Softball Rant

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Dec 18, 2016
163
28
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.
 
Feb 3, 2016
502
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Every year we have a team with the same garbage. At a certain point we just get tired of the drama and after a couple of tournaments we just put the hammer down and unleash our athletes. Normally we wouldn't try to run rule a team or keep the #1 pitcher in with a sizable lead.

Even after doing that once or twice to them (seems to quite them temporarily) we just don't want to continue to play those teams. Poor sport parents generate kids with similar attributes. Bad for everyone.

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May 15, 2016
926
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I know it can be incredibly hard to do but following [MENTION=16023]PNWdad[/MENTION]'s advice is the best you can do.
 
Aug 5, 2012
66
0
Sounds like parents and some coaches are more concerned with winning and not actually becoming a better team and developing the girls into better players and people.

You got your rant on, and hopefully it's like emptying out the vacuum container of all the dust and dirt and now you're ready to forget it and focus on what you need to do for the girls. Let that be your guiding principle and let all that other stuff wash away. It's just noise distracting you from doing what you need to be focused on.

Best of luck

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Nov 27, 2012
197
18
All this will look petty in a couple years. 10, 12 and 1st year 14 are the best, enjoy it while it last and don't pay attention to all the little stuff.
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
If it is a league game I do not care what bat the player's use, once it was brought to your attention that the ghost was illegal, which you know, why did she continue to use it?

Sounds like other Team has a legitimate complaint.

Not sure about some of the other stuff.
 
Jan 18, 2018
22
0
I was in a similar situation many years ago. I was HC of a pretty good 10U team. There was another 10U team that was equally as a good as my team. It seemed like we always ended up playing each other in the championship game of our local tournaments. The games were very competitive and the parents of both teams acted the way you would expect in this situation. By the end of the season, the other head coach and I had became pretty good friends. We ended up joining forces and put together a really good 12U team. I really believe the coaches set the tone for the parents. Having a rival really pushes the girls to get better and can be a real positive if everyone keeps their perspective.
 
Jun 22, 2017
10
3
Social media is a darling! That's why we have a 0 tolerance policy. And we have our penalties. But that's the world we live in these days, have to find a way to deal with it. And shame on them for whining on social media, that bothers me.

If the bat was illegal, why did you allow her to continue to use it? To me this is the main concern I take away from this post. You have a moral obligation as a coach to play the game the correct way. Unless I'm missing something, isn't the pitcher allowed to pitch at any time after the umpire gives her the go?

Are coaches not allowed to talk to parents of other teams? To me it sounds like some scouting, trying to give his team an advantage, or recruit a player for next season?

We try to teach our kids to have thick skins and let things roll off their backs, but when you get upset like this you relay this attitude to your players, even if you don't intend to. Just as those parents posting on social media are teaching their kids its ok to whine on social media, rather than working harder to get themselves better.
 
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