LYNNFIELD – The final week of the season has arrived for the Lynnfield Men’s Over-40 Softball League. The winner of the Blue and Black game Thursday will determine the fourth and fifth seeds.
From there, the sixth seed will play the third seed while the fifth will play the fourth. The first and second seeds will have a bye for the quarterfinals before playing the winners in the semi-finals.
Green and Red are set for first and second; however, the outcome of the other matchups could shift the order around.
As it says in the league’s name, the program is for men over 40-years-old as a way to have a friendly competition. The program has its main principles of good sportsmanship, respect for umps, players, and coaches, safety, mature behavior, and of course, having a fun and pleasant time.
The regular rules of softball apply, but the league has also made some of its own to go along with them. Such as the no bunting rule where bunting is simply not allowed. The league also doesn’t allow metal cleats to be worn, only plastic or rubber as a safety precaution.
The league supplies wooden bats. Players cannot bring their own wooden or aluminum bats for use. The bats are used by all teams and are returned to the equipment box at the end of the game.
Catchers must wear protective masks, which are available if one is not owned. The distance between the bases and the mound is also changed as well as the height of the pitching arc. Pitchers can also start their pitch from behind the rubber, so they end on it or start directly from the rubber.
There are no foul-ball third strikes. So a player continues their at-bat after the foul ball until a true strike occurs or the ball is put into play. Runners are allowed to be substituted after they reach the base. However, the player going in to run has to be the last player out. The runners are also allowed to overrun all bases, not just first.
Defensive players are not allowed to block the base. If done, the ump will call the runner safe.
There is also no stealing or leading off the bases, and the player must have one foot on the bag at all times until the ball is put into fair play. This rule also leads to the no sliding or diving into bases rule; if a player does, they will immediately be called out as it is strictly prohibited to slide or dive.
Another strict rule would be collision avoidance. Runners cannot instigate contact with defensive players, such as dropping shoulders or steamrolling the catcher. If done so, the runner is out and ejected from the game with orders to leave the field without delay. However, if the same player is doing an action for a second time, the player in question will be expelled from the league as a whole.
Coaches and their assistants are only allowed to discuss plays or rules with the umps respectfully. There is also the rule that everyone has to play. A team cannot only use their best players. If a team doesn’t have enough players or is short-handed, they can borrow the other team’s catcher until the second inning. If the team still does not have nine of their own players, then the team has to forfeit.
If a game were to go into extra innings during the beginning of the season, the teams would play until it was determined that they could not do so safely due to not having lights. The final score would be written as a tie. If the game goes to extra innings in the second half, it will be played out until there is a winner due to now being on a field with lights.
The rules are in place to keep the players, coaches, and umps safe, as safety is one of the main principles of the program. At the end of the day, the program is about having fun, being out with friends, and enjoying the summer.
Maddi Filip can be reached at [email protected].
