Is it OK to break any rules?

Little League All Stars is starting soon. A friend coaches a LL Minors team and she wants them to scrimmage a local 10U select team. A few girls play on both teams. Little League rules clearly prohibit tournament teams from practicing against anyone except another LL tournament team of the same division.

Let say you were the coach and you planned the scrimmage unaware of the rule and then a few days before someone made you aware of it. Would you go ahead with the scrimmage? Your team could be disqualified from tournament play, but how would anyone know?

There's also a LL rule that says adults cannot warm up catchers. I see it done often. It doesn't seem to make much sense, but it is against the rules. Would you ignore this rule knowing that the worst that will happen will be that you'll be told to stop?

Are the rules the rules and we follow them all or do we just follow the ones that make sense? That are convenient? When we know we'll get caught?

If someone finds out you could be in trouble, but I don't see any problem scrimmaging a local team. The only issue might be insurance.

BTW the catcher warm up rule is so stupid especially for boys. I always liked minor divisions where you have a kid who has no control pitching to a kid who can't catch and has no equipment on versus an adult.

After that debacle with the Jackie Robinson West LL??? Nope, the rules are there for a reason. Don't like them? Work to change them.

It is never OK to break the rules. Ever.

Lobster Birch said:

Little League All Stars is starting soon. A friend coaches a LL Minors team and she wants them to scrimmage a local 10U select team. A few girls play on both teams. Little League rules clearly prohibit tournament teams from practicing against anyone except another LL tournament team of the same division.

Let say you were the coach and you planned the scrimmage unaware of the rule and then a few days before someone made you aware of it. Would you go ahead with the scrimmage? Your team could be disqualified from tournament play, but how would anyone know?

There's also a LL rule that says adults cannot warm up catchers. I see it done often. It doesn't seem to make much sense, but it is against the rules. Would you ignore this rule knowing that the worst that will happen will be that you'll be told to stop?

Are the rules the rules and we follow them all or do we just follow the ones that make sense? That are convenient? When we know we'll get caught?

Click to expand...

Don't know about other circumstances, but this is a scenario you DO NOT want to break the rules.

LL insurance will not cover you in case of injury - nor the league or the park or the other team. You are on your own. While it is always unlikely something will happen, you don't want to deal with it if it does. Little League - unlike most of the other ABC's orgs have a huge amount of assets that they are protecting - and they are very protective of what they have.

And yes, if you get 'found out' - which you will - the league can lose its charter, or be banned from all-stars (all divisions), or whatever other sanctions LL feels is necessary. Softball world is very, very small and extremely gossipy. Someone will say something and word will get out - you are talking 20 players, 40 parents, maybe some umpires and some others. That is not a secret that is going to keep.

LL takes this one VERY seriously. You are 100% absolutely not allowed to play a LL team against anyone else in a friendly.

And if you progress in the LL tournament you will find they get stricter and stricter the further you get.

I don't break the rules. Besides, how do you know if a disgruntled parent or coach either on your team, the opposing team or in the league won't find out about it and turn you in? Then, the season is ruined. There is more to coaching than winning and losing. It is abiding by the rules. I had a very close friend text me the other day about a possible move in to my school district and wanted my opinion. My response was that I can't do that according to the IHSA Rules. As a coach at the school, I can't endanger anyone's program.

Lobster Birch said:

Little League All Stars is starting soon. A friend coaches a LL Minors team and she wants them to scrimmage a local 10U select team. A few girls play on both teams. Little League rules clearly prohibit tournament teams from practicing against anyone except another LL tournament team of the same division.

Let say you were the coach and you planned the scrimmage unaware of the rule and then a few days before someone made you aware of it. Would you go ahead with the scrimmage? Your team could be disqualified from tournament play, but how would anyone know?

There's also a LL rule that says adults cannot warm up catchers. I see it done often. It doesn't seem to make much sense, but it is against the rules. Would you ignore this rule knowing that the worst that will happen will be that you'll be told to stop?

Are the rules the rules and we follow them all or do we just follow the ones that make sense? That are convenient? When we know we'll get caught?

Click to expand...

this league sounds a little ______, fill in the adjective. i would be more interested in finding another league. who are they to limit who you scrimmage or practice against and why can't a coach catch a pitcher. but no don't break the rules, just find another league. jmo

slingnit said:

this league sounds a little ______, fill in the adjective. i would be more interested in finding another league. who are they to limit who you scrimmage or practice against and why can't a coach catch a pitcher. but no don't break the rules, just find another league. jmo

Click to expand...

Well it is not the individual league - it is Little League International. It goes for all of LL, both baseball and softball. The play restriction is a control and insurance rule. Who knows what prompted the 'coach can't catch to warm up rule' but it could be as they got sued by a parent who got hit by a warm up pitch or even that it just looked bad on ESPN.

As I said, LL has substantial assets and have been on the wrong end of people suing LL for them. Your little cupcake gets hit by an offline throw - you don't just sue the thrower or the local league - you go after the org with the money - in this case LL International - and claim their rules should have protected your cupcake and they are liable because they didn't. That are pretty militant about protecting LL assets.

Edit:
LL gets sued a LOT. Just do a google search. They win more than they lose, but it costs them a huge amount of money and time. Their handbooks and guide for running the leagues mentions lawsuits every third page or so. They get sued for everything from how a draft went, to money handling, to injuries, to player eligibility, to ground conditions, to... well you name it. Some people have their lawyer on speed dial I guess. One article said they had a hard time interviewing a lawyer representing an injured player because they kept get interrupted by parents asking him to represent their child. I am not a big fan of LL, but you are not paranoid if they really are out to get you.

Now I'm being told by coach that this was cleared by his LL and that it's OK to do this because "They are going to mix the teams up" and it's just a bunch of kids showing up for practice. Unbelievable. I'm debating reporting this to higher authorities.

If I were you I would get a copy of the rule. Read it, and then decide for yourself if you can get around it somehow like mixing up players or calling it a practice. Just be sure to CYA.


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