Orange Crush
UPDATE: My web stats module appears to show that perhaps we may have the start of another controversy over a blog post.
The comments below strictly are my own personal opinions and do not reflect to the opinions or beliefs of my softball team or teammates.
As I indicate in my thoughts below, I felt the tactics employed on the field were a bit harsh on that day, but I do respect the rights of our fellow league players to employ them against us.
What's more is that I highly respect every team and player in our league, including the specific players who have shown themselves willing to cause problems for me, my assistant coach and my team. But, as I've said separately on this blog, I've attempted to offer olive branches to those individuals in the past and the offer still remains for them to take, though they appear content to ignore it.
As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...
And now, back to the originally scheduled programming.
For the record, I concur with Tom's evaluation of the games last weekend.
To be honest, I don't recall much from the game against the Newbies two weeks ago, but I do remember the bone-head play by our left fielder mentioned in Tom's post. What I vividly remember from that play was the fact that I was standing at home, blocking the runner and waiting for the throw that never came. The runner was ultimately tagged out by half a step -- way too close in my book.
On the issue of Orange Crush -- I, too, disagree with their exploitation of our ghost out. To be blunt, I see what they did as somewhat unsportsmanlike. I respect their team, and the strategy was a good one, albeit somewhat tough for a recreational and theoretically non-competitive league.
Having an opponent rally and then be cut down by a rough strategy to close out the inning with the ghost out? Bah humbug. That's no fun.
Now, is Orange Crush completely within their right to do what they did? Yes, absolutely!
Should they have run that strategy, considering their record and the score in the game at the time? Hmm. Probably not, but sometimes folks get caught up in the moment on the field.
Would I have done the same in a similar situation? As tempted as I would have been, I would have pitched to the batter. As a matter of fact, I believe that very same circumstance cropped up in our game against the Newbies. We pitched to their batter, despite the option to close out the inning. They won the game off it too.
None of that changes the fact that I hold much respect for Orange Crush, and I know that the feeling is mutual. I'm also not sure where Tom found the tension on the field between the two squads, because I didn't. The team manager on Orange Crush appears to be a fairly tense guy on the field anyway, so reading his body language could be tough. From what I've seen, he's a good guy though.
In Spring 2009, chances are also pretty good that Orange Crush will be promoted to the next league up from us. To be 20-2 says a lot about their placement, and the county administration will bump them up to keep our league a bit more competitive.
That being said, I think I'll miss playing them.
The comments below strictly are my own personal opinions and do not reflect to the opinions or beliefs of my softball team or teammates.
As I indicate in my thoughts below, I felt the tactics employed on the field were a bit harsh on that day, but I do respect the rights of our fellow league players to employ them against us.
What's more is that I highly respect every team and player in our league, including the specific players who have shown themselves willing to cause problems for me, my assistant coach and my team. But, as I've said separately on this blog, I've attempted to offer olive branches to those individuals in the past and the offer still remains for them to take, though they appear content to ignore it.
As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water...
And now, back to the originally scheduled programming.
---------------------------
For the record, I concur with Tom's evaluation of the games last weekend.
To be honest, I don't recall much from the game against the Newbies two weeks ago, but I do remember the bone-head play by our left fielder mentioned in Tom's post. What I vividly remember from that play was the fact that I was standing at home, blocking the runner and waiting for the throw that never came. The runner was ultimately tagged out by half a step -- way too close in my book.
On the issue of Orange Crush -- I, too, disagree with their exploitation of our ghost out. To be blunt, I see what they did as somewhat unsportsmanlike. I respect their team, and the strategy was a good one, albeit somewhat tough for a recreational and theoretically non-competitive league.
Having an opponent rally and then be cut down by a rough strategy to close out the inning with the ghost out? Bah humbug. That's no fun.
Now, is Orange Crush completely within their right to do what they did? Yes, absolutely!
Should they have run that strategy, considering their record and the score in the game at the time? Hmm. Probably not, but sometimes folks get caught up in the moment on the field.
Would I have done the same in a similar situation? As tempted as I would have been, I would have pitched to the batter. As a matter of fact, I believe that very same circumstance cropped up in our game against the Newbies. We pitched to their batter, despite the option to close out the inning. They won the game off it too.
None of that changes the fact that I hold much respect for Orange Crush, and I know that the feeling is mutual. I'm also not sure where Tom found the tension on the field between the two squads, because I didn't. The team manager on Orange Crush appears to be a fairly tense guy on the field anyway, so reading his body language could be tough. From what I've seen, he's a good guy though.
In Spring 2009, chances are also pretty good that Orange Crush will be promoted to the next league up from us. To be 20-2 says a lot about their placement, and the county administration will bump them up to keep our league a bit more competitive.
That being said, I think I'll miss playing them.
posted by Brent | 2:15 PM
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