Things overheard at a game

DD got the yips for a few games, if you were sitting outside field on the 1st base side you needed to pay attention. If you inside fence you were fine, ball was not getting anywhere near you. Amount of advice DD got was staggering, random strangers were giving her advice.

I am going to miss softball when she stops playing. 9

(Maybe harshIst comment was, has she thought about playing soccer. Some random person ask me that.)

Not at a game but about...

DD snapchatting with a guy she met at a party - she snapchatted about dingers - he asked what's a dinger? She faced palmed. Then she snapchatted about her 3 run dinger - he asked "what's a 3 run dinger? third base?" Pretty sure she put him on \ignore after that. LOL

She was flabberghasted that a boy wouldn't know anything about homeruns. Sadly she almost has zero tolerance for ignorance of her sport. LOL.

Ken B said:

After a stray pitch flies over the backstop: "OK kiddo, nice rise! Now let's show 'em that drop!"

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We had a dad on my dds hs team, he would say. "Way to change the eye level"

This happened last night and I was quite surprised this came out of my wife's mouth. DD receives an intentional walk. I can hear the groaning in the stands. I sit away from most of the parents including my wife and her mother. After the inning is over, she comes blazing out of the stands and is freaking out.

Wife: They can't do that!!!
Me: What?
Wife: Walk her like that!
Me: Huh?
Wife: That will hurt her stats!
Me: Geez. Have you been hiding under a rock for the past several years? It's called an intentional walk.

I went on to explain the strategy and ramifications of the strategy. By the way, it didn't work. Next batter hit a double down the line and scored 2 runners. The coach calling the pitches against DD's team was her Summer ball coach. The coach and I chatted after the game and had a good laugh...at her expense. Muaahhh!

Coach with winning run on 3rd in extra innings call tim out- "We're going to run the suicide squeeze. OK?" Batter and runner say OK. Batter laces a double off the fence scoring the runner.

Coach- "Why didn't you run the squeeze?"
Batter-"Because I don't know what a squeeze play is."

I had the classic with a 10U team. A girl with square to bunt every time I gave her the bunt sign, but pull the bat back before the pitch got to her ever single time no matter how good the pitch was.

I asked her about it and she finally said,
Player-"You told me to square around to bunt, but to pull the bat back if it's not a strike."
Me- "Yes, but those were both strikes."
Player- "But I don't know if she's going to throw a ball or a strike until she pitches it."
Me- "Right, so you put the bat out until you see the pitch then decide."
Player- "Oh I was guessing before she pitched it if it was a ball or strike. If I guessed it was going to be a ball I'd pull my bat back, and I guessed wrong on those pitches."

This was my favorite from last fall. During a championship game (12u) my DD is in the circle. She throws a high rise that comes up above the batters head however the batter swings and misses. The other teams head coach standing on 3rd yells, 'hey that's my fault, I shouldn't have giving you the sign to chase a pitch over your head, I won't do that again". That coach had a great sense of humor and it kept his girls relaxed and having fun.

osagedr said:

Coaching U-10 rec a couple of years ago...first year player, big kid, about 3/4 of the way through the season she comes back to the dugout after yet another strikeout looking crestfallen. I'm like, "Don't worry, good swings up there but try to only swing if you think it's a strike." She looks at me: "Coach, I don't know what a strike means." Ooops...

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I spent a few minutes at multiple team meetings (We meet for ~10 minutes before every practice) discussing balls/strikes and the strike zone. As far as I can tell, they all understand the concept finally. In general (not all players, not all situations), I've found they're completely capable of learning/understanding if you spell it out for them, but very few players will just figure this stuff out on their own.

Last year I was AC for my son's Little League Majors team. These are 10-12 year old boys. I was running infield drills and started teaching the boys how to field a back hand. The HC yells over to me, "don't do that, teach them to field it between their legs." Why didn't I think of that!?!?

quincy said:

(Maybe harshIst comment was, has she thought about playing soccer. Some random person ask me that.)

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Them's fighting words!