Well, SaddleBrooke and Ranch softball fans, here it is Thursday, October 17 and the “Bags” deadline time again. You won’t be reading this until around the first of November, but at mid-October, here’s the past and future in the action-packed world of SB softball.
Tournament Action—Veteran’s Day TourneyYep, our VETERANS DAY TOURNAMENT is coming up; scheduled for Saturday, November 8. Most of “the birds” from the north should be back by then and there should be a full slate of games on offer. Be there or be square! Games will start 8 a.m. “ish” and end at about 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. depending upon the offensive “onslaughts” offered up in each game. After game one, say, around 9:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. “ish”, a “salute” to our SaddleBrooke veterans (and, of course, all veterans) will be presented and our vets will line up along the third base line for “the salute!” This year’s tournament is being appreciatively sponsored by Wendy Harn (Estate Planning attorney) of Harn Legacy, PLLC and Debra Miller, State Farm Insurance. Our thanks to Ms. Harn and Ms. Miller for their support of SaddleBrooke softball.
League Action
Yesiree folks, the Summer league finished up on Friday, September 19 and our fall league is now in “swing.” Fall is in the air (well sort of) and the snowbirds are beginning to flock back to the Brooke. The season began on Monday, October 6 and will continue to Friday, December 12 before taking a three week break over the holidays. Meantime the softballers have “busted outta the gate” and are again tearing up the infield and outfield at our gem of a softball field near the DesertView facility.
On Mondays, in Recreational (single A), Catalina Family Dental and the Community Church at SaddleBrooke have only gotten in one game with the Dentists taking it to sit atop the early standings. Plenty of games left, though. In Community, Linda Meyer-Long Realty has busted out to an early 2-0 lead over Heredia’s Landscaping and Shifren Physical Therapy, both at 1-2.
On Tuesdays, it’s only the Competitive gals and guys (4A) with Hardin Brothers Automotive out with a 2-0 record to Concierge Air Conditioning and Dominick’s Real Italian, both at 0-1.
Wednesday is Sidewinder (2A) and Wednesday Community (3A) day. The ‘Winders only have one game in at this writing with Tom Ottaway-State Farm Insurance out front at 1-0 over The Moore Advantage Real Estate at 0-1. Three teams are on offer in Wednesday Community with Cleere Law Offices at 1-0, SaddleBrooke HOA-1 at 1-1 and Nara Brown – Long Realty at 0-1.
On Thursdays, it’s Coyote day when the 65-plusers get out and about to slap the softball around. The geezers and geezettes of Ambient Air Heating & Cooling jumped out to the early 1-0 league lead over Twin Lake Air at 0-1.
On Fridays, in Community (3A), Harn Legacy took their first game and is 1-0 while Red Earth Tile has a split and is 1-1. Oro Ford also has gotten just one game in and so is 0-1. In Competitive, Ridgeview Physical Therapy is 1-0, SaddleBrooke HOA-2 is 1-1 and Hughes Credit Union is 0-1.
But this is only Tuesday of week two, folks, so your esteemed author has only a few “deets’ for ya on the action down at the field.
Ruling on the Field—The “Infield Fly Rule”Well, the infield fly rule “situation” came up in play the other day and, yes, it fried your author’s patooty a bit.
Now the infield fly rule ain’t that complicated. But it seems to “befuddle” us geezers here in da Brooke; so much so that it has been “eliminated” from the rules governing all Saddlerooke leagues EXCEPT Competitive (4A, the majors, whatever). Why, you say? Good question. Well, it seems both the players AND the umps just can’t get it quite right. Now this is pretty much the case in the Competitive league as well, but there it remains.
What is it? Essentially a rule designed to protect baserunners from the “questionable” dropping on a “catchable” infield pop fly by an infielder (which has “frozen” the baserunners) so that a double or even (dare I say it?) triple play can be completed.
Artificial Intel sez: “The infield fly rule protects baserunners by automatically calling the batter out when a routine “ordinary effort” catchable infield (umpire’s judgment) fly ball is “in play” with less than two outs and runners on first and second, or first, second, third (bases loaded). The umpires are supposed to “signal” each other when the “infield-fly situation” is “in play.” Why they don’t just yell it out, so everyone knows, I don’t know. But they are supposed to give each other the “super-secret, hand over the heart” signal to each other and then remember to call it if the batter actually hits a “catchable” infield pop fly. If the ball is caught, the runners (after tagging their base) can still advance at their own risk. If the ball is NOT CAUGHT they are NOT REQUIRED to advance, but again may advance at their own risk.” They don’t “get caught” in a force-out situation.
This rule prevents the INTENTIONAL dropping (or letting drop) the ordinary effort catchable pop fly by an infielder (some might say unsportsman-like infielder) when that pop fly has essentially “frozen” the baserunners on or near their respective bases for fear of being doubled, or even tripled off (a double or triple out play).
Well, this rule so confused the players and umpires in all leagues except Competitive, it was eliminated. WAIT A MINUTE, you say! That leaves the runners in all the other leagues at risk from an infielder INTENTIONALLY (and in my mind, with unsportsmanlike intent) either dropping or letting drop the ball in order to affect a multiple-out play. YES….BUT. There is another rule, still in effect in these leagues, which allows the umpire to call an out (at ANY time) when he or she determines any player has intentionally allowed a fly ball to drop in order to confuse or hinder a baserunner.
Meanwhile, ALL slowpitch softball, including the Brooke, has a Code of Ethics which dictates that all players are not to commit any act that could be considered unsportsmanlike conduct. Is the intentional dropping of a catchable pop fly in order to freeze the runners and thereby make a multiple out play rather than just one out unsportsmanlike conduct? This is, after all, “geezer softball” with friends and neighbors.
Now you might say, Mitch, why are you rambling like this. Well, THIS VERY CIRCUMSTANCE came up in Community play in week one; wherein, according to my sources, with runners on first and second and NO OUTS, an infielder essentially “guided” a catchable pop fly to the ground with his glove, faking a drop, freezing the runners and putting (instead of one out via the fly ball) a force play into effect on first, second and third. All the runners had “frozen” (including the batter – his bad of course), the infielder picked the ball up, throws were made, and a TRIPLE PLAY resulted.
Well, all heck resulted and benches cleared. Neither umpire had evidently seen the “intentional drop” (although my source says the infielder later admitted to him that he had “committed” the intentional drop). Finally, the defense was given a double play instead of the single out. The infielder did not step forward to admit to the intentional violation of the rules and, in your author’s mind (a small place, admittedly) to the unsportsmanlike conduct in a game with friends and neighbors. OK, OK. Nuff said!
That’s a wrap, folks! Fall League games CONTINUE DAILY, Monday through Friday until Fridasy, September 19, starting at 8 a.m. So, come on down! Additionally, practices are on Saturday where you can tune the bat and glove. If you want more info, come on down—someone will yap with you. Or you can surf the SaddleBrooke Softball Association (the SSSA) at saddlebrookesoftball.com.
Veteran’s Day TournamentJoin us on Saturday, November 8 for softball “dramedy,” food, music, fun, good camaraderie and good sportsmanship. See you there.
