Softball Rant

#7sDad said:

As a Patriots fan, I feel your pain!!!

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daave266 said:

Ok....I'd like to give fair warning, this is a rant so please feel free to skip entirely if you'd like.

I'm an AC for a 2nd year 12U team and we're a pretty solid team. There is another team that there is some history with; our HC coached several of the girls from the other team a couple of years ago. Every time we're in the same tournament we'll always hear about how we're in the easier pool. We've played the other team twice up until recently and beat them both times. After each game, there has always been some snide comments on social media about how the officials must have been relatives, or how a freak accident of a glove coming apart was the difference.

The latest was in a championship game, where we once again apparently played in an easy pool. We won the game by a few, not a blow out by any stretch.

During our 1st at bat, the HC calls time out and asks the ump to check one of our girls bats, says it's illegal. It's a ghost and we're playing USSSA. He's right....the ump looks at the bat and says he doesn't see anything wrong with it and lets our girl use it. She goes 1 for 3 with a single, no RBI's and No runs.

We're up by a few during the end of regulation and they start trying to quick pitch when our batter is barely getting their feet in the box. They get away with it for a couple of batters, until we get our hitters to hold time until they're settled. When I say something to one of the other AC's, he says they were trying to get in another inning.

End of the game, we win...everyone shakes hands like good boys and girls and goes on their way.

Talk to parents after the game and I guess one of the coaches on the other team was texting one of our parents like the day before the tournament asking if they wanted to come over to them. She said no thanks. Another coach was actually asking one of our parents how our hitters dealt with changing pace of pitchers. We had 6 hits off them and they changed pitcher every inning. We did ok.

Final straw.....today the HC gets a PM from one of the AC's stating that they have a Ghost too but were told they couldn't use it in the last tournament, so they didn't even bring it, and how great a bat it is and provides a huge advantage. Our ump was wrong and we shouldn't have been able to use the bat. Cause that made the difference.

I'd like nothing better than to have a team that we can battle back and forth and have a cordial relationship with, but it's just frustrating when you know that regardless of the outcome after the game, there will always be an excuse as to why it turned out the way it did. Can't just say good game, you got a good team. Congrats. Grownups really screw youth sports up.

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YOCOACH said:

Oh PUHLEEEAAASEEE! I love you dude but they cheat like no tomorrow whether it's inside the rules or not Of course, I'm a Steeler's fan so I'm supposed to say that...lol

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quincy said:

Where have you been hiding?

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Strike2 said:

I bought my DD her second LS Xeno last year, and she hits fine with it, so I don't spend much time chasing the latest and greatest. In fact, my bat shopping is always done late in the late Fall, when the current-year models are at their cheapest.

I know good equipment can make a difference, but $350 for a softball bat is ridiculous. That much for one that isn't approved across all the larger FP associations is insane. As is often the case, I learned something with this thread; be on the lookout for this bat during USSSA tournaments.

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Eric F said:

Here's something else to learn...Don't pay full retail price for bats.

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Strike2 said:

I believe I clearly said that I DON'T do that!

However, if you want the latest and hottest thing, you will pay full retail, or very close to it.

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