A case for the safety base ... Texas/Texas A&M (Don't coach your players to do this . . .)

[Westwind]

Would you elaborate please? What are the differences you've observed and/or conclusions you've come to?

Are you trying to get me in trouble here, lol?

Unless you have seen high level mens fastpitch I’m not sure I can marry up the ideas. The mens game is just played a little different and being on the edge of the rule book isn’t so frowned upon. I think mens resembles 2024 college softball more than the college game 20 years ago that former college players remember.

Here is an example. Coach A played college softball 20 years ago. She distinctly remembers how she won or lost a 1-0 game because a good riseball was a whiff back in the old days. So in 2024, she calls a riseball in an 0-2 count with a runner on in the bottom of 7 and Hitter of 2024 puts it in the parking lot.

See Hillhouses posts on the topic.

Mike White’s teams look like men’s teams style of play. I like his teams. (I do think there is something about team chemistry that keeps him from finishing as strong as his teams actually are.)

I am not saying male coaches are better. Gasso blows that bs out of the water.

 

[CoachJD]

What I am saying, and some of the replies here sadden me, is that obstruction is NOT a license for malicious contact. Don't coach/teach players to intentionally make contact to get a call.

TMIB, "intentional" and "malicious" are not synonyms.

Either way, I don't see any evidence that the contact was intentional in the first place. She literally had no other place to go, unless you expect her to not try for the base.

 

[Westwind]

I can’t figure out the runners foot placement. It does not look to me like the runner is doing anything except get to first on time. At worst, it looks to me like maybe she is thinking “hey if she’s going to put her foot there, watch this”

Have seen a fair amount of A&M games. Nothing about them looks dirty. In fact I have told another member here that if I had a crystal ball back in the day that is a school we would have pursued.

Have seen a few Texas games. I’d like to exercise my 5th Amendment privilege before commenting on that team.

Has anyone else watched a lot of Texas games? Because if she does that as a matter of practice, A&M saw it on film ahead of time.

 

[The Man In Blue]

It’s OK for us to disagree, but making things up and attributing them to me is not acceptable.

At no point did I say anything about pants. I pointed to the tear in her sock in an area NOT inline with the runner’s already wrong path and the base. Her foot is obviously obstructing. Her calf is not her foot and I would be interested in seeing anybody who could contort that way.

 

[The Man In Blue]

TMIB, "intentional" and "malicious" are not synonyms.

Either way, I don't see any evidence that the contact was intentional in the first place. She literally had no other place to go, unless you expect her to not try for the base.

Never said they were. However, intent or reckless behavior that can injure are considered malicious.

I expect her to go for the base. That’s my point. Where she lands in her stride she is coming up short and trips, IMO, showing the base was not her intent.

I’ve said my peace. We see the play differently, and that is fine. I hope we can agree on don’t coach your players to do that. There is concern in baseball circles (based on two recent plays) that coaches will coach batters to swing at catchers. Safety rules are in place to prevent opportunities for that type of “just hurt them” mentality.

Back to my original point: safety base.

 

[LEsoftballdad]

It’s OK for us to disagree, but making things up and attributing them to me is not acceptable.

At no point did I say anything about pants. I pointed to the tear in her sock in an area NOT inline with the runner’s already wrong path and the base. Her foot is obviously obstructing. Her calf is not her foot and I would be interested in seeing anybody who could contort that way.

I edited my post that wasn't okay to you about which article of clothing was ripped. That being said, how do you suppose her *sock* was ripped by the runners spike? Are you suggesting the runner aimed for the a part of the body that wasn't in line with the bag, and then miraculously came back to the bag two inches later? I'm actually asking a serious question here. You are the only one here who saw it that way, unless I missed someone else's post. Considering the 1B did the same exact thing in the next game, I'd attribute it to Texas, not A&M.

I guess we can all watch next weekend and see how the 1B covers the bag on bunts again.

I still agree that having a safety bag would prevent this from happening. Why it hasn't been implemented is a mystery.

 

[JayW]

It’s OK for us to disagree, but making things up and attributing them to me is not acceptable.

At no point did I say anything about pants. I pointed to the tear in her sock in an area NOT inline with the runner’s already wrong path and the base. Her foot is obviously obstructing. Her calf is not her foot and I would be interested in seeing anybody who could contort that way.

Post #1. "No call for going after her knee".
Post #16. "She clipped her upper leg."

This is where I was confused. Maybe you didn't mean upper leg.

 

[angispeds]

Indiana player tore her acl trying to avoid a player retrieving an errant throw on a steal of second base. If she would have just plowed through her and protected her body she’d likely be fine. I would never coach a player to try to injure someone but I do want my players to protect themselves.


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[JayW]

Indiana player tore her acl trying to avoid a player retrieving an errant throw on a steal of second base. If she would have just plowed through her and protected her body she’d likely be fine. I would never coach a player to try to injure someone but I do want my players to protect themselves.


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Agree. It was the Texas player who repeatedly put herself and the runner in dangerous positions.

 

[Chris8]

Are you trying to get me in trouble here, lol?

Unless you have seen high level mens fastpitch I’m not sure I can marry up the ideas. The mens game is just played a little different and being on the edge of the rule book isn’t so frowned upon. I think mens resembles 2024 college softball more than the college game 20 years ago that former college players remember.

Here is an example. Coach A played college softball 20 years ago. She distinctly remembers how she won or lost a 1-0 game because a good riseball was a whiff back in the old days. So in 2024, she calls a riseball in an 0-2 count with a runner on in the bottom of 7 and Hitter of 2024 puts it in the parking lot.

See Hillhouses posts on the topic.

Mike White’s teams look like men’s teams style of play. I like his teams. (I do think there is something about team chemistry that keeps him from finishing as strong as his teams actually are.)

I am not saying male coaches are better. Gasso blows that bs out of the water.

UH NOPE not trying to get you in trouble here. In fact most people can do that on their own here without my help
Thanks for your explanation. Appreciated.

To your example of coach A....that's a problem sport wide from LL/rec to College. Coaches who don't continue to be life long learners and students of the game. See throwing/pitching/hitting mechanics. This can be very frustrating because by not keeping up with the evolution of the game as well as mechanics we do a disservice to the up and coming players.