Fences or no Fences

[CoogansBluff]

One thing I don't like about many fences is the frequency in which balls roll under the temporary fences for ground-rule doubles. ...

Another point: While I prefer having fences because of the thrill of an over-the-fence HR, I don't necessarily think having fences is the way the game ought to be played. That's a matter of how we are conditioned. If fences were 300 feet or non-existent, there would be more strategy in how to play the outfielders. Girls who hit 215-foot pop flies would become less valuable than line-drive hitters who find the gap. Hitting would be more about how fast you hit the ball to the OF vs. how far. Bigger fields would reward faster players, both in the field and on the bases. The value of a good center fielder becomes much higher. It would be a premier position comparable to shortstop or catcher. The game would be different, not necessarily better or worse, IMO. Except for those who just have a preference for what they want to watch. Which is fine. As has been said, chicks dig the long ball. So did America in the 1920s when Babe Ruth came along. The led to smaller and smaller ballparks as Ty Cobb fumed.

 

[Rocketech1]

I would much prefer fences at every ball park but the reality is most softball fields are multi-use from 8U up to Adult slow pitch leagues so its not feasible to build any type of permanent structure except the deepest fence possible for the adults. Contrast that with youth baseball where more money is poured into ball parks and each division has permanent fences depending on the official dimensions of each division. For example, my son plays PONY baseball and each age group only plays on their designated field. The pitching distances, bases, and fences all conform to each division's field. There are no temporary fences or removing the pitching rubber between games for different age groups, etc. It's a shame there are very few fastpitch ballparks built like this but apparently it's cost-prohibitive.

 

[smddad]

Fences. Coaches complained enough around here that the ASA TD now has them set up temp fences and most of the venues. A grounder through the gap should not be a H/R just as much as a deep fly ball hit about 230' should not be an F8.

 

[coach dennis]

Play the game how it was designed to be played....Yes, that means having fences... This is a pet peve of mine when we would enter a high profile event (mostly in Ohio) and the game was played on open or mens fields...

I also like holly wood bases, clean restrooms, ample warm up areas, parking and consessions so I guess my expectations may be a little high...

 

[02Crush]

I need to think about this....umm....Fences...It is part of the sport. Whether short or not it is part of the game. We see anywhere between 180-225. All are fine as long as there are fences. We showed up one time to an event and it was a field with a backstop and NO FENCE ANYWHERE. I mean to say it was possible to roll one 600' into the woods...needless to say we did not go back to that park to play ever.

 

[CoogansBluff]

Play the game how it was designed to be played....

I'm curious. Who designed fastpitch? What was the first set of rules? Did it call for a fence?

Everyone agrees that they prefer fences, so not arguing that. But is it true that softball/fastpitch was designed to be played with a fence?

I don't think that can be said about baseball. That was an open-field game that accommodated fences over time. The over-the-fence HR was not originally ''part of the game''. In fact, even in the dead-ball era, there were World Series games played where they roped off the deepest part of the outfield in front of the outfield wall to allow more fans to watch. If you hit the ball over the rope and into the crowd, it was a ground-rule double.

What rule books require that you have a fence?

 

[YOCOACH]

The history of softball.... The History Of Softball. Who Invented Softball? It started indoors so no fence was needed.