Middle Etiquette - League Play

J

JN137

Active Member
The fact is, it IS a part of the game. If you are going to pitch, you HAVE to be able to play the position, period. I see so many guys play this position (referring to league, since that's what OP was referring to) almost like they don't even realize guys can hit it back at them.. release the ball and then stand there like a deer in the headlights and I'm just waiting for them to get smoked.

That being said, I don't think it is really ever okay to intentionally try to hurt someone. Especially with bats/balls the way they are nowadays, you can literally end someone's life. And it has happened.. Middle is part of the field, yes. And you should use it as such, but hitting with intent to hurt another person just isn't cool.

Now, if a team is blowing middle and/or their pitcher is talking sh**, then pretty much just expect to get blown up. Sorry, I don't make the unwritten rules
 
EAJuggalo

EAJuggalo

Addicted to Softballfans
You'd be surprised the number of upper tournament players I've seen playing D in Burnsville, 5 years ago it was where all the best players played in the south metro. No idea if that is still the case or not,
 
MaverickAH

MaverickAH

Well-Known Member
basilray said:
As a pitcher, I expect to have some comebacks, especially in tournament play.

Tonight, in a low D game where were were down by a zillion, I took a lasrr off my glove-side forearm which bounced back into my bicep. Guy kept running, zero attempt to even check if I was OK. Naturally, I was not thrilled - mostly because I should have snapped it off, but the fact the guy didn't even seem to care really set me off. I dropped the F bomb, and almost got tossed. Mouthy guy from their bench says, "You're wearing a mask, it's no big deal."

No.

It is a big deal. Accident (which it likely was, I mean, lower D play) or not, if you drill a pitcher, isn't it normal to at least pretend you feel a little bad?

What the hell do you guys do/expect if you pitch or your pitch gets smoked? I don't want a teammate to retaliate, because that just means someone is likely to get seriously injured. But, what's the etiquette, written or otherwise you guys follow?
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Lower D? What do I expect?
  • I expect that hitters won't have a lot of bat control.
  • I expect to have a lot of novices with no clue about softball etiquette.
  • I expect a pitcher to be prepared to field on every pitch.
  • I expect an experienced pitcher to know when someone is purposely hitting middle & when they're not.
  • I expect my pitcher to keep their cool.
  • I expect the opponent to regulate their own players.
  • I expect an good umpire to be a little bit proactive in these types of situations.
 
basilray

basilray

Active Member
lukeamdman said:
Small world. I play in a D league in Burnsville at Lac Lavon on Tuesday and Thursday.
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Who do you play for?

EAJuggalo said:
You'd be surprised the number of upper tournament players I've seen playing D in Burnsville, 5 years ago it was where all the best players played in the south metro. No idea if that is still the case or not,
Click to expand...

I know the numbers in general are down. I hadn't played in Burnsville in a few years, despite living in town.

MaverickAH said:
Lower D? What do I expect?
  • I expect that hitters won't have a lot of bat control.
  • I expect to have a lot of novices with no clue about softball etiquette.
  • I expect a pitcher to be prepared to field on every pitch.
  • I expect an experienced pitcher to know when someone is purposely hitting middle & when they're not.
  • I expect my pitcher to keep their cool.
  • I expect the opponent to regulate their own players.
  • I expect an good umpire to be a little bit proactive in these types of situations.
Click to expand...

Reasonable and well said.
 
jstn8887

jstn8887

Addicted to Softballfans
swingnmiss said:
The point is.......You should expect to get hit all the time. Not just tourney play. You're the closest and most vulnerable one to them on the entire field. I expect to get hit when I pitch bp. I throw a ball that starts to float back over the middle of the plate or outside......I duck behind the net. I know that hitter has an excellent chance of pushing that middle one right back up the box, or jerking the outside one back through the box. It happens more with less experienced hitters or lower level hitters. If you're a pitcher (I'm an outfielder), you know this too right?
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I'm a pitcher and I expect to get hit at and hit. That's why I wear shinguards and a helmet. However, this is a typical thing for an outfielder to say. You're over 250 feet from the batter while I'm 50 feet away. Of course you don't care; no matter how hard the ball is hit, you can't get smoked.
 
jstn8887

jstn8887

Addicted to Softballfans
TomicSquad13 said:
I think a lot of people don't know better especially in lower level ball. They're just playing it like a baseball game.

My wife was pitching in a super-rec coed game and some dude hit a shot at her, she knocked it down and threw him out but he put his head down and ran his ass off. She got him by half a step and he jogged back to the dugout and never said a word.

Someone on their team apologized for him but he had no idea why. He apologized in the high-five line after the game and said my bad I didn't realize I almost hit you.

That said, the comment about you wearing a mask is stupid but telling him to f'off seemed to prompt it. I personally hate when dudes apologize because is usually means I didn't field it.
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I know when I first started playing, I didn't know any better at all. I had no idea that hitting toward the middle of the field was frowned upon. Of course, it wasn't like I was trying to shoot middle either; I couldn't aim and was just up there hacking.
 
blakcherry329

blakcherry329

Well-Known Member
swingnmiss said:
What you Sympathetic Suzies seem to forget............Is that 148% of all pitchers in slow pitch softball pitch, because they want to be in control of the game and want to be in the middle of all the action..........Then cry when the ball is hit at them? Lol......Ok.....
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Not sure how much a pitcher can control in slow pitch, but ok.

