Parfrey surrendered 8 runs. The first 4 came on Ken Walker's grand slam. Freddy Melendez's 2-run single broke the tie later in the inning. Bill McLaughlin was 3-for-4 with an RBI for Parfrey's team, and Laura Stoeth ran her record to 3-0 on the year. Havelock Hewes recorded his 100th career sacrifice bunt in this game, on an amusing play where pitcher Parfrey accidentally kicked the ball right into the waiting glove of Marvin Cohen.
Game 5
Hewes 7, Martinez 2
Alex Rivera broke a 2-2 tie with a solo HR to lead off the 6th inning. Rivera was 3-for-4 in the game, snapping out of a slump. Hewes pitched masterfully, scattering 6 hits.
Dave Sommers' LP2 team dropped a 4-0 decision to the ridiculously named Lawyertime.com, and are now 5-1 on the year. LP2 is off this week, and resumes action Wednesday June 9th.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
What’s wrong with SFLOI?
I don’t come to SFLOI every week to break records, nor could I if I wanted to. I come to have a good time and to try to hit the softball as hard as I can. Sometimes it doesn’t have much of a result, and sometimes it has the greatest. Either way, it should be fun, and mostly I try to have a good time. However, SFLOI has become increasingly a tougher place to do just that.
When I started here, almost two years ago, it seemed a lot looser; sure there were incidents here and there, but it seemed rather cool. Of course, maybe this was because I started in the fall season. Going into last summer, I could tell the heat heated up competition as well, but that all seemed fine as well. One incident that first raised my eyebrow, though, was a benching of Glen Lawrence that seemed not the right thing to do. That led to a bit of controversy that then led to the 2-inning sitting rule, which in itself is a terrible cop-out which insures that most “good” players stay in.
So, that said, we come to this Monday’s game where I sat an inning in Game One and then was asked to do so again in at the end of Game Two when there were a few players that had not sat at all. Now, let’s get a couple of things straight, 1. I will never say I am a good fielder, but I’m not terrible as well. I’m one of the mid-of-the-road players. 2. Being one of the team managers of my company’s team I also understand having to sit players. However, there lies the major difference and where all the disagreements stem.
See, I play in a league where TEAM victories count. Everyone on our team understands this, and everyone is OK with the tough decisions that need to be made by me and the other manager. Heck, I rotate myself in and out all the time. Whatever contributes to the team winning, I’m into. I understand this.
SFLOI, though, is nothing like the league I am in. SFLOI is a pick-up league where the stats are gods, and there are no real team concepts. You are my teammate and opponent, maybe on the same day, and all that matters is how we do in that game. At the end of the day, if you lost two, but went 8-8, you may act sad, but we all know you’re damn happy with yourself. The “pennant” really doesn’t mean much, other than being another stat.
So, I argue and disagree with the notions presented by Havelock in the prior post, and also by Ian in the comments. Winning a ballgame should never get ahead of doing the right thing in this league. There should never be a player that has paid his/her dues that sits more than someone else. No one should be exempt from sitting, no matter how good they are. Ever! Surely not in this league. Not in a league where team wins don’t mean anything to anyone but the pitcher (more on that in a bit). After all, this is Softball for the Love of it, not Softball Winning at all Costs.
And that’s the basis of my whole post really. SFLOI is getting away from what I thought it was: a fun pick-up league. I shouldn’t walk away with contempt for anyone. Guys like Joe Gerber and others who yell at their teammates need to step back and look at what they are doing. We’ve had numerous injuries in the past year, and one of ours even had a heart-attack. In light of those occurrences is softball that important; why has this game become increasingly more serious?
Which brings me to my next question that stems from all of this seriousness, why is it that certain pitchers are fast pitching or quick pitching? Certainly I’m not the only one that has noticed that the velocity in this league is going up, am I? If I wanted to join a fast pitch league, I would. Yet more and more, I have to deal with looking out for an errant pitch, which I’m sorry control issues are increasing with the velocity, or swinging out of whack and pulling some muscle just to try to catch up. Honestly, it’s becoming harder to just enjoy coming to the plate. Related: On Monday, Ian Lebowitz did everything to turn defensively on a Derek Martinez fast pitch and ended up smacking Ian’s girlfriend with a foul ball. Would he have hit it like that if it weren’t coming in as fast, I don’t know, but it seemed like there were many hard hit fouls balls when Ian and Derek and sometimes Havelock pitched.
So let me tie this all up with a bow, because I think there is a root to these issues, and that being that the pitchers are the players who care the most about winning said game. Their records are the ones most affected, and to this I cannot argue. But what I can argue is that the pitchers, or someone that usually pitches, are usually also the team captains, and this is leading to a more dangerous and unfair game. Certainly not one that sounds like it should be played under the acronym of SFLOI.
