by slapperdad » Thu Apr 23, 2015 5:43 am
C77 I think you're missing the point. As has been stated, we (softball) went thru our bat reformation period in 09. I don't know that the balls have changed in the time I've been involved, at least at the sub-college level, .47 COR/375 Max Comp.
There are inherent risks with anything in life. Think about this, you know nothing about the game of Softball and I walk up to you and tell you, I want you to throw this ball as hard as you can at me, and I'm going to take this stick and try to hit it as hard as I possibly can right back at you. Does that sound like anything any intelligent human would even contemplate doing? Yet that's exactly how the game is played.
I don't feel like balls or bats are juiced, if they're legal at this point. In fact I think we have a pretty healthy game and I don't see the need in messing with it. I think we as coaches need to stay on top of fundamentals and teaching kids how to protect themselves. Even at that, injuries are going to occur. It's just the nature of sport and I don't see any getting around it.
No one has said anything about being a tough guy in this thread, no one has talked about their glory days, and what they endured, you're the one who brought all of that crap up. One of the key points I try to instill in my kids is toughness, mental and physical. Because I feel like toughness is a life skill that will serve them well, long after their playing days are over.
The pictures that Art and myself posted, serve as a reminder to that toughness. Both kids I'm sure wore those like a badge of honor. My daughter has posted pics all over social media. While the doctor was sewing her up, the first two things she asked were, "when can I play?" and "will I have a scar?" FYI, the doctor told her absolutely NO Softball until the stitches were out. Four days later, she talks the trainer into taping it up so she can take some hacks in the cage, goes in early before a game and gets some hacks in. Coach gets there and she pleads her case, coach I can hit, let me DP. I didn't tell her to do that, her teammates didn't tell her to do that, her coach didn't tell her to do that, that's all her. Speaking back to my toughness point, do you think a kid like that is ever going to be intimidated by an ogre boss? Do you think a kid like that is ever going to take a man abusing her? Do you think a kid like that will go the extra mile to get a job done on time?
We're going to have to agree to disagree on this one C77. The game of Softball is in a good place, I don't see the need in monkeying around with the rules at this point.
Every man lives by a code:
1.Always look cool
2.Never get lost
3.If you get lost, look cool