OCTOBER 3 UPDATE
COMMITMENTS
Lovena Chaput, SS, Sun Supply Gold, to
HIGHSCHOOL
Coach:
From phone and late night TV reports in the 6A Regional Fastpitch
Tournament in
was setting eclipsing the old record of 23 innings for a Playoff Game.
Ball per Fed Rules). Game went for 7+ hours with the game starting at
p.m.
The last phone report we had on hits was 8 each side.
Note that this was NOT the Regional Championship Game. Winner still had to
come back and play against
Only the
Champions of each Regional advance to the State Tournament.
CHAMPIONS CUP
(PRESS RELEASE)
The committee for the Southern California International
Softball Festival, in association with Southern California ASA, is pleased
to announce that the City of
“
The committee thanks the Mayor and City Council of the City
of
The Champions Cup is an elite
multi-divisional fastpitch softball event featuring International teams from
around the world in addition to Major Women’s and Junior Olympic teams from
throughout the nation. Interested parties should contact the Southern California
International Softball Festival committee at
OJ DAY: October 3
Given all of the “legal” things which have happened
today, the anniversary of the day OJ Simpson was found not guilty of murdering
his wife and Ron Goldman, perhaps we should call this “OJ Day.”
Note that one of his defense counsel, who publicly said afterwards he had
begun to doubt OJ’s innocence, died yesterday; his obituary appeared today.
Then, a judge in
RUSH LIMBAUGH
A reader suggests that the real problem is me, and people like me, the insinuation being that we would deny Limbaugh freedom of speech, and that we are inclined to attack anyone who makes a racially insensitive remark. Not guilty. I would defend to the death Limbaugh’s right to think and his right to believe what he said. There are political forums in which he can voice his views – and he does. My point on October 1 was that Limbaugh was wrong on the facts. Seven of the 32 quarterbacks who started that day were black; two other black quarterbacks would have started but were injured. The sports media have long accepted racial minorities at every position in football, including quarterback, and indeed in all sports. Players stand or fall on their merit, and McNabb has been exceptional. The acid test is that, when black quarterbacks have failed, and many have, the sports media have not gone out on a limb urging their retention on the basis of color. Limbaugh’s remarks were not only racially insensitive; they betrayed a lack of knowledge of football; but, a substantive reason I thought he should leave is that the sports broadcast booth is not a political forum, or a venue for social commentary. Frankly, I know a great many people who share his beliefs on many subjects; as such, he gives voice to their thinking and thus adds to the political dialogue in our country. My sister and brother-in-law are devoted fans of his political commentary. I seldom agree with him, but, he makes a contribution to the political process – in a political forum..
Where I would agree with him, race notwithstanding, is on an implicit point which I think he was also making -- that the sports media do have a tendency to focus on just the skill positions. Listen to John Madden’s color commentary. I learn something from every game, the critical block away from the ball, the deceptive slant by one receiver which draws off two defenders and opens the field. But, the published accounts usually give a capsule comment, and only key plays by players in skill positions are usually reported.
Softball reporting is similarly biased, which is not a true bias but a limitation borne out of time and space constraints; too often, the reader only knows who got the critical hit and who pitched, and having coached, I sense the frustration of people who know the game and relish its strategies and finer points of play. I wish I had the time and space to report all the little things I see: a 2nd baseman who comes in quickly and forces that other team to change their bunt strategy; a catcher may not make a put-out at 1st or 3rd but is there backing up critical plays, but, if she doesn’t get a hit, she may not get mentioned. If I had an assistant, I would assign him or her to “watch all the little details.”
end