I’ve always said pick-up softball is about the hitters, and I think our pitchers need to loosen up their pants, and realize losing isn’t the end of the world. I challenge our fast pitchers to turn it down and be crafty like Dave Rosengard or Jim O’Connor. These guys don’t need speed to win, as witnessed this past Sunday by Dave. I know the three gents I’ve mentioned in this post can pitch well even without it, so I’d like to see them try. Let’s see what you got. I also challenge Havelock to give the captains chair to players who do not pitch at all. Let them make the decisions. But I also tell them to be fair to everyone. I honestly think that would be the case anyway.
I love being a part of the fabric of this league. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have contributed this website, and everything else I’ve tried to do for it. I wouldn’t have spent the time to write this if not. I want to continue to be a part of this, too, but I want our players to have a good time, I want decisions made for the players to continue to have a good time. So please, Powers-that-be, step back and look at what’s been going on here, and make the right decisions going forward. This is not about an ego gone wild, this about Softball for the Love it. Remember that?
See you all in a couple of weeks.
--Sal
When I started here, almost two years ago, it seemed a lot looser; sure there were incidents here and there, but it seemed rather cool. Of course, maybe this was because I started in the fall season. Going into last summer, I could tell the heat heated up competition as well, but that all seemed fine as well. One incident that first raised my eyebrow, though, was a benching of Glen Lawrence that seemed not the right thing to do. That led to a bit of controversy that then led to the 2-inning sitting rule, which in itself is a terrible cop-out which insures that most “good” players stay in.
So, that said, we come to this Monday’s game where I sat an inning in Game One and then was asked to do so again in at the end of Game Two when there were a few players that had not sat at all. Now, let’s get a couple of things straight, 1. I will never say I am a good fielder, but I’m not terrible as well. I’m one of the mid-of-the-road players. 2. Being one of the team managers of my company’s team I also understand having to sit players. However, there lies the major difference and where all the disagreements stem.
See, I play in a league where TEAM victories count. Everyone on our team understands this, and everyone is OK with the tough decisions that need to be made by me and the other manager. Heck, I rotate myself in and out all the time. Whatever contributes to the team winning, I’m into. I understand this.
SFLOI, though, is nothing like the league I am in. SFLOI is a pick-up league where the stats are gods, and there are no real team concepts. You are my teammate and opponent, maybe on the same day, and all that matters is how we do in that game. At the end of the day, if you lost two, but went 8-8, you may act sad, but we all know you’re damn happy with yourself. The “pennant” really doesn’t mean much, other than being another stat.
So, I argue and disagree with the notions presented by Havelock in the prior post, and also by Ian in the comments. Winning a ballgame should never get ahead of doing the right thing in this league. There should never be a player that has paid his/her dues that sits more than someone else. No one should be exempt from sitting, no matter how good they are. Ever! Surely not in this league. Not in a league where team wins don’t mean anything to anyone but the pitcher (more on that in a bit). After all, this is Softball for the Love of it, not Softball Winning at all Costs.
And that’s the basis of my whole post really. SFLOI is getting away from what I thought it was: a fun pick-up league. I shouldn’t walk away with contempt for anyone. Guys like Joe Gerber and others who yell at their teammates need to step back and look at what they are doing. We’ve had numerous injuries in the past year, and one of ours even had a heart-attack. In light of those occurrences is softball that important; why has this game become increasingly more serious?
Which brings me to my next question that stems from all of this seriousness, why is it that certain pitchers are fast pitching or quick pitching? Certainly I’m not the only one that has noticed that the velocity in this league is going up, am I? If I wanted to join a fast pitch league, I would. Yet more and more, I have to deal with looking out for an errant pitch, which I’m sorry control issues are increasing with the velocity, or swinging out of whack and pulling some muscle just to try to catch up. Honestly, it’s becoming harder to just enjoy coming to the plate. Related: On Monday, Ian Lebowitz did everything to turn defensively on a Derek Martinez fast pitch and ended up smacking Ian’s girlfriend with a foul ball. Would he have hit it like that if it weren’t coming in as fast, I don’t know, but it seemed like there were many hard hit fouls balls when Ian and Derek and sometimes Havelock pitched.
So let me tie this all up with a bow, because I think there is a root to these issues, and that being that the pitchers are the players who care the most about winning said game. Their records are the ones most affected, and to this I cannot argue. But what I can argue is that the pitchers, or someone that usually pitches, are usually also the team captains, and this is leading to a more dangerous and unfair game. Certainly not one that sounds like it should be played under the acronym of SFLOI.
I’ve always said pick-up softball is about the hitters, and I think our pitchers need to loosen up their pants, and realize losing isn’t the end of the world. I challenge our fast pitchers to turn it down and be crafty like Dave Rosengard or Jim O’Connor. These guys don’t need speed to win, as witnessed this past Sunday by Dave. I know the three gents I’ve mentioned in this post can pitch well even without it, so I’d like to see them try. Let’s see what you got. I also challenge Havelock to give the captains chair to players who do not pitch at all. Let them make the decisions. But I also tell them to be fair to everyone. I honestly think that would be the case anyway.
