Originally Posted by too.tall:
…Tonight my son, (2019) loafed to first base on an infield pop up. The coach didn't see it but I did and I made sure to make it clear, after the game, that I was not happy. I don't care how well or badly he does on the field as long as he is giving it 100%....
Absolutely nothing wrong with a parent setting standards for his/her children and having a punishment/reward system in place. What you’re talking about is “hustle”, and there’s a standard in baseball about it. There’s certainly a lot of rhetoric about players busting their a$$ to 1st base every time they hit the ball. Most call it a Hard 90.
The Urban Dictionary defines a Hard 90 as a term used in baseball to describe a sprint from home plate to first base. The distance between each base is 90 feet. That seems to be the standard you used when you saw your son “loafing”. Many folk like myself who got to see Pete Rose play a lot saw what many consider to be the standard. After all, how many players sprint to 1st base after drawing a walk?
But how realistic is it to expect a Hard 90 from all players anytime they complete an at bat? In my experience, about the only time I EXPECT to see a Hard 90 is when a ball is hit in the infield and the batter is either trying to get an infield hit or not be doubled up. I also EXPECT it when a ball is hit to the OF and there’s a good chance the batter can get more than one base.