I’ve gone on record many times saying I do not like the CIF-SS playoff rule that prohibits pre-game batting practice. Not that it’s a bad rule, but the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. Still, every year it happens, and it may have happened to Alhambra’s softball team in its 3-2 win over fourth-seed Duarte in the Division 5 playoffs opening round. In fact, if Duarte goes through with this, I don’t see how CIF couldn’t rule in the their favor after the comments from Alhambra coach John Zabala to our reporter immediately afterward: “We do it the way we always do,” Zabala said of the pregame warm- ups. “We take about five feet off to the side and we use wiffles. We kind of teach our girls that we get beat on the field.” That’s great that he’s honest, but honesty will likely result in a forfeit, which is a shame. I’ve always thought a more reasonable punishment would be to lose a home playoff game, a suspension of coach or players involved, and it you commit it again, you forfeit the next time. I just hate seeing players end their seasons, and in the case of seniors, their careers ending over something like this. I know I’m in the minority, most don’t agree with me on this, but I do agree with Zabala about one thing, you win on the field and you lose on the field. But it’s never that simple, right?