Playing dirty? Totally fair?

[JAD]

Sharply hit balls to RF can be thrown to 1B for an out and it looks like F3 was set up to receive a throw from F9.

Kind of reminded me of the play with Emily Carasone of Auburn in the WCWS, where she saw F3 in the base path and initiated contact as she rounded the bag on a routine single.....umpire called obstruction and she was awarded 2B.

 

[riseball]

The BR is a thug and should have been immediately tossed. If one of my players ever did something like that it would be her last day wearing our uniform.

 

[junkball]

My opinion is two things - 1) I know the head coach and know he DOES NOT put up with this behavior. Anyone who thinks otherwise does not know him. 2) when a 10u girl hits the ball in the outfield she is usually not expecting a play at first, therefore why wouldn't she round the bag? In fact, taking the angle to round the bag shows good coaching in getting ready to take the next base and lack of intent. If her intent was to destroy the fielder, why bother to round it? Watch how she takes an angle to go to second. That is the deal maker for me. Sorry, but that's my opinion that 99% of you don't like.

 

[STRIKE3]

I am sorry that happened. Watched it over and over and really a crappy thing in this sport. Below are my thoughts:

1. Glad 1B is ok
2. BR was definitely coached
3. Play was close at 1B from RF so even more frustrating
4. Umpires need to interject more on this kind of thing. A play was in the process and it was blatant. No attempt to get around her but definitely an attempt to go right through her. That is only coached and no kid IMHO has the thought process in place to run over her unless they have been taught that.
5. My daughter is a pitcher and she throws pretty hard and doesn't like it when her teammates get taken advantage of like that. I DO NOT coach any of this kind of crap but I feel certain my DD would probably be aiming high and inside when BR comes up to bat. I promise I have never talked about that with her and never will but I know that she will not let anyone get away with that crap.

Again, just my thoughts and what comes around.........has to get pitched to shortly after and it may just so happen to be a day when the screw ball is a little wild.

 

[riseball]

[MENTION=12447]junkball[/MENTION] you are correct that 99% will not agree with you. This is nothing more than a feeble attempt to rationalize thuggish behavior. The BR lowered her shoulder prior to impact and then used her upper body to complete the hit which speaks volumes to her intent. Nothing in her actions were incidental or defensive in nature.

As to the reputation of the coach, the video does not see him removing the player from the game. Which is the only course of action if the coach has an ounce of integrity. As they say "What you permit, you promote."

 

[CoogansBluff]

2) when a 10u girl hits the ball in the outfield she is usually not expecting a play at first, therefore why wouldn't she round the bag?

Who said she should not round the bag? I don't recall a post that criticizes the runner for rounding the bag.

In fact, taking the angle to round the bag shows good coaching in getting ready to take the next base and lack of intent.

Are we talking about the same thing? Nobody is saying that the batter left the batter's box with the intent of destroying or hurting the first baseman. What is being said is that the runner, once she realized the fielder was in her path to second base, chose to run her over or push her down. At some point around the time she rounded the base, the 'knockdown' became intentional.

 

[junkball]

I am sorry that happened. Watched it over and over and really a crappy thing in this sport. Below are my thoughts:

1. Glad 1B is ok
2. BR was definitely coached
3. Play was close at 1B from RF so even more frustrating
4. Umpires need to interject more on this kind of thing. A play was in the process and it was blatant. No attempt to get around her but definitely an attempt to go right through her. That is only coached and no kid IMHO has the thought process in place to run over her unless they have been taught that.
5. My daughter is a pitcher and she throws pretty hard and doesn't like it when her teammates get taken advantage of like that. I DO NOT coach any of this kind of crap but I feel certain my DD would probably be aiming high and inside when BR comes up to bat. I promise I have never talked about that with her and never will but I know that she will not let anyone get away with that crap.

Again, just my thoughts and what comes around.........has to get pitched to shortly after and it may just so happen to be a day when the screw ball is a little wild.

BR was coached to go to second. He is pointing to go to second. Now, taking it a step further, was BR "coached" to collide with 1b? Maybe, but not in an attempt to injure the girl.

several things:

1) if throw was coming from RF, 1B should have had foot on the upper inside corner or half of the base. She was positioned in lower left corner of base. Apologizes to OP, but it was poor positioning. Maybe she will learn from this.
2) runner was clearly intent on rounding bag based upon her taking a wide turn. When coaching kids in 10u, do you not teach them to hit the inside corner when going for second? That's what she did
3) this is a top level org. I'm sure they've discussed obstruction with the players, and if you are rounding a base and a fielder is in the way, if you hit her you get the call. Did the girl go overboard? Maybe. Or maybe her parents coached her on this and the coach had nothing to do with it. Whatever the case I highly doubt the coach had a practice where he said "level someone from their blindside"
4) this was a top level 10u team vs a lower level, age younger team. It's not like you can tell a 10u player before a game to "take it easy" on their opponent. They are playing every game wide open at that age.
5) any innuendo to hit a girl with a pitch at the 10u level is just wrong. Flat out wrong. If the runner would have been running straight at first and thrown an elbow???? Still wrong to hit someone on purpose.

Again, it's not a great thing to see, but I'm confident that after this much exposure everyone involved will learn from it. Coaches, players and parents. Sorry for those who don't like my response but I am 99.9% confident this coach would not want to see another player injured.

 

[STRIKE3]

Totally agree with Riseball which I do 99.99% of the time. Lowering the shoulder is the sign of intent and it is as simple as that. Not saying at all that this head coach was the one that taught her but she learned it somewhere or she falls into the .01% of girls softball players that will end up in Juvi before 14U. I really hope that the latter is not the case.

 

[quincy]

I am not as hash as riseball but she would sit and know why she was sitting. Umpire has nothing to do with anyting.

Safari guy would not be allowed on the field again.

 

[riseball]

Typical 10U girls often go to extraordinary lengths to avoid contact. What is shown is very non-typical behavior for a 10U kid.