Sunday, April 20, 2008

Tyrannosauras Rex Modified

Riddle me this?

What does modified softball in the Big apple league and a Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur have in common?

Tyrannosaurus rex






Simple : They are both Extinct.

The common reaction to when someone complains about open or sling pitchers is
"be a man. just hit it".

Manhood was nothing to so with it. It's simply playing the game you signed up for.

If you sit down in the casino and want to play blackjack, the dealer doesn't spin a roulette wheel.
You get dealt your cards and if you win you win and if you lose you lose.

Comparing sling to modified is like comparing apples to oranges.

In Open/sling/fast pitch softball the pitcher is pretty much allowed to throw the ball in an unrestricted motion,
This gives the pitcher the advantage of throwing the ball at high speeds from a close distance
To compensate for this pitching advantage certain rules have been developed to balance this advantage for the offense, For example, bunting, stealing, hit by pitches ( without a ridiculous shirt tucked in rule that the Big Apple uses - this rule is pathetic and childish), passed balls, and three outfielders.

In modified, a pitcher cannot twist his torso, break his wrist, go above 9 or 12 o'clock ( Big Apple says twelve OK that's cool), or throw sidearm.
To limit the batters advantage rules are put in place like allowing 4 outfielders, and allowing runners to advance only when the ball is hit (except pick off attempts).
I know plenty of good modified pitchers like Murphy, Lou 22, Castillo, Edgar Jr, etc who are tough to hit and follow these rules.

I love the big apple league.
I love the competition,
I love the fields,
I love playing in Manhattan.
I even love to hate the teams I want to beat.
I genuinely respect commissioner Jeff Marcus and consider him a a friend. I know he reads this.
But the league has taken an unfortunate turn toward becoming an open league.
There is too much talking.
Too many committees.
Too little action.
Teams simply want an edge.
Slingers are rampant in the league now. Their names are not even worth mentioning b/c
it's so obvious.

What's ironic is that this isn't even a money league.
People want to win out of pride and at all cost.
Somehow that desire to win and pride has been twisted in the wrong direction.

It's a shame b/s the league now more than ever is ultra competitive and balanced, but this blatant disregard for pitching rules is unacceptable.

I see only 2 other possible options now

(1) I suggest the league be broken up into an open and modified division in the future to avoid
these issues.

(2) Another Ice age hits and slingers get wiped out.

Option One is preferred

2 comments:

  1. I have two words for the Sunday League: Carlos Con.

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  2. As per the ASA code there are 3 "MODIFIED" divisions; 9-man "A", 9-man "major" and 10-man. There is no "sling" division. It is all MODIFIED, just pick your level and play.

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