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Date	Title	Body
16 hours 59 min ago	The key is	that softball seams are higher and larger surface area compared to a baseball. YES!!!!!  You hit the nail on the head.  The batter CAN see the pitch.  However the reaction time is actually less in softball than baseball.  The plate to the front edge of the mound is exactly 43' by rule.  However, the ball is typically released 3~5 feet in front of the mound via the foot drag and forward leap.  So the pitch is released at about 37'.  A good college pitcher is up around 67 or 68 MPH.  So 68 MPH = almost 100 feet per second.  100 fps @ 37 feet is 370 miliseconds.  Now keep in mind that the batters swing is about 100-200 miliseconds so the batter has about 200 milliseconds to decide to swing.  This is why good pitching beats good hitting every time.  Most good teams hit about .300~.350. A good baseball pitcher is about 92 MPH = 135 FPS.  But baseball mound is at 60'6" and they do not get the benefit of the foot drag.  So 135 fps @ 60'6" is about 450 miliseconds.
19 hours 1 min ago	EDIT: Friday and Saturday Games this weekend.	Friday at 2pm and Saturday Noon with the "if" game following.
19 hours 2 min ago	The "drop" pitch	is very similar (but not exactly) to the curve in baseball.  I could get into the physics with you but I'm an engineer and I love geeky things like this. Basically as the pitcher releases the ball, she rolls her wrist.  I teach my pitchers to "turn the door knob" (counterclock wise for RHP). The index finger should be in full contact with the seams.  As the ball is released, the follow through will force the arm to come across the body as opposed to the fast ball where the hand/wrist will follow through up to the neck/face area. The ball will have severe rotation.  The ball will develop high and low pressures around the ball surface.  If enough rotation (and speed) are acheived, the ball will "drop".  This is very similar to a "stall" in an airplane.  There is not enough pressure to hold the weight and the high pressure will cause the ball to move down. The "rise" ball is just the opposite of the drop although very difficult to master.  The ball starts off at the hip of the pitcher.  As the ball is gaining velocity and rotation, the ball bites into the air molecules and "climbs the ladder".  The batter sees the ball at the letters but when she swings, the ball is up around her chin.  Typically the batter misses the rise ball.  Ashley Lane is probably the best rise ball hitter that I have ever seen. She will at least get a piece of the ball to foul it off. Alabama's Jackie Traina is a master of the rise ball.  I counted every pitch in the WS.  From my vantage point (my lay-z-boy) she threw about 33% of her pitches in the strike zone.  Most of her strike outs were from batters chasing the high ball.  Even Ashley struck out a few times on the rise ball. Most people do not understand the game of softball.  Many think that a high pitch is the sign of a pitcher losing control.  FALSE.  A good pitcher will throw the rise ball until she walks two batters in one inning.  Then she will mix up her pitches a little more.  Teams have figured out Traina and now force her to throw pitcher in the strike zone where it can be hit.
1 day 10 hours ago	Should be	the same as the Regionals.
1 day 10 hours ago	+1 to you good sir	for getting Reed City in a post.
1 day 12 hours ago	Yes	There were top 10 pre-season IIRC.  They had a few bad loses, but we did as well. This is going to be a great series. I still predict a Oklahoma-Michigan World Series Final.
1 day 12 hours ago	YES	http://www.ragincajuns.com/boxscore.aspx?id=3888&path=softball
1 day 13 hours ago	We must have	been sitting very close then.  I was originally in Sec 1 row 7.  Then I moved down to the dugout area. Emily Hepker is out of the hospital and was in the dugout with the team.  It was such a treat to see her smile and get a hug from all the girls.
1 day 14 hours ago	Henderson was in the dugout	and not having muh fun.  I spoke with her briefly after the game as we waited for the players to come out.  She said her knee was killing her and she was about to pull herself out.  If Cal won the first game, she would not have played in the second. I felt bad for her because she played very well today but not good enough.  She was hobbling toward Schembechler Hall with her dad.  A good game by both teams. I only ask that the best team wins.  I think this happened today.
1 day 14 hours ago	The delayed dead ball	was the second call he made.  The first was interference then he quickly changed to delayed dead ball AFTER the second base umpire called delayed dead ball.  The second base umpire did not have position to see Ashley in relationship with the ball or the runner as the Ashley obscured her vision of the play.   The home plate ump then confirmed what both base umpires called.  Hutch was arguing the original call with the first base umpire.  Then the home plate umpire injected herself without being invited. Bad call either way.  If the first base ump CLEARLY called delayed dead ball and then the other 2 umpires confirmed the call, then you can say "umpires judgement".   Hutch was spitting angry.  The home plate umpire was just as angry.  I rarely see other umpires lose their cool with a coach.  Overall I thought this umpire did a decent job but not good enough for Regional Play. I have umpired many a high school game and I will admit I made more than my fair share of mistakes.  I do not claim to be an NCAA quality umpire but I would have called this a "collision" or no-call as the runner did not leave her feet and just side stepped Ashley.
