Cruising through the official slow pitch softball rules of the United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA):
- baselines may be 65 or 70 feet
- pitcher's distance is 50 feet
- bat may be one piece of hard wood or laminated bonded pieces of wood or aluminum or "other metals, fiberglass, graphite or composite materials"
- 12 inch ball
- home plate 17 inches across
- seven innings
- flip/flop rule: (news to me) if the kill rule limit is exceeded by the visiting team (25 runs after 3 innings, 20 after 4, 15 after 5), the home team remains at bat and become the new visiting team. If the new visiting team reduces the run difference below the run rule then the new home team will bat. the new home team scores enough runs to exceed the run rule the game is over, else the game continues and the teams may flip/flop again as the score changes.
Sec. 8. Home Run rules for designated programs:
- limit per game per team:
- men's class B 4
- men's class C 2
A. Over-the-fence home runs are limited in selected USSSA programs. All fair untouched balls over-the-fence in excess of the limit will be ruled an out.
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Wow! Who knew?
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Sec. 5. Re-Entry:
A. Is permitted in all programs. Any of the starting players may withdraw and re-enter once, provided such player occupies the same batting order position whenever he is in the lineup. A substitute who is withdrawn may not re-enter.
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I remember this from when I played 30 years ago. MBL should use it, too.
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- three practice pitches between innings
- the ball must be pitched underhand at slow speed
- pitched ball must arc at least 3 feet after leaving the pitcher's hand
- not rise higher than 10 feet above the ground
- strike zone: "lower than the top of the batter's highest shoulder, or higher than the bottom of his FRONT KNEE"
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That seems more explicit and certainly more practical than that used by the MBL:
horizontal midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap ... determined from the batter's stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball.
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Which knee? And the diagram on the next page (22) shows the mid point line not mid way between the top of the shoulders and top of the pants but closer to the top of the pants. Geez, MBL can't even get that right.
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- A ball is called by the umpire ... if ... a pitched ball is not released within 5 seconds
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Yippie! FIVE seconds between pitches!
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Sec. 11. Base Stealing or advancing is not permitted as a result of any pitched ball not batted:
Base runners must keep in contact with their base and may leave it ONLY when a pitched ball has reached or passed home plate, is batted or hits the ground.
Rule 7, Sec. 2.
The Batter is out if ...
C. He bunts or chops the ball deliberately downward (either fair or foul).
D. He has a second strike.
Note: The batter is out on 2 strikes and walks on 3 balls.
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3 balls for a walk, 2 strikes for an out equates to starting the count at 1 and 1, a less radical version of my idea of starting the count on 3-2.
What else could be applied to hardball as played in the MBL?
Limit the number of over-the-fence home runs per team per game.
Permit Re-Entry.
Simplify the definition of the strike zone, unless, of course, we can simply eliminate the catcher.
Make the pitcher throw in FIVE seconds, which would be easy if there is no catcher and no base stealing. Then I wouldn't have to record the games and watch by fast forwarding between each pitch.
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