Who does this?

There probably isn't a whole lot you can do in this situation from the original post except keep your cool and vow to make your team good enough to return the favor someday. Hard to do when you're in the middle of it, I know.

Calling a squeeze in that situation is pretty gutless IMHO. I'm sure the coach wanted to try it in a "safe" situation but that's just not the time. The squeeze is for when you need to manufacture a run against a tough opponent, not for when you're just playing out the inning for a run rule.

I've had ONE instance where I've gotten so mad against an opposing coach that I considered a retaliation move. 16U rec league, I'm at home and the visiting team is up on us 10-0 after the 2nd inning (we had a run rule of 15 after 5 at the time). This coach had a policy of always keeping the score one run UNDER the limit to keep playing regardless of if he was up big/out-classing the other team. His 2nd batter of the inning gets up, and he gives her a signal to, and I'm not making this up, BUNT BEHIND HER BACK. As in go left-handed, place the bat behind her back, and attempt to bunt. My girls were so livid when they saw this. My first thought was to call time, go out to the mound, and say to my pitcher, "Next time she does this, just say 'it slipped' when the next pitch gets her in the ribs". THANKFULLY, I turned away, counted to 10, called time, went to the mound, and told my visibly-angry pitcher just to do the same thing she had been doing. It's THEIR presence, not ours, they have to answer for. Eventually, she struck the girl out on a D3K.

Coincidentally, I'm a HS teacher in the town that this visiting team is/was from, and I actually teach 2 girls who were on this team at the time (they are 10th/11th graders now, which would've made them 7th/8th graders then). Both of them confided in me they were beyond embarrassed their coach would do that, and they wouldn't have done it if signaled to - not because they couldn't, because it was wrong period, regardless of the score of the game at the time. For ALL the beatdowns I've taken as a coach in my years of coaching, I teach my girls we win/lose with class, nothing more or less. Softball, to me, is secondary to character. I'd rather go 0-for-life, record-wise, with a team of girls of exceptional character than win state championships with the cockiest group of a-holes walking the green, green grass of Earth.

sluggers said:

Great story. We can get too wrapped up in the game. It is easy to forget what we are really trying to do. It is good to have a player remind us of what we aspire to be.

One time I lost it.

The opposing teams third baseman was stealing signs. I asked her not to do it. She, of course, ignored me. I asked the opposing coach nicely to stop. It was his daughter, so of course he thought it was funny.

I was young and stupid. So, I changed the indicator. In the appropriate situation, I used the old indicator and gave the bunt sign. Then I used the new indicator and gave the hit and run sign (mandatory swing).

3B goes charging in and ends up about 10 feet from the batter. The batter takes a full cut at the ball, and luckily misses. 3B comes back white as a sheet.

I'm still ashamed of myself for that little piece of stupidity.

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I don’t have a problem with a player stealing signs. I also don’t have a problem with what you did. You informed the player and the coach that you knew they were sign stealing. At that point they should assume that you were going to change the signs. Basically you gave them fair warning.

Cannonball said:

In the OP, I mentioned that this coach's team was being short gamed. In fact, their opponent had scored 8 runs that last inning giving them 20 runs for the game and they were still running up the score while the coach that contacted me had something in the area of 3 or 4 runs. The squeeze came long after the opponent had enough for the short game. The game ended 20 something to 3 or 4. In my opinion, there is no reason for this.

JD, in the OP, I mentioned that I was in the same situation before and thus the story. Therefore, my outrage.

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"Short gamed" is what confused me. I've only heard "short game" as a synonym for "small ball" before now.

Makes a LOT more sense now, thanks!

gdc03120 said:

His 2nd batter of the inning gets up, and he gives her a signal to, and I'm not making this up, BUNT BEHIND HER BACK. As in go left-handed, place the bat behind her back, and attempt to bunt.

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I would not have considered retaliation at that point, I would have pulled my team from the field. It's one thing to leave a base early or swing at every pitch. I could even see doing something a little silly, like telling all of your players to bat left-handed and try slapping. At least that's an actual thing. Holding a bat behind your back is just making a mockery of the game. What's the next move, baserunning on one foot?