I love being a part of the fabric of this league. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have contributed this website, and everything else I’ve tried to do for it. I wouldn’t have spent the time to write this if not. I want to continue to be a part of this, too, but I want our players to have a good time, I want decisions made for the players to continue to have a good time. So please, Powers-that-be, step back and look at what’s been going on here, and make the right decisions going forward. This is not about an ego gone wild, this about Softball for the Love it. Remember that?
See you all in a couple of weeks.
--Sal
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
My Softball Weekend
I didn't hit well and, apparently, made a number of umpiring errors this Memorial Weekend. Somehow, I had a great time! We played three games on Sunday and two more, thanks to Joe Gerber, on Monday evening on The Great Lawn. Most of the games were close. For the first time in my life, I was part of a triple play, tagging Ian Parfrey at the plate for the third out. Sunday featured the returns of Phil Ciccone, from his broken leg and David Rosengard from his heart attack and subsequent surgery. Ciccone reached firs base in game one only to look over at the opposing pitcher, Jeff Appell, and thirdbaseman, Ian Parfrey and recognize that these were the same duo who were manning the positions when Phil was last on the field )and attempted to take the extra-base, slid into third and looked down to see his foot at a 90-degree angle from the rest of his leg). The folowing hitter singled and we all thought Phil might try to take the extra base again, but Ciccone neglected to tempt the fates and settled for staying at secondbase. Rosengard, who had two stents put in his heart, pitched a brilliant game, only allowing one run, unearned, in beating Jeff Appell's team 9-1. After the game I thought I heard Jeff on his cell phone saying "Doc, can I schedule you to put those stents in on Tuesday, I want to be back on the field as soon as possible."
As for my umpiring..in my defense, I am willing to umpire and call em as I see em and take whatever criticisem comes my way. Many people refuse to umpire because they don't want the grief. If we don't take it a little easy on the kind people who volunteer to be arbiters we won't have any.
Speaking of tough jobs, being captain of a team is almost as thankless as umpiring. Dealing with players who can't play certain positions because of injuries, aging veterans who still want to play shortstop, kids whose parents don't want them to catch for fear of facial injuries, etc. We captains do the best we can to balance these needs and desires. Another aspect of captaining is to make sure everyone plays. Over the years we have worked out a rule for this. Every player must play at least four of the first seven innings in the field (baring injury or requests from the player to sit more time). Within this rule, we leave it to the captain to decide who should sit and when. This leaves the possibility that with only one extra player a single player may be asked to sit six of the fourteen innings of a double-header. On occasion I have heard from sitters who believe a more equitable approach would be an improvement. From a captains point of view, I believe the rule is a balanced one. It insures that every player is playing most of the time but gives the captain some wiggle room. For instance, on Memorial Day I was captaining and pitching for a team in which no one wanted to catch. Stoeth had just pitched seven inning in Game 1, Cipriano's leg hurt him, Connor was getting too old for this...so I was begging them to give me a couple of innings each. At the same time I was getting some pressure from team-mates to put our best defense on the field. That meant leaving our best outfielders and shortstop and thirdbaseman at their positions. This left four players to split firstbase, seconbase and catcher and also split the sitting. I'd like hear any suggestions on how to fine-tune this system.
See you on Sunday! -Havelock
As for my umpiring..in my defense, I am willing to umpire and call em as I see em and take whatever criticisem comes my way. Many people refuse to umpire because they don't want the grief. If we don't take it a little easy on the kind people who volunteer to be arbiters we won't have any.
Speaking of tough jobs, being captain of a team is almost as thankless as umpiring. Dealing with players who can't play certain positions because of injuries, aging veterans who still want to play shortstop, kids whose parents don't want them to catch for fear of facial injuries, etc. We captains do the best we can to balance these needs and desires. Another aspect of captaining is to make sure everyone plays. Over the years we have worked out a rule for this. Every player must play at least four of the first seven innings in the field (baring injury or requests from the player to sit more time). Within this rule, we leave it to the captain to decide who should sit and when. This leaves the possibility that with only one extra player a single player may be asked to sit six of the fourteen innings of a double-header. On occasion I have heard from sitters who believe a more equitable approach would be an improvement. From a captains point of view, I believe the rule is a balanced one. It insures that every player is playing most of the time but gives the captain some wiggle room. For instance, on Memorial Day I was captaining and pitching for a team in which no one wanted to catch. Stoeth had just pitched seven inning in Game 1, Cipriano's leg hurt him, Connor was getting too old for this...so I was begging them to give me a couple of innings each. At the same time I was getting some pressure from team-mates to put our best defense on the field. That meant leaving our best outfielders and shortstop and thirdbaseman at their positions. This left four players to split firstbase, seconbase and catcher and also split the sitting. I'd like hear any suggestions on how to fine-tune this system.
See you on Sunday! -Havelock
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