The Fastpitch Chronicle

It's a "seeing-eye" single!
Hello Fastpitch Folks!

It's been an interesting week to say the least. The yearling situation around this household when it comes to scheduling the Poynette Fastpitch Jamboree is one of head shaking and wonderment. Trying to schedule early is a complete waste of time. There are just so many factors that take place in the course of a season that alter how many games a team can play or want to play. Dealing with 50 schools and their coaches and athletic directors is a challenge. Contracts are important but a person's word is even more important. It's always a case of me giving my word to someone and guaranteeing them games. Sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. Perhaps it is a note that I misplace or we fail to send a contract. Perhaps it's an AD that fails to return a signed contract. Something always gets in the way of smooth running.

Two years ago the former principal at Poynette High School was in the final week of being the principal before he entered retirement. A teacher asked him how things were going and his response was, "Things are running smoothly out of Sync!" We adopted that phrase two years ago and had it on the community T-shirt to wear to the state tournament.

"Running Smoothly Out of Sync" is exactly the way things go when scheduling the event every year. Yesterday and today were completely out of sync. However, a great friend, Jen Parchem in Columbus and her girls helped us out and for that I am really thankful and indebted to them. They made it possible for Marathon to get in when they thought they were in to begin with but I had no idea they were. At least I didn't have a contract from them and had forgotten that I'd had a phone conversation a long time ago with them. I owed them the games. I was able to get them the games by reducing the number of games Poynette will play and adding a game against Columbus thanks to Jen and her girls. I made as steadfast promise to the Columbus people that I will also follow through on when they are here on Saturday.

Friday's schedule is still Completely out of sync and not running very smoothly tonight. Last night I sent an e-mail to every head coach in the state seeking one team to play two games here on Friday. I didn't get one response. Tonight, I'm still trying to complete a jig-saw looking puzzle with a couple of pieces missing. It just doesn't work without telling someone they will have one less game than they want on Friday. I'll probably have one team extremely disappointed but it's the way it is. That team will probbly be --- Poynette.

Every year I find myself saying (to myself) how did this get so big? How did we go from six teams when we started this thing to 50- teams on 11 fields at four venues?

The answer? Because it's a great event! It's a place where kids from virtually every part of the state gather each year and hear about and see teams from places they didn't even know existed. It really is. It's also an event that plays into the real human side of this sport. That is the part where people meet other people interested in the same things at a place they have never been and never dreamed that a new, great friendship/relationship would begin. Kids meet and chat and learn that the girls on those other teams are just like them whether they come from a school of 2000 kids or a school of 110 kids. Kids are kids and players are players. The Jamboree offers tiny schools the chance to play huge schools and compete evenly with them. If a kid can pitch, field and hit they can play with and against anyone. The size of the community they come from means nothing, absolutely nothing.

"I believe I'm pretty good and very comfortable "running smoohtly out of sync." Running the Jamboree is not a stressful ordeal for me. If it were I'd stop and let someone else take over. It's more like surfing. Surfers really enjoy riding waves and moving from one place to another. They have to move with the flow of the waves, they have to anticipate sudden changes in the situation. Sometimes they encounter trouble or sharks etc. They have to shift their weight and perhaps go a different direction or take a different angle. The same goes for the surfing I do to schedule the Jamborees. The longer a person surfs, the better they get at anticipation and the better they finish the ride without losing the board in the process.

Now, I wonder how I'm going to maneuver around the sharks I'm facing tonight? I have an Amherst Shark on my right, a South Beloit Shark to my left, a Bonduel Shark right behind me, while a Belmont Shark and a Poynette Shark are both biting at the sides of my board. But the biggest shark of all just could be that Tosa East monster straight ahead with it's jaws already open.

Check back tomorrow and see!

Rachel Romps of Plymouth threw no-hitter tonight (4/30) vs. Sheboygan Falls. Rachel had 18 strikeouts in the game. It tied the Plymouth single-game strikeout record (Lindsey Grahn in 2007) for a seven innning game.

On Saturday, Alyssa McClelland of Union Grove tossed a five-inning no-hitter against Racine St. Catherine's. I failed to note that in an earlier bulletin. Coaches or fans should e-mail me those kinds of highlights.

Batting out of order seems to be the popular play this year. This from our Umpire in Chief for the Fastpitch Chronicle.

Situation:
Two outs, B9 bats in place of B8, gets a double – B8 then bats and hits a home run – defense then appeals before anything else happens, including any pitch, play, etc.
What is the call – who is out and who leads off the next inning?

Ruling:
Rule 7, Section 1, pages 54-55, Penalties:

PENALTIES: (Art. 1, 2):
1. A batter shall be called out on appeal when she fails to bat in her proper turn and another batter completes a time at bat in her place.
NOTE: Only the defensive team may appeal batting out of order after the batter has completed her time at bat.
2. When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out and the defensive team appeals to the umpire before the next pitch (legal or illegal), , or before the infielders leave the diamond if a half-inning is ending. The umpire shall declare the batter who should have batted out (not the improper batter). The improper batter's time at bat is negated and she is returned to the dugout/bench area. All outs stand and runners who were not declared out must return to the base occupied at the time of the pitch. If a runner advances because of a stolen base, wild pitch, passed ball (F.P.) or an illegal pitch (F.P.) while the improper batter is at bat, such advance is legal.
3. When an improper batter becomes a runner or is put out and a legal or illegal pitch has been delivered to the succeeding batter, has occurred, or all infielders have left the diamond if a half-inning has ended and, in all cases, before an appeal is made. The improper batter becomes the proper batter and the results of her time at bat become legal.
4. When the proper batter is called out because she has failed to bat in turn. The next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of the proper batter who was called out.
5. When an improper batter becomes a proper batter because no appeal is properly made as above. The next batter shall be the batter whose name follows that of such legalized improper batter. The instant an improper batter's actions are legalized, the batting order picks up with the name following that of the legalized improper batter.
6. When several players bat out of order before discovery so that a player's time at bat occurs while she is a runner. Such player remains on base, but she is NOT out as a batter.

Penalty #3 applies to your play. B9 bats out of order and reaches base safely. A pitch is delivered to B8. This makes B9's at bat legal. However, B8 is now batting out of order because under Penalty #5, the proper batter should have be B1. B8 hits a home run and the defense properly appeals batting out of order. Since B1 should have batted, she is declared out which is the third out and B8's home run is nullified along with any runs that scored due to the home run. B2 would lead off the next inning.

Case Book 7.1.2 Situation C covers nullifying runs. Other Situations also confirm nullifying runs or advances.

Hey, it's late again tonight. Tomorrow I have trees to plant! Kitchen cupboard doors to rehang (I took them down today so my wife could do the work on them), a practice (our sixth outdoor practie of the seaon) to organize and a coaching clinic to present tomorrow evening here in Poynette. It starts at 6:30 and it's free! Come if you are interested!

Have a great day on Wednesday!
Keep it Rising!
Bob