### Umpires Needed. ###

See the Commissioner at the desk to sign up.

**Message From The Commissioner.**

We are excited to welcome Kian's Dental back for the 2027 season. 

Kian’s Dental Studio

575 Ave K SE 

Winter Haven, FL 

863-875-4395

https://kiansdentalstudio.com/

Serving Winter Haven, Auburndale, Haines City, Lake Wales, Bartow, and Lakeland, Florida areas.

Choosing a dentist is an important decision.  Our philosophy is to provide treatment for the whole person, with a special focus on how your teeth and gums relate to your overall health.  Your smile is your greatest asset, and it reveals a great deal about your overall health.

We value our patient relationships and make it our top priority to deliver gentle, compassionate dental care you deserve.  From the moment you walk in, you will be welcomed by a caring staff in a personalized and comfortable setting to make you feel at ease.  Our goal is to help you restore and maintain a healthy and beautiful smile throughout your lifetime.

Our office provides comprehensive restorative and aesthetic dentistry, as well as general dentistry.  We believe that patients should have sufficient information to make educated decisions about their oral health and treatment options.  You will find all of this important information on our website, including directions to our office, service descriptions, and patient education resources.

Should you ever need any additional information about our practice, we can answer your questions through telephone inquiry or email.  We are looking forward to meeting you.  

                                                                                       ###

🥎 09.25.26 The Seventh Inning That Wouldn’t End

The weather gave us just about everything we could ask for: overcast skies, low humidity, and a comfortable day on the field. A little less wind would have been nice, but we weren’t about to complain. We saved that for the seventh inning.

Defense struggled throughout the game. At times, it seemed like nobody had brought a glove. But there were a few bright spots: Ernesto made a fantastic fall-down catch worthy of an ESPN highlight reel, and Jorge snagged three balls at third—although one of those catches might have been made with his eyes closed. Then “the girl” got a lucky bounce on a shot up the middle and fired a rocket to first. Great plays, just few and far between.

Now let’s start the scoring story at the end, because the seventh inning apparently decided to become the whole game.

The visiting team Duke’s, coached by Ouding, entered the seventh with 12 runs. Wally’s EZ-Roofing home team also had 12, while Hill’s Family Fence middle team had 7.

With one out, Ouding singled and Nester doubled. The next batter flied out to center, leaving Duke’s one out away from the dugout. Instead, Shiere doubled, Rad singled, Ramon singled, BJ singled, and Boito doubled. Seven runs later, Duke’s had 19. That seemed like a comfortable cushion.

Family Fence set out to test exactly how comfortable. They made two outs fairly early, but the third proved much harder to find. Errors piled up, runners kept crossing the plate, and the inning went on long enough that the wind may have changed direction.

I’d tell you who did what, but Family Fence’s scorekeeper went missing in action right when things got interesting. Not a mark in the seventh inning. We know ten runs scored, bringing Family Fence to 17—just two shy of Duke’s. If anyone finds the scorekeeper, please ask him what happened.

EZ-Roofing finally got its last at-bat after waiting FOREVER. They couldn’t add another run, bringing a wild finish—and the seventh inning, at long last—to a close.

Final: Duke’s 19, Family Fence 17, EZ-Roofing 12.

The Umpire’s Call: Use of the First Base Safety Base

• Batters running to first base must use the outer orange safety base. If they are attempting to advance to second, they may use the inner base.
• A fielder covering first base must yield to the advancing runner.
• If the fielder fails to yield, the umpire may call obstruction and award the runner second base.

Respect the call, respect the game.

Friday Games

Games are on. See you at the park. Please call or sign in by 08:30.

09.24.26 Update on Robert Spitelari

An update from Loren: He visited Robert Spitelari at the hospital this morning and crossed paths with Bob Zelanzny, who was arriving as Loren left.

Robert’s surgery was successful, and he was in good spirits. His doctors expect him to be discharged today or tomorrow. Wishing Robert a smooth recovery! 🥎

The Umpire’s Call: The Dreaded Illegal Pitch

As taught at USA Softball and Florida Half Century umpire clinics, one of the most helpful tools for judging pitch height is the six-foot-tall pitching screen.

A pitch’s height is determined at its highest point, which it normally reaches during the first half of its flight toward home plate. The plate umpire is in the best position to focus on that arc because, unlike the batter and catcher, the umpire is not trying to hit or catch the ball.

If the pitch rises above the top bar of the six-foot screen but does not reach twice the screen’s height, it is not an illegal pitch based on height.

Ultimately, that judgment belongs to the plate umpire—and only the plate umpire.

Respect the call, respect the game.