What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander

It's simple. 

• If you play in a league with open pitching, then you can throw open (broken wrist/turned shoulders).
• If you play in a league with modified pitching, then you can't throw open (broken wrist/turned shoulders).

Simple. Or at least we wish it was.

As covered at nausea in this blog for years, it's quite evident its an issue that very few leagues can get  firm internal control over. The following video is an example of a pitcher throw open / side arm

Dan Quisenberry Style

 in a modified league.

So fucking wrong.

This is obviously illegal and unfair. A just commissioner that understands modified pitching rules and promotes competition would warn the player to confirm to standards or be placed on a ban list. As we all know this might not always happen. So what do you do then? Whine? Complain? Quit? Cry? Point Fingers? No. The proper response to sling in a modified league is sling b/c "What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander". If some team is playing by a different set of rules, then you can't be denied the chance to take that same action. No one understands this more than Carlos Contreras
 
Carlos can throw both modified and open softball. In fact, he is one of the very best open pitchers in the tri-state area. He knows and respects the difference between the two art forms. If he is in a modified league, then he throws modified unless someone else slings. A few years ago, Carlos played against me in a modified softball league in Brooklyn. All year long he threw modified. In the playoffs, our modified pitcher did not show up and our manager decided to  pitch a slinger against his team. Carlos response was to throw sling. How can you argue against that? We couldn't.  It's only fair.

In response to the illegal pitcher throwing in the video above, Carlos took the same approach and started throwing sling


(he even gave up along shot - wow sign that guy up). I applaud Carlos and others like him who respect the game and only seek fair competition by the same set of rules. It is honorable.

I always say "Live by the Sling, Die by the Sling" so if you going to cheat be prepared for the illegal pitching flood gates to open in your leagues as the tidal wave is tsunami like and cannot be stopped.

More importantly, ask yourself if your league is constantly having the same debate over legal and illegal pitching then obviously the system is broken from top to bottom. Aren't you sick of it? I know I am.