1 day 15 hours ago	I was standing	next to the dugout.  Coach was pissed as she should have been.  The umpire followed Hutch back to the dugout.  They were about 5 feet from me. Coach was arguing for an interference call.  The first base ump CLEARLY signaled interference on the runner.  The home plate ump came running out and called a conference.  The call was reversed. There are two problems with this. 1) this call was NOT the home plate ump's call.  It was clearly the first base ump's call.  He called interference.  2) The home plate ump said that Ashley did not have a "reasonable" attempt at the ball.  So worst case we have a "collision" with no call either way.  But to call obstruction on Ashley, the umpire had to interpret that Ashley's action was to imped the runner.   Rule 2.00 Interference: A runner makes contact with a fielder attempting to field a batted ball, except the batter with the catcher in the immediate vicinity of home plate immediately after the ball was batted; Now NCAA does not have a "no contact" rule like high school and summer ball does.  All runners are required to attempt to avoid collisions; if a runner fails to do so, he is guilty of malicious contact, which is one kind of offensive interference Normally this would have been a "No call" which allows the play to continue.  In this case the runner was forced out and the batter-runner was safe at first.
3 days 13 hours ago	^^^^^^^^	another big funny.  Damn boys, this board is just too funny tonight.
3 days 13 hours ago	^^^^^^^^	Big funny
3 days 13 hours ago	I feel you.	The dude is terrible.  Even Section 1 could do better.
3 days 13 hours ago	What ever happened	to the unwritten rule that announcers do NOT talk about no-hitters?  WTF???
3 days 13 hours ago	Like Romero?	She is the type of player that comes along once every 5 or so years.  We do have some blue chips in the wings that will contribute.
1 week 17 hours ago	In this funny game of softball	anything can happen: a bad call, a lucky bounce, a wild pitch or a rain delay. Thankfully it is a double elimination bracket which should even out any lucky team. The chance of a team coming out of the losers bracket to win it is about 15% overall.
1 week 1 day ago	Absolutely Agree!	We cannot worry about other teams.  If we play solid defense, get those timely hits and Sara/Haylie keeps us in the game, we are off to Oklahoma City.
1 week 1 day ago	Good Luck to him.	Hopefully he lands on his feet somewhere.
1 week 1 day ago	No.	There are 2 brackets of 4 teams playing double elimination.  Each bracket has a winner then the winners play the best 2 of 3.
1 week 1 day ago	That was	some crazy softball last year.  Dont count out Hofstra this year either.  They are really good.
1 week 1 day ago	Yes.	best 2 of 3 for the winners of the 16 Regionals.  This will eliminate 8 teams with 8 teams remaining for the WS.
1 week 1 day ago	I still hold	to my prediction of Michigan and Oklahoma in the finals this year.
1 week 1 day ago	Too bad	that IPFW has to go to Louisville.  AA would have been better travel-wise anyway.
1 week 1 day ago	This is a GREAT	bracket for us.  Cal is going to be tough but we can beat LSU if we get there.
1 week 1 day ago	ESPNU	.
1 week 4 days ago	Lets be perfectly clear	the NCAA ALLEDGED Webber took money.   This was NEVER proven.  Webber admitted he took money AFTER he declared for the NBA. So we/Webber/UM was penalized because Chris did not go to the Registrar's Office and officially withdrawl from classes before he took the money? If Chris withdrew and then gave an announcement from the Registrar's Office: "Hey everybody, I just withdrew from UM and I am heading over to Bill Martins Crib to collect me a stack full of 50's so I can go to 8-Mile and get me some Hoes"  This would NOT be a violation. I get so angry when everyone (including people on this board) assume Chris took $280,000. This is bullshit.  This was just a charge laid by a ND Grad.  Are you kidding me?
1 week 5 days ago	If we win	the Big Ten Tourney, we will probably get the Super Regional at home.  It will most likely be the Kentucky or Tennessee Regional winner.
1 week 5 days ago	Exactly,	this will not stand up to Judicial Review.  OP: Please edit your post, Webber admitted to taking about $30,000 AFTER he announced for the NBA.  The NCAA alledged he took $280,000 but it was never proved.
1 week 5 days ago	@77	Yes it was me that made that bold prediction. We have Haylie and Sara plus Romo, Lauren and Lyndsay/Colie.  My original prediction was NC in 4 years.

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