So I am more nervous right now than the 1st game behind the plate I called

[ArchAngel72]

Been doing 8U now up to 15U LL baseball for going on 6 years now.

Well the local assigner must be in a bind as he asked me to do a game tomorrow for the girls Softball game.

I fell on that sword as I had declined a lot of games lately due to scheduling.  But I have not done softball before.

We got a lot of tips during class at Bristol but dang that was 3 and 4 years ago now.

I know about drag bunts and hits and etc. 

I am pretty sure there is no uncaught 3rd strike rule.

I know they cannot lead and can leave once the pitcher releases the ball if they do so before they are OUT.

 

Oh man what did I get myself into?  

 

 

 

[Mudisfun]

Don't forget to stay down, say strike and then come up with the hit the sky strike mechanic!

[MadMax]

7 minutes ago, ArchAngel72 said:

I know they cannot lead and can leave once the pitcher releases the ball if they do so before they are OUT.

 

Oh man what did I get myself into?  

I got duped / swindled / bamboozled into doing two softball games, 12U and 13U, by a former assigner here in PHX. He didn't have the decency to tell me what they were until I was in the parking lot, within sight of the three fields, and having noticed that there were an awful lot of preteen girls about, called him in a panic. 

I stepped onto the field I was assigned to, completely out of my element. I met the coaches... and stayed, primarily out of a sense of duty, but also because one of the coaches. I'll leave it at that. We'll title her "Former College Softball Standout (FCSS)". 

I thought I was doing alright during the game, but my goodness is everything different. It's like teaching a fish to walk on land. Somewhere during the game, I don't recall exactly when, FCSS starts yelling at me! "That's a look-back! She's out! That's a look-back!" I muttered to myself, "What the heck's a look back??!!" FCSS repeated her statement, and I replied with, "No, she's fine. I don't have a look-back!" 

To this day, I still don't fully grasp what a look-back means as a rule, nor do I understand what role it plays in the rules / proceedings of the game. And no, guys, I don't want to be explained what the rule is. Softball is a completely foreign language to me; at one time, I wanted to learn Russian (and yes, trying to impress women – especially Russian or Eastern European women – was a motivator), and so I did! I gave it the ole' college try!... To this day, I can hear Russian speakers, and identify a few words, and get the gist of what they're trying to say, but otherwise, I'm completely out of my element. I have no motivation now to pick it back up and try to improve my understanding and use of Russian... 

I feel the exact same way about softball.

[ArchAngel72]

I come here for advise on LL Softball and get eastern block dating advice from @MadMax instead..

 

🤡

[MadMax]

1 minute ago, ArchAngel72 said:

I come here for advise on LL Softball and get eastern block dating advice...

You got that from my soliloquy? The entire point of my story was... Learn what a Look-Back is!!

[ArchAngel72]

10 minutes ago, MadMax said:

You got that from my soliloquy? The entire point of my story was... Learn what a Look-Back is!!

Oh I was looking it up. problem is the LL Softball rules app does not call out "look back" or "Look-Back"

 

But I found it online I recall them going over that one.  I gotta say that one is going to be tough for me tomorrow. 10U man why did I do this.

 

 

[Scissors]

19 minutes ago, MadMax said:

To this day, I still don't fully grasp what a look-back means as a rule, nor do I understand what role it plays in the rules / proceedings of the game. And no, guys, I don't want to be explained what the rule is. Softball is a completely foreign language to me; at one time, I wanted to learn Russian (and yes, trying to impress women – especially Russian or Eastern European women – was a motivator), and so I did! I gave it the ole' college try!... To this day, I can hear Russian speakers, and identify a few words, and get the gist of what they're trying to say, but otherwise, I'm completely out of my element. I have no motivation now to pick it back up and try to improve my understanding and use of Russian... 

I feel the exact same way about softball.

Я молюс я никогда должен работать софтбол...

