Poor sportsmanship

[BobInMadison]

Kelli Eberle Jacoby · Shipping & Product Manager at Appelbaum Training Institute
I have been debating commenting on this for a day now and have decided in the BEST interest of the player being slammed on here that it is time. I have coached this player for the last 3 years on my select team and NOT once has she ever shown anything but the BEST sportsmanship both on and off the field. She has a heart of gold and would never hurt anyone. I have watched the video alot to try to analyze it. First off this was a very intense game and this happend in the same inning. You could not by the video see where the ball was coming from which was the outfield and it was cut by the pitcher at the last second and she was waiting out in front of the plate for the ball both times. Was she close to the plate yes, could she have been further in front yes, but the back of the plate was open and as a coach I want my players sliding home in those situations to avoid plays like this. If you look at the angles as they are running the one player almost took her coach out because she was running so hard to be safe and looked as if she was going straight into the catcher which if I am the catcher I'd try to step up if there was no play but in the speed of the game you have no time to think and you just react. She did NOT go into that runner, either one of them for that matter. She put her elbow up to protect what she felt was someone coming at her she did not throw a shoulder. Right or wrong she had miliseconds to react. Please people you are talking about a young adult, a kid who you know NOTHING about. I am not saying it was the right choice but it was a chioice she had no time to make to protect herself to. It would have been avoided had the player just slid. Again that player had no time to react either they were just playing in the State Championship game and playing with passion and were giving everything they could. Don't judge if you know nothing about a person. Yes, comment here if you want to about ejection or not but really are we all perfect?? Nope, the umpires did not eject her that was thier call, the coaches from what I understand did not complain to the umpires, she was not warned....again whether we all think that is right or wrong, in the speed of a game things happen really fast. I would take this kid any day on my team. Judge me for that to if you want because at the end of the day I know who she is. I coach the game of life through softball, it is not always easy, if you are perfect and have never made a mistake great. We learn and move forward but you all have no idea who you are talking about.
Reply · · 8 · June 8 at 10:58am

Here is the quote I was referring to.

MY interpretation is the coach is saying, this is a great kid, the runner should've slid, she was just protecting herself.

Appears to me the TB coach is defending her actions. If she has criticized her actions elsewhere, that is a different matter.

 

[riseball]

I believe the Latin phase res ipsa loquitur applies here. The video and the actions speak for itself and stand on their own regardless of any other circumstance, condition, or rationalization.

 

[Rocketech1]

Here is the quote I was referring to.

MY interpretation is the coach is saying, this is a great kid, the runner should've slid, she was just protecting herself.

Appears to me the TB coach is defending her actions. If she has criticized her actions elsewhere, that is a different matter.

If that is the extent of the coach's comment, it is disappointing. She basically says that it's the baserunners fault for not sliding and the catcher was only protecting herself. She also says the coaches didn't complain to the umpire but you clearly see the 3rd base coach repeatedly say "she (the catcher) did it again", "she did it again"...

I know it's difficult to criticize a player when you as a coach have so much invested in her development, they are like your own children, but sometimes you need to fall on your sword and look at the bigger picture. By not addressing the real issue, you are indirectly condoning this type of behavior which IMO does a real disservice to this game.

 

[Mocoso]

S I have seen far worse plays than that...and she is getting burned to a crisp for it. 17 years old. Enough is enough.

a 17 yr old in softball years may not be a seasoned veteran but she is no rookie to the sport either - SHE KNOWNS BETTER and is old enough to be responsible for her actions on the field.. she CHOSE to do this twice and got burned to a crisp by it.. sounds like a simple case of reaping her rewards for her actions... if all she gets is a bunch of cranky coaches in a softball forum roasting her I think she is ahead of the game!

 

[Nsanesoftball]

The comments are disappointing because if you watch the video again you see that it wasnt a split second call to cut the ball at the pitcher. both times the catcher is standing up and glove is closed not anticipating a throw home but basically conceding the runs.

 

[riseball]

If that is the extent of the coach's comment, it is disappointing. She basically says that it's the baserunners fault for not sliding and the catcher was only protecting herself. She also says the coaches didn't complain to the umpire but you clearly see the 3rd base coach repeatedly say "she (the catcher) did it again", "she did it again"...

I know it's difficult to criticize a player when you as a coach have so much invested in her development, they are like your own children, but sometimes you need to fall on your sword and look at the bigger picture. By not addressing the real issue, you are indirectly condoning this type of behavior which IMO does a real disservice to this game.

The coach did not do her any favors by responding and attempting to rationalize the behavior. You would think by now people would have a clue how to best handle nightmares like this. But without fail they attempt to justify and rationalize and only dig a deeper hole. Sort of reminds me of Bill Clinton when he said did not inhale.

 

[AndyS]

I believe the Latin phase res ipsa loquitur applies here. The video and the actions speak for itself and stand on their own regardless of any other circumstance, condition, or rationalization.

I am amazed the plate umpire is not being raked over the coals as well. I mean what if he actually did his job? What if he ejected the catcher immediately after the first incident? Or what if he warned the catcher and warned the coach that next time would be an ejection. Maybe the second incident never occurs. And where was the high school coaching staff?

Is it EVEN REMOTELY possible we have a very good kid and athlete who made two very bad mistakes. I mean what she did surely deserved an ejection. But does she really deserve what is happening to her now? I just hope your DD or mine or anybody's here never ends up on the wrong end of a social media lynch mob like what is occurring now. I know, I know everybody's kids here are perfect and have never made mistakes and will never make mistakes. But maybe for a second put yourself in her shoes or her parents shoes and you get to watch complete strangers destroy your kid and personally attack her for making a mistakes in a game that is played lightning fast.

Again I feel I have to be ULTRA clear here for the lynch mob. She made a mistake and should have been ejected and perhaps even a suspension into next year as punishment. And maybe even her future college coach takes a step back based on what happened. But to attack some 17 year old girl we do not even know seems bizarre and cruel to me. Again I just hope for everybody this never happens to their kid.

 

[Crashsdaddy]

... if all she gets is a bunch of cranky coaches in a softball forum roasting her I think she is ahead of the game!

It's not all that's happening. It's gone main stream and social media now. ESPN and others are running stories on it and it's all over Facebook and Twitter not to mention every softball forum in the world at this point. What this girl did was egregious but what shes experiencing in return will be life altering. Especially unfortunate because both runners could have chose to avoid contact and didn't (and yes, I'm well aware the rules state they don't have to but this is way past what the rules say). The way some of you on here are talking, you sound like you'd stone the girl if given the chance.

 

[Crashsdaddy]

The coach did not do her any favors by responding and attempting to rationalize the behavior. You would think by now people would have a clue how to best handle nightmares like this. But without fail they attempt to justify and rationalize and only dig a deeper hole. Sort of reminds me of Bill Clinton when he said did not inhale.

Awesome correlation, now her actions are on par with a President lying to a nation. Next thing you know, someone will claim she's part of Al Quida or ISIS.

 

[riseball]

Awesome correlation, now her actions are on par with a President lying to a nation. Next thing you know, someone will claim she's part of Al Quida or ISIS.

No, that is another story. The example cited is one where someone took what could have been a benign 1 day story, handled it very poorly and turned it into a decade of T-Shirt, Bumper Sticker, and late night talk show fodder. Had this incident been handled differently it would died within 24 hours. In fact it could have been turned into a win for her.