Blatant cheating USSSA tournament. thoughts?

[txfastpitch07]

So my DD played a USSSA tournament in OKC this last weekend. We were playing in a 14u "B" tournament that had a couple of 13O teams (basically they're 14u A teams that are playing down in 14B but that's a whole different story...
Anyway so we're playing a very good team in Gold Bracket play and they keep swapping balls in the middle of at bats. It wasn't wet in the slightest so we thought it was pretty strange to keep switching balls. After the 3rd time it happened we became suspicious and after a foul ball was hit over our dugout, one of our coaches retrieved the ball and was just about to put it back in play when they realized that there was a HOLE in the ball. This team had apparently taken a ball, cut the outer layer, hollowed out a good thumb sized hole and then glued the seam back down(obviously to help spin the ball). So with this new knowledge the next time they tried to swap it out our coach objected and after a lengthly plate meeting, the umpire threw the ball back to them and told them to not use it... No penalty whatsoever. We ended up losing the game by a couple of runs.

But the story doesn't end there... since we were all at the same set of fields, we had a chance to keep an eye on this team. They continued to use this gaf ball when the pitcher asked for it. We finally had enough and played tattle tale to a team they were about to play. The coaches of the team were very thankful for the heads up and watched them closely. And guess what. THEY TRIED IT AGAIN ! and the result? The umpire STILL DID NOTHING BUT TELL THEM TO NOT USE THE BALL! Needless to say we were thrilled when the team we informed beat them out of the tournament.

We were surprised they were allowed to keep the ball and continue to try and use it. It was BLATANT cheating (no different in our eyes from illegal bats, playing aged out players, etc) We could not believe there were ZERO PENALTIES for repeatedly trying to cheat the integrity of the game!

What are your thoughts on this? Have any of you run into something like this before? How would you have handled it?

thanks!

 

[Lance Steckler]

I don't know the exact rule for penalty. but I know that after I caught them cheating that ball would NOT have been given back to them. I would have held on to that sucker until the game was complete and took it to UIC and TD. Or have one of the coaches / parent take to the UIC /TD immediately.

We did have a partially similiar event happen in USSSA tourney with the blue thread, and foul ball and the ball returned to the field had red threads. Believe it was ruled no pitch when my DD (who was batting) called time out and told the ump "that ball has red threads".

 

[marriard]

... LONG STORY DELETED ...
What are your thoughts on this? Have any of you run into something like this before? How would you have handled it?

Once it was found, I would have refused to play on until the TD and the UIC had been contacted, brought over, shown the ball. and appropriately dealt with the situation.

And TD or UIC that wouldn't have immediately thrown the team from the tournament is a disgrace.

If you didn't have the TD and UIC informed immediately and left it in the hands of the umpires (who should have done this themselves), then you really have no complaint. I know if I had been the umpire that would have been my immediate reaction.


Yes - I have seen some blatant cheating from some real pieces of scum. Sometimes it gets called out... other times (like this) they get away with it.

 

[rjgarcia76]

So my DD played a USSSA tournament in OKC this last weekend. We were playing in a 14u "B" tournament that had a couple of 13O teams (basically they're 14u A teams that are playing down in 14B but that's a whole different story...
Anyway so we're playing a very good team in Gold Bracket play and they keep swapping balls in the middle of at bats. It wasn't wet in the slightest so we thought it was pretty strange to keep switching balls. After the 3rd time it happened we became suspicious and after a foul ball was hit over our dugout, one of our coaches retrieved the ball and was just about to put it back in play when they realized that there was a HOLE in the ball. This team had apparently taken a ball, cut the outer layer, hollowed out a good thumb sized hole and then glued the seam back down(obviously to help spin the ball). So with this new knowledge the next time they tried to swap it out our coach objected and after a lengthly plate meeting, the umpire threw the ball back to them and told them to not use it... No penalty whatsoever. We ended up losing the game by a couple of runs.

But the story doesn't end there... since we were all at the same set of fields, we had a chance to keep an eye on this team. They continued to use this gaf ball when the pitcher asked for it. We finally had enough and played tattle tale to a team they were about to play. The coaches of the team were very thankful for the heads up and watched them closely. And guess what. THEY TRIED IT AGAIN ! and the result? The umpire STILL DID NOTHING BUT TELL THEM TO NOT USE THE BALL! Needless to say we were thrilled when the team we informed beat them out of the tournament.

