Comments on: World Cup of Softball 2011

By: Doug Boone

Doug Boone — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 12:06:47 +0000

It seems there was more botched calls this year. However, we have the replay and slow motion camera and many times it seems so clear but the ump had to call it in a split second. These announcers were not as bad as in previous years. Remember when we had Beth Bowen, Michelle Smith and The Rowe girl on the field. Beth didn’t know a curve ball from la knuckle ball. Each pitch was acurve ballto her. Tiy just don’t break a ball much in 43 feet especially throwing it underhanded. In past years we would have to watch Michell pitch, giving us instructions on how to throw, as if all of us were going tobe pitchers. Non the less, I|’ll take these two over the past.

By: Garett Fisbeck

Garett Fisbeck — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 22:44:51 +0000

Word.

By: michael b

michael b — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:17:36 +0000

…and by the way, the ball that hit the runner was in foul territory, no-hitter still intact at that point. And the runner sliding into 3rd was out. And the first steal a U.S. player, safe, but called out…the list goes on. (On the play at 3rd where the U.S. runner is gunned down, but called safe, the announce says that team Japan may have caught a break. Normally forgivable and not worth a mention, but in this cavalcade of misinformation, just another gaffe.

By: michael b

michael b — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:17:18 +0000

…and by the way, the ball that hit the runner was in foul territory, no-hitter still intact at that point. And the runner slidding into 3rd was out. And the first steal a U.S. player, safe, but called out…the list goes on. (On the play at 3rd where the U.S. runner is gunned down, but called safe, the announce says that team Japan may have caught a break. Normally forgivable and not worth a mention, but in this cavalcade of misinformation, just another gaffe.

By: michael b

michael b — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:11:58 +0000

The worst called game I have ever seen for this “level” (championship) of play. Not only on the field…in the booth. There were so many examples, but I will only pull a couple. Lady broadcaster says a ball hit by Arioto, “you can see it go off the top of her leg”, and “changed direction”. I watched it over and over (on replay), froze it, did all I could, and it was not clear. Whether it touched her leg or not, irrelevant..it wasn’t obvious. Then the male in the booth says on a replay, “It clearly goes off her instep”? LOL. The ball lands 1 1/2 feet in front of her foot. Later, a ball hits a Japanese baserunner in fould territory and both umpires do what is normal. They raise there hands to indicate a stoppage of play (dead ball). Both announcers all but swear that they have indicated a foul ball. They don’t indicate a foul ball, only that the play is dead, then discuss it (with a language barrier – ridiculous), and determine a fair ball, the baserunner out, and award 1st to the hitter – AND they don’t emphasize the play as breaking up a no-hitter. They may mention it like you would ‘the count is now 2 and 1″. What a farce, what a joke. Announcers on these secondary events are so WEAK. Let a fan come in and sit in the booth to spicce it up a bit. I would have buried these two morons on national TV.