Don Anderson

Richard Bailey, the Sport and Fitness Coordinator for SEPRD is excited about all the activities that are going on this season, especially the summer adult slow pitch softball, which begins later this month. We have a lot going on this summer! he says. From swimming to surf camp, to softball, there is something for everyone, he adds. The adult softball league is one of Seasides great summertime traditions, bringing together over a dozen teams from around the city to compete.

According to Bailey, because of schedule conflicts with Seaside Kids, the softball teams will practice using the softball field north of Seaside High School, but will end up using the Wahanna Road field from July 14th on. Last year the New Legacy team won the championship, but the title is sure to be contested by the venerable Lizs Legacy team and others who are competitive and hungry for a winning season. Bailey says that the New Legacy team is now the North Coast Realty team.

If you are new to the sport of adult slow pitch softball, and you happened across a game some summer evening, you might think of it as a lot of people getting together just to have a good time. You would be right, but only partly so. While these players come together to have a good time, they also are seriously competitive, especially the rivalries that develop between certain teams that go after each other year after year.

The league is divided into two different types of teams. On the one side, there are the highly competitive teams like North Shore Glass, who train well ahead of the season and are out for victory; then there are the other teams, who are playing, primarily for enjoyment and the fellowship the sport brings.

Some of the most competitive teams this year will include the Lizs Legacy, North Shore Glass, and North Coast Realty teams already mentioned, as well as Seaside AGO (Aint Got One, the team with no name), Providence, Geppettos, and the SEPRD Bench Warmers.

The venerable Lizs Legacy team in Seaside had won its eleventh championship in a row before being toppled a couple years ago, something many thought never could be done. Now North Coast Realty is the team to take down, and it should be an exciting season. According to Bailey, the official season begins July 14, but is subject to change if some scheduling kinks can be worked out. Games run Monday through Thursday at 6 and 7:15 p.m., and are one-hour fifteen-minutes long.

For novices to the sport, heres a re-cap on what goes on. What at first looks like an easy pick-up game of softball is actually governed by a serious and thorough set of rules that are designed to keep the games efficient and evenhanded. While some of the rules may seem silly, strange, or even sexist, most of the players seem to think they work to make adult softball fun and fair for everyone involved.

Some of the seemingly odd rules include the alternating sex rule, the free runner at base rule, and the no bunting rule. First, the alternating sex rule. In co-ed softball, women are considered the weaker sex, so men and women have to alternate on the line-up. While this may seem like a good rule, many times the women are every bit as good as hitters as the men. If the majority of them cannot hit the ball as far as the men, they certainly can place it well. This rule seems out-of-place in a day in todays culture, but it does seem to even out the lineups.

Next there is the rule that if a man is walked, the woman who comes up to bat next has the option of just going to first base without even batting. The purpose of the rule is to prevent one team from walking the best hitters, and pitching to the worst ones, but some say it smacks of sexism. To be fair, however, many of the women choose to bat anyway, but when the chips are down, it is better to have two base runners than one.

Third, there is the no bunting rule. This rule may be designed to keep the game moving, but bunting is such an important part of high school softball, it is a shame not to have it as a part of adult softball. The no bunting rule is intended to keep the game moving at a brisk pace, and to keep the scores from becoming too lopsided as they can become when one team bunts a lot.

Then there is the outfield restriction rule. All outfielders must stay a certain distance (180 feet) from home plate, until the ball is struck. There is no creeping up. This rule makes for a lot more hits and base runners, but it takes away from the creative thinking of the outfield. Basically, outfielders are just out there to field balls that land in the restricted zone, or the occasional long ball. While this rule may seem out of place since it overly restricts the movement of the players, it levels the playing field by giving weaker hitters a better chance to get on base.

There are other rules too numerous to mention here that make this game both fast paced and interesting to watch. Just as interesting as the game itself, though, are the laughing, yelling, huffing and puffing people who are willing to spend some of their hard earned time off work trying to hit a little yellow ball and slide in the dust.

If you get a chance, go out and watch a game or two. For all the activities available at SEPRD, see www.sunsetempire.com or give Richard Bailey a call at (503) 738-3311, ext. 114.