First Practice/Kangaroo Court
After getting snowed/rained out multiple times, we finally got in our first practice. The governing mantra was “Don’t get hurt”- no one pulled a Nomar. I think it was a great first practice- great to get out and play (let’s see how everyone feels tomorrow). Everyone was in mid-season form- Ben even showed up late.
We have instituted a fun new feature for GSHAS this year- a Kangaroo Court. The idea is simple- we’ll keep track of individual “miscues” (purely for fun, of course). While we still need to work out a few details (e.g. the weighting of IF to OF errors, what exactly will count, should great plays reduce the count, etc.), the idea will be when an individual’s cumulative total reaches a pre-defined number, say 5 (we’ll start here and then adjust upwards if I keep having to buy each week), he must provide beverages for the team after the next game. His total is then re-set to 0. We’ll keep the running count in the blog posts so we all know where we stand week-by-week (and no intentional missing of throws to put someone “over the top”- hee hee).
A few obvious things will count: fielding miscues (botched ground balls, dropped fly balls) and throwing errors (note, hitting a dog with an errant throw should probably count double). I also think we should count baserunning miscues (getting doubled off, failing to tag-up, running through a stop sign and getting thrown out)- we’ll call this the “Ben Rule.” We might want to consider other “mental errors” such as missing the cut-off man, not backing up a base, walking a batter, showing up late for a game, etc. Perhaps we should count batting miscues (failing to score a runner from 3rd with less than two outs, grounding into a DP, Ks, etc.) If we have an official scorer, her/his judgement will be final. If not, we’ll put the event in question up for a team vote (majority rules).
I’d like to get feedback on what we should count, how various things should be weighted, if we want to give credit for spectacular plays, anything related to our Court. Just leave a comment with your thoughts. I think this will be good-natured fun (and will be a good excuse for us to get together for refreshments more often) . And no wagering on how quickly you think I’ll be buying…
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April 28th, 2005 at 8:13 am
I think this is a great idea and we should definitely do it. The only question I have is if I miss the cutoff man but throw it directly to the base, does that count as missing the cutoff man (i.e. 1 point)? ’cause you know that could put a whole damper on my “style” of playing
April 28th, 2005 at 11:13 am
Chris- I would say that it is OK if you throw it directly to the base. Now, if you try to throw it directly to the base and it ends up hitting the first base coach on another field (or a nearby dog), well- that should probably count against you. Just let it rip and we’ll deal with the consequences.
April 30th, 2005 at 9:42 pm
John B., a blog? You have too much time on your hands. I did something similar (just box scores and some commentary) for the Bloody Glove and Zydeco Express back before wife and kids: http://www-personal.umich.edu/~tmeade/glove/boxscore/index.html
Not enough people on the teams got the Kangaroo Court thing to institute one. Had we done it, I’d have been drinking Ben’s and a few other guys’ beer all summer.
I think what Depcik really wants to know is if he gets to hop-step into a throw on a fly ball, and the cut-off ducks to avoid decapitation, who has to buy?
Hope you guys have a great tournament this weekend.
May 2nd, 2005 at 6:41 pm
I’m not sure of this Ben Rule regarding running through stop signs?
How about we comprise? If you score.. +1.. and if you’re out.. -3.