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  "Softball For
The Love Of It" is a pick-up softball league in New York City in which I
have long been
privileged to be a participant. It is composed of about 60 players
ranging widely in age, ability, and attitude (and wardrobe), but all sharing a devotion to
the beloved game of softball. We divide up those hardy souls who show up on a given
weekend morning into two matched teams. We play the majority of our games
at the beautifully restored Heckscher Fields in Central
Park at 63rd Street (the field closest to the Carousel),
Riverside Park, the Dobbs Ferry Little League field, Zinsser Park in
Hastings-on-Hudson, and Van Cortlandt Park. Our season
usually runs
from March or early April to late November, with either excellent or poor weather either increasing
or decreasing that period. We are always interested in hearing from any "new blood" that shares
our enthusiasm for the sport. Many have found this website and contacted me to
express their interest; we in turn will advise them if and when turnout during
the season allows us to dip into this much-appreciated source of new talent.
We have some unique ground rules. Perhaps the most
controversial is the "Tree Rule," a guideline which purportedly traces
back to the Druids (also known for their aversion to aluminum bats), which
provides that trees and other manifestations of nature (as opposed to
person-made structures like fences) are, in essence, "heavy air," such
that batted balls which
 strike them and land in fair territory, are in
play. Thus, a batted ball which hits a tree or appurtenances thereto (such
as leaves) and is caught before hitting the ground (the ball, that is)
constitutes an out. Unauthorized
sudden planting of trees by players
during a game within the field of play for strategic advantage is forbidden.
The "Tree Rule" was modified in a specific situation involving home
runs.
Click here for
my article on Pick-Up Softball from the New
York Observer.
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