Looking back over the past season brings to most of us a mix of feelings, made up within a blur of plays and games; getting things in order is not the most important thing, but rather most of us work on summoning up those personal high points, both for ourselves and our team. Only occasionally and inadvertently do we trip over some re-surfaced head of a long-ago, deeply submerged, gross-blooper of our own: From time to time one of these Frankenstein’s will reach out and latch onto us. It’s perfectly all right to exclude these upsetting freaks from our parade down Memory Lane and there is no proper place for these marauders to dwell. The players who have let such types come to live in their memory games are often the ones who don’t make it back for the next year. All of our ups and downs on the playing field have been varied as players this year, but in this one basic affirmation we are united: You’ve got to chuck the bad stuff and live off of the good stuff-all winter long!

Something good that seems to have stayed around in various leagues in the NW is the courtesy runner from home plate. This rule has been in use for at least two years here in Boise, and has received acceptance in the local league and in tournaments. The simple rule works this way: If the BATTER desires a courtesy runner (c.r.), they will begin the at-bat by standing behind home plate, off of the outside corner of the left-handed batter’s box and back about eight feet (usually there is a line drawn, the distance being 60 feet to first base). When the batter hits the ball, the c.r. can run FOR the batter. That’s it. It seems to work in all regards except one: WHO should be the eligible c.r. for the batter? You think about that for a moment and then let’s look at what has been tried.

The first option is to let anyone on the roster run, as is the usual case. Thus, the offensive team is usually gaining the advantage by putting in the Rabbit to run. And that is the basic on-going problem facing the c.r. rule anyway: Who is to run? What is fair, anyway? The next opt is to always have that c.r. be the LAST OUT recorded for the team from the previous inning. Example: You are on first with two out; a ground ball is hit and you are forced out at second. Next inning up, a player using the batter c.r. rule is coming up to bat, so YOU are the c.r. for him. This interpretation can be tinkered with a bit, but that’s the general point. It is imperative that the managers and umpires know of this rule BEFORE every game.

We have spoken in a previous column about the benefits of this slight adjustment to a player’s running game, allowing him to continue playing at all. Usually this player can be used as the pitcher on defense, or whatever position would work. In many senior Leagues, only the 60+ and upper divisions employ this batter c.r. rule. The majority of the players say that it makes sense and they grasp its true motive. That is why it makes more sense to adopt the last recorded out of the previous inning as determining who will be the c.r. The motive behind the entire rule is to merely allow a player the chance to have somebody run to the bases for him, even from home plate. If the last recorded out is used, "random possibility" kicks in and it becomes fair for both sides.

If you do not yet employ this rule in your division and it sounds good to you, work on getting it put into your rules for next season. The off season is the prime time to stir around with the local city rec. dept., or whoever governs rule making of your senior League and get things changed.

Structure inside structure is what naturally occurs for a well-run senior League. Things are good when you have teams who have banded together with the duel purpose of building a solid team and at the same time unifying their league. In the beginning, it usually rests on one person per team, the manager: If those men can come together, even a few times before the season begins, and work together to represent not only their team and their division, but stay focused on the good of the entire senior league, lots of really good things can happen. Don’t count on good things happening to you and your team; make them happen by communicating among yourselves. If you can, get those managers to meet and form a small, working board. You can save years in your league’s maturity level.

ANOTHER GOOD THING

Next year, which is next season to us, will pop its head out of the last melting snow bank and summon us all back to the ball fields again. Many of us have already made up our minds to make that date, so we will be working through the winter to be ready for it. Others, for whatever reason, are toying with the idea of not coming out, and there are always a hundred reasons, but most of them find their way to the field in the end. If it’s in your blood, you will always find a way to come out and see how it’s going to go, no matter how old you might be. For the serious players, they have been managing to put off all pressing circumstances of life, which attempt to prevent the Old Boy from playing ball. Every year a few warriors fall out, for whatever reason, they are gone from the league: For some, who are still able to play physically, they just don’t like something about what is going on with their team, or within the league and they quit. This last group of players often become retirees from the Game. They have played their last season, hung up the shoes and glove for good_for whatever the reasons-and that’s NOT good. Those reasons don’t matter anymore-We’ve heard them all: Just hang about for one season in a senior’s dugout and you will be amply filled in on anything that can be the matter for continuing this madness.

This is going to be a long winter for all of us Northwesterners_why don’t you email me at Grimmfamily@juno.com with something about our senior game? A story, comments or any ideas would be like a ray of sunshine.