Slow Pitch Softball at the Iowa Supreme Court

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 17:57:13 GMT

The Iowa Supreme Court released an opinion today in Feld v. Borkowski. The case centers around a slow-pitch softball practice, where the players were taking batting practice. The batter, Borkowski, was a right handed hitter. On this particular pitch, Borkowski swung too early, fouling the ball high and foul over the left field line. However, during some part of his swing, Borkowski released the bat, sending it flying....down the right field line, where it struck the first baseman, Feld, in the forehead causing serious damage. This is not a normal flight pattern for a released bat.

The issue for the Court was to first determine whether softball is a contact sport. If it is a contact sport, the batter is liable if his conduct was reckless or intentional. If softball is not a contact sport, the batter is liable if his conduct was simply negligent. The Court determined that softball was a contact sport, so that its players should be on notice that such type of danger is inherent, unless the danger was created by reckless conduct, which would place liability on the acting party.

The Court then considered an affidavit from Ed Servais, the Creighton University head baseball coach. Mr. Servais noted that a right handed hitter who fouls a ball down the left field line should not, under normal circumstances, ever release his bat down the right field line. The Court found this to raise an issue of recklessness that was appropriate to take the case to a jury.

Another interesting story at the intersection of sports and the law. Stay tuned to see how this case turns out when it goes to trial.

CDT Softball Team Edges ACLU

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:03:21 GMT

Thought this wrap up from our softball team’s victory over ACLU from yesterday would be a good change of pace for Friday. Enjoy! In a striking, improbable, spectacular turn of events, the “Fleeting Expletives” defeated the ACLU’s “F’n A’s” on the Mall last night in moonlit game, long after the last fans had exited the [...]

Thought this wrap up from our softball team’s victory over ACLU from yesterday would be a good change of pace for Friday. Enjoy!

In a striking, improbable, spectacular turn of events, the “Fleeting Expletives” defeated the ACLU’s “F’n A’s” on the Mall last night in moonlit game, long after the last fans had exited the stadium!

Things had been looking bleak for the Expletives! Lacking a field-of-play at game time and well into the evening, it was looking like a night of libations and chips, but no softball! Probes sent to the far ends of the Mall had turned up no place to play! Key players had departed for the showers, including Brock “The Franchise” Meeks and Austin “Pulled Something” Randazzo, heads hung low, muttering … fleeting expletives.

Suddenly, a nearby game ended. A field had opened up! And the Fleeting Expletives and ACLU rallied their remaining troops to PLAY BALL!

ACLU scored three runs in their first ups, and eight more in their next, but were held back by incredible fielding from the Fleeting Expletives, including a tag out at Second base base by Jennifer “Run ‘em down” Chen, a tag out at Third by Reuben “Body Imager” Rodriguez and force outs at First base, manned by Harley “Stretch” Geiger.

The ACLU put its most wily pitcher on the mound, but the F.E.s’ bats were sizzling! The pitches rolled in, bounced in, scraped the sky and threatened distant monuments. But, nothing could stop the Expletives from their appointment with Fame!

The cool calm of B.J. “Mr. Determination” Ard rattled the pitcher into serving up an occasional hittable ball. Towering slugs by Matt “The Deputy” Allee and a three-run homer by Aziz “The Puma” Ahmad had the F’n’s cowering in fear. That, and a strategic, measured swing by Cynthia “Bunter” Wong, and sly, aggressive base running by Liz “Sneaky Pete” Banaszak and Tsoghig “The Armenian Beserker” Hekimian sealed the fate of the hapless ACLU!

Final score, 12-11!!! With the game ended “early” on account of darkness, the F’n A’s demanded a rematch with their nemesis, the Fleeting Expletives. Stay tuned for Second Game of this series!

Softball

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:50:40 GMT

Some of you may be aware that UVA has a major obsession with softball. I mean, this is hardcore activity at this school. People often claim to care more about softball than about law school. We like to call these people "winners" because I know that I also came to law school just to play softball.

I fail to really understand this obsession with softball. Look, I love playing sports (pickup basketball is my game of choice, but still). Here are reasons that I don't like softball.

1.) The arc required in slow pitch. I understand that some people have a hard time hitting a slow moving object in three dimensional space with a rounded stick. However, those people are usually eight. Normal twenty-somethings can have some sense of depth perception. And, pitching at such an arc actually makes it harder to hit the ball. Sure, the ball is moving slower, but it's dropping severely as it come towards the plate. If you're not good at hitting, you swing at the wrong spot. It's much harder to hit the correct spot than it is to correct the timing on your swing. So the actual result of the rule is contradictory to its intent.

2.) The arbitrary rules for the benefit of girls. I think I'm biased on this because in my neighborhood growing up, the girls all played sports with the guys. And the age relative kids were about equal, regardless of gender. My neighbor (girl) and I were the two oldest kids in the group and we were the best two at the sports and we were about even. When puberty hit, the only sport that I gaiend a real advantage in was basketball, mainly because I was stronger than she was so she couldn't stop me from getting to the basket. In baseball, I could throw a little harder and hit a little farther, but considering our competition and the yard in which we were playing, the difference was minimal.

That's why I think the rules that give benefit to girls are kinda sexist. I mean, if there's a guy who really sucks at softball, we can basically play 10 man infield. However, if it's a girl, the outfield has to be behind this arbitrary line in the outfield that most guys can't even hit the ball past. Also, the girls get more more allowed foul balls and a much larger outfield. If we're granting this much advantage to girls, isn't this just institutional bias indicating that we don't consider girls equal to males?

My neighbor is still better at baseball than some of the guys that play. She's actually probably better than I am at this point. She would shred these rules. Why should we treat her differently just because she doubled up her X chromosomes and is less likely to be colorblind? It's a minor thing, but I think that there's something wrong with it.

3.) Softball captains. Listen, our section voted you to be in charge of setting up games. Just because we have you do that, does not mean you understand the fundamentals of softball better than we do. Some of us may have played baseball, but, surprisingly, the way you field and catch is really quite similar. And no, I will not use both hands to catch a fly ball. This isnt' the last out in the world series. This is a random out in a softball game that means nothing. Whoop de doo. Get over it. Stop yelling at me about it.

4.) The fact that EVERYONE plays. 20 person batting orders suck. I know it's for fun and everything, but sitting around waiting to hit is not fun. In fact, it's boring.

5.) It's softball. The ball is difficult to drive, taking away a lot of the fun and the ball is huge, making it impossible to miss. For those of you keeping track at home, this means lots of nubbers out into the middle of the infield. Softball: Feel the excitement.

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Slow Pitch Softball at the Iowa Supreme Court

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Softball