We were surprised they were allowed to keep the ball and continue to try and use it. It was BLATANT cheating (no different in our eyes from illegal bats, playing aged out players, etc) We could not believe there were ZERO PENALTIES for repeatedly trying to cheat the integrity of the game!

What are your thoughts on this? Have any of you run into something like this before? How would you have handled it?

thanks!

Wow....just, wow... It's just amazing to me the lengths people will go to in an effort to gain an advantage. Nice morals they're modeling for their players.

I've never dealt with a team "doctoring" a ball in FP (baseball is a whole different set of stories, though). The one we see periodically is the defensive team trying to slip a practice ball or mushy ball in after a game ball gets fouled off.

I second the recommendation to make sure the UIC and/or TD are involved with the situation before resuming play.

 

[radness]

So my DD played a USSSA tournament in OKC this last weekend. We were playing in a 14u "B" tournament that had a couple of 13O teams (basically they're 14u A teams that are playing down in 14B but that's a whole different story...
Anyway so we're playing a very good team in Gold Bracket play and they keep swapping balls in the middle of at bats. It wasn't wet in the slightest so we thought it was pretty strange to keep switching balls. After the 3rd time it happened we became suspicious and after a foul ball was hit over our dugout, one of our coaches retrieved the ball and was just about to put it back in play when they realized that there was a HOLE in the ball. This team had apparently taken a ball, cut the outer layer, hollowed out a good thumb sized hole and then glued the seam back down(obviously to help spin the ball). So with this new knowledge the next time they tried to swap it out our coach objected and after a lengthly plate meeting, the umpire threw the ball back to them and told them to not use it... No penalty whatsoever. We ended up losing the game by a couple of runs.

But the story doesn't end there... since we were all at the same set of fields, we had a chance to keep an eye on this team. They continued to use this gaf ball when the pitcher asked for it. We finally had enough and played tattle tale to a team they were about to play. The coaches of the team were very thankful for the heads up and watched them closely. And guess what. THEY TRIED IT AGAIN ! and the result? The umpire STILL DID NOTHING BUT TELL THEM TO NOT USE THE BALL! Needless to say we were thrilled when the team we informed beat them out of the tournament.

We were surprised they were allowed to keep the ball and continue to try and use it. It was BLATANT cheating (no different in our eyes from illegal bats, playing aged out players, etc) We could not believe there were ZERO PENALTIES for repeatedly trying to cheat the integrity of the game!

What are your thoughts on this? Have any of you run into something like this before? How would you have handled it?

thanks!

If your not willing to annouce the full coaches names and team name who did this.
Does it matter?

 

[_MIA_]

If your not willing to annouce the full coaches names and team name who did this.
Does it matter?

All we need is his team’s name and I could probably figure it out with 90% accuracy based upon the info given (@OsDad could get within 99% accuracy )

 

[txfastpitch07]

If your not willing to annouce the full coaches names and team name who did this.
Does it matter?

I hear what you are saying... Since there was nothing that could be done after the fact, I was reluctant to name names. But since you brought it up, It was Oklahoma Xplosion 07 out of Bethel Oklahoma. If you ever run into them, I'd keep a sharp eye!

 

[_MIA_]

I hear what you are saying... Since there was nothing that could be done after the fact, I was reluctant to name names. But since you brought it up, It was Oklahoma Xplosion 07 out of Bethel Oklahoma. If you ever run into them, I'd keep a sharp eye!

Shoot.. I was hoping you made it a bit more difficult than that

That team is definitely not a 14U A team though. They wouldn’t beat (and haven’t) the better 12U teams in the state.

Edit: Unless that team has improved a bunch since last year..which I suppose is possible.

 

[radness]

I hear what you are saying... Since there was nothing that could be done after the fact, I was reluctant to name names. But since you brought it up, It was Oklahoma Xplosion 07 out of Bethel Oklahoma. If you ever run into them, I'd keep a sharp eye!

Now you named the organization.
But ummm that incident may not be the organizations fault.

 

[uncdrew]

Wow wow wow.

I'm pretty horrified by this. These are young girls, and not only did that coaching staff introduce them to cheating, they made it where the pitcher is even asking for the doctored ball. So you're destroying her confidence along with teaching her how to cheat.

I gotta think if I was the coach playing them I'd have refused to keep playing and would have held onto that ball, sent parents to go get the TD, etc. etc.