Scoring Disasters: The Flaws of Letting Unknowing Parents Keep Book

[radness]

I wouldn’t of posted this thread if the mistakes weren’t as bad as they are. I understand when a scorekeeper rules a hit as an error if an error was involved. Our scorekeeper has credited multiple real hits as errors.

For example once a girl hit a line drive into the outfield, the ball landed on the grass a good distance ahead of the fielder and then hopped right under the left fielders glove. The hitter made it to first and once they saw the error the LF made she advanced to 2nd. I would’ve scored this as a single and then an advancement on an error but our scorekeeper scored the whole hit as an error.

Like I said before the scorekeeper is a very nice parent and their daughter is also a very kind girl and one of DD’s best friends on the team (i feel it’s worth mentioning that their daughter gets cheated out of real hits just as much as the rest of the players) but the parent is not good at paying attention and Is
often browsing their other phone or texting.

Also one of the biggest mistakes they’ve made is crediting 90% of our players bunts as fielder’s choices. One of our blazing fast players laid down a perfect bunt right down the 3rd baseline and easily beat out the throw to first (no error was made and the fielder didn’t even try to get the base runner who was running from 1st to 2nd) and when we checked the gamechanger the bunt was scored as a fielders choice??? One of the parents who was watching the game changer kindly explained that the bunt should’ve been counted as a single and I will give the scorekeeper credit cause they did change it to a single... and then the scorekeeper made the exact same mistake the very next game.

Maybe your just venting?
Or did you want to try it yourself?
You said they are nice.
Offer to help.

 

[whiporee]

I wouldn’t of posted this thread if the mistakes weren’t as bad as they are. I understand when a scorekeeper rules a hit as an error if an error was involved. Our scorekeeper has credited multiple real hits as errors.

For example once a girl hit a line drive into the outfield, the ball landed on the grass a good distance ahead of the fielder and then hopped right under the left fielders glove. The hitter made it to first and once they saw the error the LF made she advanced to 2nd. I would’ve scored this as a single and then an advancement on an error but our scorekeeper scored the whole hit as an error.

Like I said before the scorekeeper is a very nice parent and their daughter is also a very kind girl and one of DD’s best friends on the team (i feel it’s worth mentioning that their daughter gets cheated out of real hits just as much as the rest of the players) but the parent is not good at paying attention and Is
often browsing their other phone or texting.

Also one of the biggest mistakes they’ve made is crediting 90% of our players bunts as fielder’s choices. One of our blazing fast players laid down a perfect bunt right down the 3rd baseline and easily beat out the throw to first (no error was made and the fielder didn’t even try to get the base runner who was running from 1st to 2nd) and when we checked the gamechanger the bunt was scored as a fielders choice??? One of the parents who was watching the game changer kindly explained that the bunt should’ve been counted as a single and I will give the scorekeeper credit cause they did change it to a single... and then the scorekeeper made the exact same mistake the very next game.

I obviously don’t know your team, and if she’s not paying attention, then sure, that’s a problem. And if the coaches on a 16 U team are clueless enough to allow her game tracking to be a primary determinant of game strategy, that’s a problem, too.

with that said, unless you’re willing to take it over yourself — which means having a job for each and every game — then maybe cut her some slack. She’s doing the team a favor by doing this, so if you or anyone is going to criticize her for it, be prepared for her to decide it’s not worth the effort. Telling someone who is volunteering that they aren’t volunteering well enough rarely goes over well.

ETA: In your bunt scenario, I can see that being an FC -- the catcher made the decision not to throw and allow runners to advance -- if the baserunner couldn't get the ball to second, a throw to first might allow her to advance to third (i'm assuming no one was on or running to third). Most times no throw is made it's a FC -- the fielder made the choice to allow the run to first instead of allowing others to advance. I would have called it a hit, but I can understand calling it an FC. Bunts with runners on often end up that way, because the choice has to be made, and the default supposition is a clean field and a clean throw in the infield is an out. The outfield play, however is just wrong. The only time a ball int he outfield is an error is when the ball falls out of the glove. So that should have been a hit, for sure.

 

[clarity]

ETA: In your bunt scenario, I can see that being an FC -- the catcher made the decision not to throw and allow runners to advance -- if the baserunner couldn't get the ball to second, a throw to first might allow her to advance to third (i'm assuming no one was on or running to third). Most times no throw is made it's a FC -- the fielder made the choice to allow the run to first instead of allowing others to advance. I would have called it a hit, but I can understand calling it an FC. Bunts with runners on often end up that way, because the choice has to be made, and the default supposition is a clean field and a clean throw in the infield is an out. The outfield play, however is just wrong. The only time a ball int he outfield is an error is when the ball falls out of the glove. So that should have been a hit, for sure.

If that's not a single, the its a sacrifice. Definitely not a fielder's choice.

 

[clarity]

One of the frustrating ones as a pitchers parent is the fielder's choice that is counted as a hit. This happens on our team regularly. Scenario: runner on 1B, batters hits a Texas leaguer to the OF. Runner on first has to hold to see if the ball will be caught or not, OF throws it to 2nd for a force out. Our scorekeeper always scores this as a base hit, and then a subsequent out, even though all rule sets say there can be no base hit where there is a force out.

 

[whiporee]

If that's not a single, the its a sacrifice. Definitely not a fielder's choice.

My understanding is that the sacrifice only comes into play if the batter intends to get out -- the point of the AB is to advance the runners. If they are trying to get on base with the play, then it's a FC or an error.

 

[Orange Socks]

DD's last tourney(2019) I was in charge of GC and recruiting. Luckily, I had a dad doing iScore sitting behind me when I got lost in the game while chatting up a coach. When you have to unwind several AB's because you got the batting order messed or you missed a play is nerve wracking knowing that all those parents at home are relying on you to do it right.

 

[whiporee]

One of the frustrating ones as a pitchers parent is the fielder's choice that is counted as a hit. This happens on our team regularly. Scenario: runner on 1B, batters hits a Texas leaguer to the OF. Runner on first has to hold to see if the ball will be caught or not, OF throws it to 2nd for a force out. Our scorekeeper always scores this as a base hit, and then a subsequent out, even though all rule sets say there can be no base hit where there is a force out.

As another pitcher's father, I feel your pain, but FCs are a pain. A lot of choices to be made.

Could be worse, though. The two games I missed this year someone else took over -- every on-base was a hit, period. Our only error-less games of the year

 

[Long Baller]

If that's not a single, the its a sacrifice. Definitely not a fielder's choice.

That scenario above is an infield single all day long. I don't know how it is anything else.

My DD used to bat leadoff, was really good at dropping bunts into "no-man's" land for singles. Often times the defence wouldn't even get a throw off to 1st. We had a moron keeping game changer one year that always scored those as a FC (even with nobody on base) because "the defense chose not to throw the ball." He was the pitcher's dad, so he refused to let anyone else keep the game changer.

 

[Long Baller]

My understanding is that the sacrifice only comes into play if the batter intends to get out -- the point of the AB is to advance the runners. If they are trying to get on base with the play, then it's a FC or an error.

No, that is so wrong. You always run hard and try to get on base even when you drop a sac bunt. Are you supposed to just stand there after you drop the bunt?

 

[whiporee]

Intends to get out was the wrong phrase. It’s a sacrifice if the intent of the play is to advance the runner, not to get on base yourself. Usually, if the runner advances and the batter is out you’d call it a sacrifice so the batter isn’t penalized for helping the team.

As a scorer, I’d call a bunt that reaches with no one called out a hit. (I call slow grounders that aren’t charged hits). But rules-wise, I can see it called an FC.