805BLUEsaysTWOOO

The app for score keeping that a majority of the leagues here use is called GameChanger . I've been using it for all of my teams that I play on and the teams I coach. It is one of the best tools any team can have. Keeps pitch counts and its really easy to use. We used to use it on our Android phones and tablet, but then they dropped Android and went strictly iphone/iPads. We tried other score keeping apps and nothing measured up to GC, so I went and bought an iPad just so we could use it for baseball/basketball. Its better than keeping the paper book and it calculates every stat imaginable including batters spray charts and tendencies. The best part is that it is FREE for coaches and teams to use. I don't trust people using the book anymore.

I've battled shoulder/elbow problems since I was 13 and just accepted the fact that I'm not getting any younger and my playing days were behind me. So to stay in the game I love, I continued umping and coaching my kids teams, just like my dad did for me. So a a few friends of mine whom are coaching in the same little league, tell me about a mens baseball league locally. Long story short after 13 years off, I returned to the diamond this past fall and just finished the spring league, summer starts in a few weeks. Anyway, my team goes into last sunday's playoffs as the #1 seed and its a single elimination 4 team playoff. We are playing a team known for their bad attitudes and had just recently been allowed back into the league. Fast forward to the top of the 5th inning, I'm playing third base, bases loaded and the visiting team is ahead 7-3. F1 isn't watching the runners, I'm watching R3 creeping down the line and he makes a break for home just as F1 starts his wind up, I yell "runner 4! 4!" and F1 speeds up his delivery and throws to F2 who makes a clean tag R3 OUT end of the inning. VT dugout erupts and wants a BALK called, base ump says there was no balk. R3 and the F2 from visiting team continue their objections directing all kinds of profanities at the umpires. VT takes the field and we are coming up to bat, VT F2 proceeds to kick all of his teams bats out onto the field along with saying "BULLSH*# CALLS" yada yada I'm a baby. F2 makes his way to warm up F1 and the base ump had had enough and sternly warns him to pipe down or he's gone. F2 responds with "F*** YOU!" really loud, U2 dumps him on the spot. At that point U2 imo should have turned and walked away but he didn't and he and F2 proceeded for about 5-6 minutes to go face to face screaming at the top of their lungs at each other "your gone!" "F*** YOU!" VT is really fired up and 2 more players are tossed for going after U2. Meanwhile my team and I are sitting in the dugout in total disbelief that this was happening. So since they only had 9 players to start the game, take away 3 morons, sorry you can't finish the game in which you were leading the undefeated #1 team and obviously had the momentum. Not the way we wanted to win but what the hell is the matter with people. There is no place for that kind of crap in baseball or any sport. This guy basically handed the game away because of a call that was made correctly and he didn't like it. Anyway the league President was there announcing the game and running the score board, so needless to say that that those players will be banned for life and that team is no longer with us. We came back that night and played a really good team and it was a really fun championship game which we won 4-2. Umpires were on point with all of their calls, both teams shook hands at the end, all in all a strange, long, satisfying day at the ball park.

There are no 2 1/4 composite bats with a BBCOR mark ( that I know of). Thus per the wording a 2 1/4 composite bat that is approved for 12 and under play is not allowed in intermediate play. They can use a 2 1/4 non composite bat with a BPF 1.15 mark I think. JimMurray you are correct. LL Majors and below a composite barrel 2 1/4" is allowed. Since Intermediate play under Junior league bat rules, 2 1/4" composites are illegal, as they do not have BBCOR stamps. 2 5/8" BBCOR perfectly legal in juniors and above but not majors and below. MBUmp but since we no longer have a majors division a lot of these kids are trying to use their expensive bats from last year and saying "its on the approved list". The list does not matter in Intermediate.

Why are you making your way up the line? This may sound like a minor thing, but you put yourself in a position to be accessible for the coach to easily make comments to you. You are much better off staying closer to the dirt circle so that he has to walk out of his way to talk to you. Not saying the coach had any business arguing about balls and strikes anyway, but stand in a place that makes is harder for him to do so, especially when you know he's upset. I about 1/4 way up the first base line and he came across the field at me.

Local Intermediate game I've got the plate. Complete pitchers duel. There are only 4 teams in this division so they play each other alot throughout the season. I've quite a few games and I know all of the kids on both teams as well as the coaches. Pitcher from visitors team was throwing a curveball to almost every batter and was freezing the batters everytime. The first 5 batters from the home team went down looking and the manager is clearly not OK with the calls and its starting to rant down at the third base box, cause his kids had never seen a curveball and he keeps telling them to get in the back of the box, with 2 strikes. Pitcher sits down the last batter of the bottom of the 2nd and I make my way up the line to watching the home team take the field. Coach comes over to me and starts telling me that I can't call that pitch for a strike yada yada yada and I ask him nicely if he was arguing balls and strikes. He says something not so nice back so I kindly tell him to take a walk, he starts back at me and I turn around. Kicks dirt, throws hat and then probably realizes he looks like an A-hole and leaves the field. Next I hadn't had any dropped third strike calls yet to this point. There was at least 8 this game. Lastly the part that is eating at me. The home team is leading 2-1 heading into top 7 (visiting team hasn't won against home team yet this season). 1 out and home team looks like they are about to take a close one away. A 13 year old man child who is 0-3 with 2K's comes up and is down 0-2 when he takes a low outside fastball deep over the fence in right center, true moon shot, ties the game. Visiting team puts up 5 runs and goes on to win and they are beside themselves. The thing is is that the kid who hit that homerun used a 2 1/4" composite barrel bat I had checked the home teams gear and my partner checked the visitors side. I didn't notice until after the game when I saw the bat leaning up along the fence as I was leaving the field. The "OH SH*#" feeling crept deep and I wasn't about to start a SH*#storm. The home team said nothing, the visitors said nothing, I know that they won because of an illegal bat. I told my partner and he said, "I don't think it would have mattered, he would have hit it out either way." I feel like crap, I will definitely be checking both sides personally from now on. Please don't beat me up to bad.