Taking it easy on weaker teams?

[mudbug]

Saddest thing is that it is usually just a coaching problem, not the girls fault. Sub-average athletic ability girls can still be very competitive with good coaching.

 

[alexander58]

This is a pretty good thread. Had a couple thoughts.
One of the things that sometimes makes this tricky is tournament play. What to do on Saturday's when every run counts. And on top of that, if you only have two stud pitchers minimizing innings during a tournament is important so every mercy game can be important. It's hard to keep bashing another team and when you're up 13-0 but a 15-0 mercy can be important in the middle of a summer tournament. Also hard to blame the tournament coordinator about the talent at the tournaments. My daughter's team played in a bunch of B tournaments this year but in reality we were a non recruited A level team. It happens sometimes. The girls have played together for 4 years. Good coaching and very good pitching/offense/defense. We placed 2nd in the B states in NY and lost to an A team that won a bunch of A tourny's this year. We lost 6-2 and had already beaten another A recruited team in the State semis. Point is, I've seen very bad A teams at A tourny's that should be playing B level and very good B teams at B tourny's that should be at A level. The coordinator is just taking the teams as they sign up.

Runs scored should NOT be used as a tiebreaker in tournaments.It promotes an unnecessary dilemma for coaches. That being said, I'd lose a higher seed before I ran a score up to get a better seed. There plenty of other criteria available.Head to head, runs allowed, coin flip)Try to think of games against vastly inferior competition as a learning experience for the other team.

 

[softball_chic_12]

i think it depends on the players and coaches. i know my coaches wouldn't encourage to keep it up that hard if we were beating the snot out of the other team. but even if my coach told me to keep it up, i think i would personally back off a little bit.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

As an umpire myself, I have a serious problem with the PU that threatened the coach if he didn't call off the dogs. I get paid to be an unbiased third party enforcing the rules, regardless of whether I feel bad that one team is getting stomped by another.

On a side note, I would have no problem making the "left base early" call if that's what the coach wants.

 

[ctfastpitch]

Since most tourneys have runs-allowed as a first or second tiebreaker, you probably want to avoid doing things that seriously weaken your defense and then let in 4-5 unecessary runs. On the other hand, since runs-scored is rarely an important tie breaker, I would definitely take the foot off the gas offensively. I don't think I'd have the girls purposely make outs (step off the base early) unless it was really getting out of hand. Somehow I think that would be a bit demeaning to the other team. I would probaly have them play solid, but not aggressively...no steals or sac bunts, hold the base on passed balls, etc.

I like the idea of discretely asking the opposing coach how he/she wants to handle it. They may actually want to get their team some work on bunt/infield defense & situations.

To me, the key in this situation is for everyone -- coaches, players & parents -- to be respectful. No gloating or yucking it up at the other teams expense. Even the weakest teams have spent money, time and effort to put a team on the field. They are there to enjoy the experience (win or lose) and maybe learn and improve from it. You learn as much about a team's class and character by what kind of winners they are, as you do by what kind of losers they are!

I forget who it was that gave some related advice in football..."when you get to the end zone, act like you've been there before..."

 

[mrslug01]

What does everyone think about calling off the dogs before mercying another team. The mercy can save a few innings pitched over a weekend.

 

[Mark H]

I don't think anyone would fault a coach for getting to the mercy run differential and a little more. It's what happens after that that would be in question.

 

[ctfastpitch]

I don't think anyone would fault a coach for getting to the mercy run differential and a little more. It's what happens after that that would be in question.

Agreed...I'd say these discussions would only apply after a mercy differential has been reached. I wouldn't expect the winning team to purposely extend the game.

 

[MTR]

Agreed...I'd say these discussions would only apply after a mercy differential has been reached. I wouldn't expect the winning team to purposely extend the game.

Actually, some would just for batting practice. This happened to me a few years ago. Obviously stronger team was up big early. However, once they realized the game was going to end in the 4th due to the mercy rule, the effort for ground balls not hit directly to an infielder was non-existent, players not covering the proper bases and in one case, F4 just refusing to catch a pop-up.

Stopped the game and warned the coach that if I saw another sign of this failure to play, the score was going to be 7-0 and he wasn't going to like it.

It started to rain during the break, but the good news was the weaker team was making a come back and all of a sudden, the coach who wanted to extend the game wanted us to call it. This was a spring shower and there was no thunder or lightning, but I made a point of telling the coach that lightning would have to strike 2nd base before we stopped the game. Obviously, I would not let a game continue in unsafe conditions, but the coach got the point. The game went 7 innings and the stronger team won by a couple of runs.

Point being that practice is for practice and the games are for competition. Like in any other sporting contest, when you have the opportunity to put the opponent away, you do it. If you do not, you may not deserve to win that contest.

I'm not suggesting you continue to steal or take the extra base, but just play the game. The other team knows why you are out there and would probably take more offense if it was obvious you were trying to get put out.

 

[edad]

These are the kind of questions that depending how you answer say a lot about you as a person. First off, these are young girls and the example you set for them will stay with them all their lives. I would have to guess that if you took a poll of all the times a team came back from a 12-0 deficit the number is very small. By showing compassion for a team that is down 12-0 you show your girls that there is a higher goal than just winning. That goal is to be able to treat people like you would want to be treated in the same circumstance. My DD played for a coach that had her steal home while up 12-0, I don't think the coach even comprehended what he was doing. I just think he didn't know any better. Anyhow if we teach our DD's to be cut-throat all the time, will that be how they grow up and use that cut-throat strategy in their day to day life? Hope they don't use it on you!!!