Hey guys: My apologies to the 60 or so fellows who waded through my way too long first draft I wrote last night on a way to fix the mercy rule. I should know by now: don't write late. And don't write long.
So, here's the shorter version:
The mercy rule ends a game in most, or maybe all, of the age divisions, when one team leads by 10 or 12 runs after five innings. The rule is designed to put the brakes on a contest where one team is running away with the game.
Then three problems with that:
(1) it's possible that the mercied team just had one really bad inning and that later in the game it could rally, possibly win or at least put forward a challenging, entertaining effort; (2) mercied games can be frustratingly bad, yes, but also frustratingly short. I've been in a few that lasted only in an hour and 15 minutes. That's softball time. Shortened games are generally unhappy ones, especially for guys who drive long distances to play here; (3) it's usually the case in mercied games that guys who bat in the top of the order, in the first two to five slots, will get at most two at-bats; everybody else, will get one. Nobody likes that. Especially if it happens more than once.
A possible solution:
I suggest we borrow a strategy from the over-60 Capital Division, and vary it slightly. In that division, once a team scores five runs, the game is stopped. The team that's ahead goes on defense, the team that's behind gets to bat. The five-run brake helps keep the game taut.
So, a variant for the other divisions might be this: Once a team leads another team by 12 runs after five innings, then, for the sixth and seventh innings, the leading team may score only X number of runs before it has to go play defense.
The league's board or each division can decide how many runs that X would equal, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 .... whatever.
This change will very likely not put the leading team in jeopardy. And it will give both teams chances to play the 7-inning game they anticipated, breaking a sweat, honing skills (really valuable for weaker teams that could use the extra play), and just playing ball.
If for some reason the game is still mercied, and still being played in the sixth or seventh, then the game could have a time limit, of say 2.5 hours. That's better than 1.5. It's an hour more of playing and practicing ball.
-Mike
p.s. John, thanks for your reply.
-- Edited by mikehart on Friday 16th of August 2019 02:20:10 PM
I for one hate that idea. I've been on both sides of a blowout this year and 5 innings is plenty for me.
I do see your point about one at bat but that's just the nature of a blowout I think. As far as time goes any mercy rule game I've ever been involved in takes as much or more time than a low scoring 7 inning game and typically goes 2 hours.
Great ideas for a pickup game but not in a competitive division like the 45s. It would make far more sense in my opinion to go back to a more unbalanced schedule where the top few teams don't face the bottom few teams. If you look at those games this year they have mostly been mercy rules.
One idea would be when a team is down by, say, 10 runs, that during their at-bats they are allowed to sprinkle obstacles on the field -- bear traps, for instance.
One more option: Once a team is up by 10, everyone on the leading team has to do a shot for every additional run they score. Home runs require a double-shot.*
*Three-four ounces of wine would be an acceptable substitute for a shot, if it were from a local winery. (This message brought to you by Meadowdale Farm Winery, Altamont, NY 12009.)
Maybe we can borrow some hurdles from the high school track team and place them in the baselines for the team ahead by 10 runs??? Wed probably need to add more bleechers for all of the spectators that would show up to see that.
Jim, That's a very creative modification. I like the bear traps! I'm pretty adept at avoiding obstacles on the bases and in the outfield, however I will be even more vigilant when those bear traps show up. Will they be above ground or buried?
