Marking an RBI

Whew! Its about time I found one that's easy to answer!

The answer is, (low drum roll) there is no right way to mark an RBI on a score sheet!

But hold on there Minor Coach, there's an explanation.

One big problem with keeping score is that there is no "right" way to do it as far as markings and codes goes. There are "accepted" things that most people do, but since the rules don't say how to mark the sheet, but only what the marks represent, there's a heck of a lot of leeway!

On top of having no real rules to fall back on, there are just about as many versions of a baseball score book as there are of the Bible! There are big ones, little ones, ones that have big writing in them for old poops like me, ones that have little columns for every conceivable thing a batter, pitcher or runner might do, and you can get them in different colors to boot!

I think the way the book is marked really should depend on who is going to put in the stats, if any. If no stats will be done, then the book should be marked the way the coach or manager wants it marked.

If there are stats being done, if the person entering them into a computer program or even doing them by hand can't interpret the markings, its a losing battle, so ya gotta give a little for the ol' statistician. If the only one really trying to use the book to make decisions is the coach, then ya gotta go that way.

Here's the problem. I happen to create my own sheet because I know what I need and what I don't. When a batter gets an RBI, I just make a big mark o the left of the little diamond. If there's 2 RBIs I make 2 marks and so on. when I'm entering the stats, I enter each batter individually. I have a box for RBIs that allows me to put in any number up to 99. So I look across the batter's line and count the big black marks!

I know what that mark means, but its doubtful any other scorer would unless I told him/her. When a batter comes to the plate with runners in scoring position, I put a big dot to the left of the diamond. Then when I enter the data, I see the batter came to the plate 3 times with runners in scoring position, put that in and then count the hits WRISP.

When a run is earned, I make a black box in the upper right hand corner of the box for the batter who scored and then the same thing happens when I put in the pitcher's data. I also mark pitches, i.e. 1st pitch is a ball, a 1 goes in the ball column. 2nd pitch is a strike, a 2 goes in the strike column and I do that no matter how many pitches it takes.

When an out is made, I put the out number in little parens on the bottom right. That doesn't go into any stats, but the ump may want to know how many outs or who made them. I have another habit. When a batter makes an out before reaching base, I put the marking for the out inside the diamond. It the runner makes an out, I put it between the base he came from and the base he didn't reach.

I use arced arrows to show a 2 base move on the same play and use WP for wild pitch or PB for passed ball only on the lead runner with a FC for any back runners, and do the same with errors that move up back runners.

Where most scorers really differ though is how they mark outs. If a player hits a grounder to the 1st baseman that he grabs and steps on the base for the out, I mark it 3. But, some people mark it 3U. 1st baseman unassisted. Some mark it G3 or 3G for ground out to the 1st baseman. I've even seem some scorers use GO3 or 3GO.

In my book, a pop up or line drive to the 1st baseman would also be marked as a 3, and you can imagine what others may do. some mark F3, L3, 3LU and it can go on and on! Then you get the people who mark a ground out 3rd to 1st as 5-3, G5-3, 5-3GO and all kind of other things.

I mark a base on balls as a BB, some use a W. but there is one very important international mark that will tell you right away if you have a "real" scorekeeper or just a pretender! Marking a strike out looking with any symbol other than a backward K is BUSH!

Assuming from your moniker that you are really a coach, I'd say for you to look at your book and determine how you want to see it and then tell your scorekeeper to do it that way. But, if you really want to do yourself and that poor underpaid underappreciated person a favor, tell them to go to the local sports shop and pick the book they want to keep!

Let me tell you, the bigger the boxes and the more room to write, the easier it is on everybody, because as you can imagine with all of the numbers, boxes, marks, arrows, dots and anything else imaginable, the more room the better!