In our slo-pitch league, there is a rule regarding female batters which has caused quite a bit of controversy. The rule is applied when a female batter bats after a male batter is walked. The female batter in this instance would have to choose between batting and taking an automatic walk.
I've always believed our female batters should take the walk if it's offerred to them. Swinging away gives you a 30% chance of reaching first but taking the walk gives you a 100% chance of reaching first. To me, it's a no brainer. Take the base, advance the guy ahead of you and help your team accumulate runs. That's the objective, right?
An unnamed member of Raging Storm, my slo-pitch team in this league, took the offer of a walk as a slight against her gender. Game after game I'd watch the opposition take the walk each and every time, yet when I encouraged our women to do the same, an unnamed teammate would snarl at me and accuse me of being a he-man woman hater. This became such a sticky subject that a league-wide vote was recently cast to determine whether the rule should be scrapped. The results showed the majority wanted to keep the rule so we'll have it again this season. Personally, I think it's a necessary evil. In a big game, who would pitch to a larger, stronger male batter when they can walk him and look for a double-play grounder from the female batting next?
If you're wondering what my unnamed teammate thought of the vote results, it doesn't matter. She quit the team this winter. She's gone, but the great female walk debate will most likely continue.
