Pictures of pitchers feet

[JDBerry]

Let me see......a guy gets slammed for providing documentation of an interpretation from what many consider a viable source and you think it is hypocritical for him to mention being open minded?

You are aware that unlike many, if not most, on this and other boards, Bretman actually attends and takes from multiple clinics and schools every year and not just ASA. BTW, those interpretations are not just pulled out of somebody's rear, but compiled after discussions with umpire officials from around North America and multiple organizations.

ASA may be the premier dictatorial good ol' boys club when it comes to the administration of the NGB, but when it comes to the rules of the game, it is closer to democratic than anything you will see in this country. They may not always get it right the first time, but the rules constantly change, and much more than most people notice.

I or you must be very confused. Part of his "open mind" whine was directed at you.

I've thought of this as an excuse issued in dummying down the violation. They simply address tips that umpires have used as an indicator and state what is seen in these tips isn't illegal. What is stated as "impossible" is, IMO, not impossible.

But to be clear, the hypocrisy is the fact that he whines about "open minds" when he simply wants someone to accept something that is contradictory just because someone else said so. That's antithesis to having an open mind. Having an open mind is listening to information, using critical thought and common sense and arriving at a personal opinion you believe to be accurate.

 

[Comp]

At your daily job, if your boss tells you to do something one way and you dont agree, do you just go ahead and do it the way you want? If so, how long do you think you would keep your job?

Agree with it or not, both ASA and FED have taken the same stance that as long as the pitcher drags away from the pitching plate, the rule does not say anything about the leg bearing weight again. A Florida interschoolastic association had several training videos posted a couple of years ago showing numerous pitchers they deemed to be illegal for weight being on the back leg again prior to the release of the ball. Since ASA and FED both came out with their rules clarifications, those videos have been removed. Like it or not, if you umpire ASA or FED softball, our bosses have told the umpires as long as the foot drags away, it is legal.

 

[BretMan]

BM - what is your response mode when you read or see something completely ridiculous about something you are passionate

I can tell you what my response won't be. It's not to start hurling insults at the person who posted the information.

I presented the information without comment. I didn't say it was right, wrong, stupid or brilliant. Consider it offered as food for thought. When an authoritative governing body, one whose function is to write and interpret the playing rules, offers guidelines for how said rules are to enforced, I would think that an open minded individual could at least acknowledge that the interpretation might have some merit.

Or, you could brush it off as stupid and then, for good measure, insult the person who passed it along for consideration.

And since when did being passionate about something become a license to be uncivil?

 

[BretMan]

to be clear, the hypocrisy is the fact that he whines about "open minds" when he simply wants someone to accept something that is contradictory just because someone else said so. That's antithesis to having an open mind. Having an open mind is listening to information, using critical thought and common sense and arriving at a personal opinion you believe to be accurate.

I'm all for critical thinking. But I'm also a realist.

If I don't think that the speed limit laws are just, I'm free to form that opinion and chose to not obey them. If in doing so I get a speeding ticket, no amount of philosophical debate is going to waive the fine. The law is the law and it doesn't bend because I'm being "open minded".

It's the same with the rules of the game. They are what they are. No amount of differing opinion is going to stop them from being enforced as the entity that writes them and interprets them intends them to be. You can be as "open mined" about the rules as you want, but that doesn't change the rules or how the organization writing the rules wants them enforced.

Realistically, if you think something is illegal, but the sanctioning body says it is not, why would you expect it to be enforced any other way than how the sanctioning body intends it to be?

 

[MTR]

I or you must be very confused. Part of his "open mind" whine was directed at you.

But to be clear, the hypocrisy is the fact that he whines about "open minds" when he simply wants someone to accept something that is contradictory just because someone else said so. That's antithesis to having an open mind. Having an open mind is listening to information, using critical thought and common sense and arriving at a personal opinion you believe to be accurate.

You really have no idea what you are talking about. Bretman wasn't challenging me, he was just posting the interpretation that the Supervisor of Umpires for ASA issued. I don't believe he cares for it any more than I do, he just didn't voice that opinion.

BTW, RB, you do not want to compare resumes

 

[GOINGDEEP]

I haven't read all the recent posts but since there seems to be sooooo much confusion on the interpretations of the rules, wouldn't it be in the umpires association's interest to provide video ( website or DVD ) of what is illegal and what is not? What they are going to enforce and what they are not. Instead of "terms" in a rule, let the PC's and coaches SEE what is going to be called. That should eliminate a bunch of unnessesary bitching and protests.

 

[BretMan]

Such videos do exist.

These videos include Power Point presentations to explain the leap, the crow hop and other pitching violations. Unfortunately, they are on an NFHS website that requires membership to log in and view them. I tried to copy them to share here, but they are copy-protected.

I did describe their content in another pitching thread back awhile ago. The usual nay-sayers, sight unseen, dismissed them as being inaccurate, or incomplete, or not properly illustrative of the rules.

 

[Comp]

I have the leap and crow hop videos, thought I had all of them at one time but cant find them at the moment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFiCyr99c3I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3pkRUSEdvQ

 

[Comp]

Here are the remainder of the NFHS videos

Side arm
sidearm - YouTube

Pitching revolutions
pitchingrevolutions - YouTube

Legal removal
legalremoval - YouTube

Ephus pitch
ephus - YouTube

Double touch
doubletouch - YouTube

Behind the back
behindtheback - YouTube

24 inch lane
24inch - YouTube

 

[Indiana]

Great videos - thanks for posting them! What I noticed most, is that it is extremely difficult to see a leap or a crow hop at full speed. The crow hop seems to give the clearest advantage, as the pitcher has his pivot leg bent and is clearly using it as a weight bearing mechanism.

I'm not sure what can be done, really, other than assign an umpire to specifically watch the pitcher's feet. In tennis, a "foot fault" occurs if one or both feet cross the baseline before the ball is hit. There is a person specifically watching for foot faults during a serve. The players go absolutely NUTS when a foot fault is called - and sometimes it is a game changing call.