Heavy Metal Softball

Defense Will Be Emphasized This Year!

A new added feature this 2004 season will be the inclusion of fielding stats for defensive evaluation by the manager -- hey, that's me! Because our website can calculate these defensive stats as well as the offensive ones, I thought I would put this feature to full use this year. There will be only four categories recognized: Put Outs (PO); Assists (A); Errors (E); and Fielding Percentage (FPct). I thought it would make things a little more interesting to finally expose the vulnerable side of our team's defensive capabilities, hopefully with more progressive improvement in this area. Normally, I would tell my teammates not to get too defensive about a new team revelation, but this time it is exactly what I want -- let's get really "defensive" this time around, not emotionally, but softball-wise! This feature will also help in a better evaluation of an MVP, where too often offensive stats take precedent in the final balloting. A well-rounded team will always be in the hunt for a championship; an unbalanced team will have its good hitting days and bad ones. To me, defense has really taken a backseat to hitting in today's softball -- this year, I'd like to restore it to its rightful place as the "great equalizer". Anyone who follows sports, or even life for that matter, knows that balance is a key to success. In order for us to call ourselves "successful" this year, I am calling on all members of the team to put their own personal emphasis on defense. Take as much pride in it as you would your offensive contributions. Let's all make it a team goal.