[ArchAngel72]

3 minutes ago, Scissors said:

Я молюс я никогда должен работать софтбол...

I been doing my level headed best not to but I felt guilty about not taking a bunch of games over the next two weeks and I probably stuffed them into a bind bad..

 

[ArchAngel72]

5 minutes ago, Scissors said:

Я молюс я никогда должен работать софтбол...

Oh btw the NFA just tagged your user name and is now looking into everything you ever touched or that has been close to you.

 

😄

[NavyBlue]

Look back rule, no lead offs, read definition of softball strike zone, depending on age group you might see a rising pitch, batter's box is narrower and longer towards pitcher's mound, drag bunts.

If the girls are good, it's actually a fun, fast game so don't underestimate it (again, age dependent).

[MadMax]

1 hour ago, NavyBlue said:

If the girls are good, it's actually a fun, fast game so don't underestimate it (again, age dependent).

Bring earplugs. 

The screaming and the chanting. 🙉

[BDad]

Is the Look Back Rule different from the Circle Rule, or are those basically the same thing? (Just trying to get my terminology right.)

[ArchAngel72]

17 hours ago, NavyBlue said:

Look back rule, no lead offs, read definition of softball strike zone, depending on age group you might see a rising pitch, batter's box is narrower and longer towards pitcher's mound, drag bunts.

If the girls are good, it's actually a fun, fast game so don't underestimate it (again, age dependent).

this is 10 U So I do not expect the pitching or the game to go fast...

the attached is additional things they have added for local rules.

 

Based on what I read from the App the strike zone is the same for SB as it is for BB

armpits to top of knee anywhere over the plate

 

 

[Jay R.]

I did LL baseball, 7-17, for five seasons full time and a couple more part-time, easing back as I focused on coaching my own kids. (I also moved in 2018 from a jurisdiction that paid umpires very well for LL to an area where youth umpires don't make much at all.) 

Last year, I moved houses and realized that the small field basically in my new backyard hosts girls' rec softball all year. I figured out who the assignor was and introduced myself, looking to pick up a few games within easy walking distance. I got a few last fall, maybe 8 or 10 games at the U10, U12, and U15 levels. 

Like you, I was terribly nervous about stuff like the lookback rule and other softball-specific stuff. The local league uses the NSA rulebook and I noticed "blocked balls" as a thing. 

Small sample size, but: 
-- None of the softball-specific rules came up. Maybe it was because it was fall ball, but no one was pushing the envelope on the running game. 
-- Introduce yourself as an experienced umpire who's new to softball (or the code or age level, or however you want to proceed) and you get a lot of grace to discuss things like D3K or no, IFF or no, etc., at the plate meeting. 
-- The stuff that wins over baseball coaches also wins over softball coaches. Hustle into position and have a consistent strike zone and experienced coaches will notice. They might even say so!
-- My only semi-ugly incident was when a base coach in U10 basically pushed a runner to advance and I called her out for the coach's actions. But that's not softball-specific!

[ArchAngel72]

Well I had an ok game

 

Found out in the middle of the 1st It was NOT Little League Softball it was Babe Ruth

/facepalm

I looked thru my LL app and read up on as many rules as possible  Oh well being both teams 1st game of the season and one new coach. Neither coach seemed to mind it with me being my 1st game of softball either so there was that.

Called a REALLY big strike zone as discussed prior to game one coach wanted chin to shin

I was about that big LOL

but meh no one complained really couple of girls did not like the outside strike that was a ball off the plate but I told both coaches I would be calling the other batters box line like it was the plate. They were both happy with that.

One thing that happened and I am wondering.

2 Outs R3

Ball to the backstop catcher retrieved it R3 coming home Batter did not clear and when runner approached she took a step back and right into the oncoming catcher.  I called batter interference and called the runner out.  3 outs...  I got no arguments but the new coach who's offence it was needed a little explaining.  However I believe I got that correct.