Most pitchers start pitching because...
  1. Nobody else wants to do it
  2. They're the only one that can throw strikes consistently
Most pitchers don't cry about middle shots. Some do and they need an attitude adjustment.

swingnmiss said:
I need to apologize...........I always forget that trying to explain competition and drive to Rec level players is always futile. Sorry guys. I'll remember my place. :)
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I whole lot of "Tournament" players have "Rec Level" talent, ijs. Just because someone plays league doesn't mean he doesn't know the game. smh :rolleyes:
 
BigWhiffa

BigWhiffa

Underwear Researcher
Chris_R said:
I can pitch...or rather...I can consistently toss strikes from the rubber, but I do not let that **** be known to anyone. :D
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yeah being able to throw strikes and "pitch" is definitely different. I don't walk many guys but I basically serve up meatballs the entire time. when they find i out i can pitch they are usually excited for 1 split second until my opponents are shooting lazers all over the field.
 
D-ROCK13

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
I love it when players yell, just throw it over the plate and we will do the rest, and get mad if I walk somebody. Especially when they make a half dozen errors when I do throw strikes or throw the ball away and give up extra bases. There is a huge difference in throwing meat down the middle and actual pitching
 
J

Jtoddabq

New Member
Almost every time I've seen a middle shot it is always an accident because 95% of players at rec aren't placing the ball they are just swinging. I've done it myself plenty and I'm putting my head down and running as hard as I can but regardless of the result I'm going to shoot a "my bad" to the pitch and let him know I'm not trying to blow him up.
 
lakeyale13

lakeyale13

Manager
basilray said:
As a pitcher, I expect to have some comebacks, especially in tournament play.

Tonight, in a low D game where were were down by a zillion, I took a lasrr off my glove-side forearm which bounced back into my bicep. Guy kept running, zero attempt to even check if I was OK. Naturally, I was not thrilled - mostly because I should have snapped it off, but the fact the guy didn't even seem to care really set me off. I dropped the F bomb, and almost got tossed. Mouthy guy from their bench says, "You're wearing a mask, it's no big deal."

No.

It is a big deal. Accident (which it likely was, I mean, lower D play) or not, if you drill a pitcher, isn't it normal to at least pretend you feel a little bad?

What the hell do you guys do/expect if you pitch or your pitch gets smoked? I don't want a teammate to retaliate, because that just means someone is likely to get seriously injured. But, what's the etiquette, written or otherwise you guys follow?
Click to expand...


I hit the middle this most current Spring season. Was having a horrible game at the plate and picked up a light bat and just looked to make contact. I hit a really hard line drive off of the pitchers foot. I could easily have run to first and gotten a single. I simply walked out to the mound and game the pitcher a bro hug and said "sorry man!". It is a D league and getting a single isn't worth it.
 
M

mvfjet

Part Time Player
If the pitch is there I'll shoot it middle but I'm not trying to hit the pitcher. Closest I came was 1' over the pitchers head and I apologized for it immediately. Other times it's just in the pitchers area but not right at him. Actually once this team got pissed that I hit a hard one hopper to the pitcher, who I saw closed his eyes and put his glove down and it went right in. I was out not even 10' from the box. Either way they lit my pitcher's shin up and the batter was called out. The first thing their manager said "that guy (me) hit it way harder at my pitcher!" So I took it as they wanted to retaliate.
 
blakcherry329

blakcherry329

Well-Known Member
lakeyale13 said:
I hit the middle this most current Spring season. Was having a horrible game at the plate and picked up a light bat and just looked to make contact. I hit a really hard line drive off of the pitchers foot. I could easily have run to first and gotten a single. I simply walked out to the mound and game the pitcher a bro hug and said "sorry man!". It is a D league and getting a single isn't worth it.
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Um, run to first, call time, then give him a hug. geez. No reason to give up an out just because you accidentally hit the pitcher.
 
r8dr_rider

r8dr_rider

Well-Known Member
D-ROCK13 said:
I love it when players yell, just throw it over the plate and we will do the rest, and get mad if I walk somebody. Especially when they make a half dozen errors when I do throw strikes or throw the ball away and give up extra bases. There is a huge difference in throwing meat down the middle and actual pitching
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It’s slowpitch, not baseball. Throw a cookie let the fielders field. If they can’t then you need better players. You’re really not pitching, you’re soft tossing.
 
D-ROCK13

D-ROCK13

Well-Known Member
r8dr_rider said:
It’s slowpitch, not baseball. Throw a cookie let the fielders field. If they can’t then you need better players. You’re really not pitching, you’re soft tossing.
Click to expand...

If you don't mix pitch location, speed, depth, and spin then you're right, you cant call it pitching. I've been doing this long enough to know how to pitch (late 1990s) and not just throw cookies down the middle. There a time and place to just let the fielders do their thing, theres also a time and play to throw a knuckle that's dropping short of the plate or a curve inside on the hands
 
blakcherry329

blakcherry329

Well-Known Member
r8dr_rider said:
It’s slowpitch, not baseball. Throw a cookie let the fielders field. If they can’t then you need better players. You’re really not pitching, you’re soft tossing.
Click to expand...
LOL. While, technically, all slow pitch pitches are cookies, that is a relative statement. All cookies are not created equally. You should make that batter work a little for a hit, geez.
 
Pylon #00

Pylon #00

Bad Mother****er
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