Good Sportsmanship??

[parrot]

Hmmm with any timed sporting event is it bad sportsmanship to run out the clock as to not allow the other team the chance? In football, would this be a topic of conversation at all? When softball uses a clock for games, then it becomes part of the game Strategy.

As a basketball coach, I don't have a problem with stalling or being stalled against in basketball, as it requires skill to both stall and/or defend against it. The kids - on both sides - learn something from it. As a softball coach I would never tell my kids to tie their shoes to kill time however. It's just a completely different deal in my eyes.

 

[mad hornet]

Interesting.... on the other board the majority of people said stall... and the majority here says no. I know the majority of the posters on the other board are travel teams, just wondering what is the majority here?

Hornet, you say this isn't the way the game was meant to be played. Correct me but the game was meant to be 7 innings, not on a clock. So if a timed game is being held then that isn't the way the game was meant to be played in the first place, correct? Adapting a strategy for someone inserting a rule that shouldn't be there in the first place is bad sportmanship?

I coach travel. Here's the deal. The game also wasn't intended to be played with time limits. I understand why we have time limits but the object is to play as much softball during the allotted time as possible. If we're ahead and beating a team in five innings I think we should still be able to beat them in six. If we're down I would want the other side to extend me the same courtesy of hustling. At the end of the day I have to look myself in a mirror and like what I see.

Again, in our circles stalling is frowned upon and remembered. What goes around comes around.

 

[shockcoach]

When a clock is added to a sort that isn't meant to have a clock, it changes things. It adds in the element of clock management. One more tool for managers to use.

 

[D.G. OutLaws 16u]

Every tournament has time limits. Throw on top a rain delay and your squeezing even more. Played in some where we had a :45 drop dead, revert to last complete innings score. Good times there.....not! As home team we took the lead and lost.......same token we've purposely made outs to end the inning before drop dead time so we wouldnt lose. Imagine you take the lead in the bottom half only to tell yur girls to leave the base early to make outs cause we only have :02 before drop dead. At the same time the other team makes a pitching change....or calls time....or the catcher visits the circle every pitch.
Most tourneys start with 1;15- 1;30 no new inning starts, only semi and championships get the "traditional" 7 innings. With 2 solid teams battling, most pool play games go 7 innings....however watching the clock has become a must in travel ball. A time management stragedy is a must.
Stalling.....poor sportsmanship....or good time mgmt. Having to tie your shoe....or leaving the base early to make outs.
Im sure they knew going into the 5th that it was thier last at bat.....especially after scoring 6 runs (no easy way to score 9 "quick" runs).

 

[mudbug]

Part of the game. Basketball, football, etc involve time management. So does tournament softball frequently.

 

[fusionmom]

Good morning! Am I perhaps missing something in this post? Did the clock expire before that last catch was made? If not, the new inning started as soon as the last out was made and a new inning started and should, therefore, be played. (Unless drop dead, of course...) We wouldn't have been as obvious as "walking slowly" and "tying the shoe" thing, but I can guarantee you that every batter up would have gotten the "take" signal for at least the first two pitches. We had a team do this against us this past weekend ~ didn't think anything of it except for it to be part of the game. Our pitcher's response was to pitch as soon as the umpire's hand went down. We started that half-inning with just under 5 minutes left. We ended it with 23 seconds ~ new inning.

 

[SoftballMama]

Good morning! Am I perhaps missing something in this post? Did the clock expire before that last catch was made? If not, the new inning started as soon as the last out was made and a new inning started and should, therefore, be played. (Unless drop dead, of course...)

There was some question about when time expired because the ump never signaled that it had. Observers behind the plate (including me) did not hear the buzzer go off at all before the 3rd batter hit the ball. My assumption is it went of while everyone - both teams' fans - were cheering like crazy for the incredible catch made by the second base girl. However, when the coach approached the ump to ask, ump stood firm that time was up - game over.

Funny thing - my young daughter saw this tactic and said, "Mama, coach would be mad at me if I tied my shoes when I was batting!" It's true, her coach is very strict about being ready to play. If she ever told them to stop at the plate and tie their shoes they would look at her like she was crazy! So my daughter does what absdad said,

"Why not triple tie your cleats and leave them tied the whole season for good luck like my weird little baller?" She hasn't tied her shoes since March.

 

[JC heir]

Time management has evolved to be part of the game. I personally would have have chosen a different stall strategy, but stall, I would have. I wouldnt find that any more poor sportsmanship than employing rush strategy if the shoe was on the other foot.......confucius say- never leave the game in the umpires hands.

 

[stephanie]

Stalling.... wow, I really get irked when I see almost every batter on a team, tie their shoes as it's their turn at bat. What were they doing in the circle? Dugout? Bush league...

Why not triple tie your cleats and leave them tied the whole season for good luck like my weird little baller?

We played a tournament where 3B told the ump she had to tie her shoe, so the ump yells "TIME...EVERYONE OUT ON THE FIELD...TIE YOUR SHOES!!"
10 little girls all squatted down and tied their shoes...My dugout was rolling!!!

 

[andyh64000]

We played a tournament where 3B told the ump she had to tie her shoe, so the ump yells "TIME...EVERYONE OUT ON THE FIELD...TIE YOUR SHOES!!"
10 little girls all squatted down and tied their shoes...My dugout was rolling!!!

For my soccer team I bought a case of athletic tape and would tape up each girls shoes before every game. Wish I could do it in softball but the molded softball cleat designs don't work.