Softball war stories

[Top_Notch]

One memorable event was while coaching rec baseball. We were having a back and forth game and the other coach was really running his mouth. I think the kids were between 10-12 years old, and mind you, this was in-house ball. Well, we took the lead with a play at the plate and our player didn't slide but also didn't contact the catcher. The opposing coach was livid. He stopped the game, complained, and lost the appeal. His assistants corralled him back into the dugout. Two batters later he's back on the field arguing the call he already lost. Mind you, my son's coaching staff had more fun than the kids did and were well behaved although we had a ton of laughs during every game. Technically, the rule was if there was a play, you had to slide, for safety sake. But none of these kids slid, because most weren't able or willing to do so.

So, last inning, two outs and the opposing team has a runner on second, which represented the tying run. Batter rips a base hit to right field. The right fielder fields it and throws home to try to get the tying run out, and the ball tips off the catchers glove. The opposing dugout was all cheers like they just won the world series. We politely point out that the runner didn't slide on the play, as so vehemently pointed out by the coach during his previous outbursts. Umpire calls the runner out and we win! Our team was cheering, their team was cheering, it was chaos. Once the opposing team realized what happened, you could hear a pin drop.

We retreated quickly to our cars and took home the win. I was in my car driving away and this coach was still yelling. Sometimes, it's better to keep your mouth shut! I'll never forget the ending of that game.

 

[The Man In Blue]

I love baseball/softball karma ...

Have to say though ... “must slide” rules are more dangerous to kids. There is a reason they are not included in the rulebook, but rather added later by ”the house”. Anybody who passes a rule like that in the name of safety doesn’t know what they are doing. (There I go being a contrarian again.)

 

[The Man In Blue]

In a 12U tournament last Summer, A team known for having "disruptive" parents and coaches got into a dispute over a game ending call and one of the pitchers parents punched the UIC in the face.

The police were called out and questioned the coach who refused to give the name of the parent up.

The team waited 2 hours for their next game (semi-finals).

The UIC gave the head coach an ultimatum at game time. Give up the parents name or be booted from the tournament (USAAA)

The coach refused to give up the information and 12 girls left the field with their heads low... a few crying.

A sad ending for those girls unfortunately. But I feel the right call from the UIC.

I don’t know if this was actually the case, but if it were me ... I would have held out that threat with a little secret attached. Even if the coach gave up the parent, the team still would not be playing. I just wouldn’t have told him that part up front.

 

[grmerrill]

Like they say, PICS or it didn't happen.




Hole in one.

 

[h8weakness]

WOW! Did the adults arrive in a team bus that was all white with bars on the windows?

LOL surprisingly no. But the parents were the type to yell at the top of their lungs during a pitch. Oooooh man, as the father of a pitcher, I furious.

 

[Top_Notch]

I bet!

 

[Lemond]

I was playing Am Legion baseball with most of the guys from my HS JV team. I needed a ride to a game from my teammate who lived down the street, but my mom was going to make it to the game later, so I didn't need a ride home from him.

My second at bat, I fouled a liner into a windshield of a car parked down the 1B line. Put a nice hole in it, and I think it may actually have even stuck there. Didn't know it was my friend's car until much later in the game, and he never really seemed mad that I recall. Probably a good thing that I had a ride home, though. I think he was actually able to get it replaced that day or the next day through insurance (remarkable considering no cell phones back then).

A few weeks later, my season was over due to a family vacation, so my friend borrowed my new (early 80s) 33" Easton B5P with the green lettering and the thin handle. (I was in LOVE with this bat, and it was a pretty big deal for my mom to shell out the $80-90 for a primo bat back then.)



When I came back from vacation, I went to get my bat and was told that he had accidentally left it in the team gear bag, and that someone had left the gear bag at the field that night where it quickly was stolen.

I never put these two pieces of that season together until tonight. Not sure if that makes me a dumbass, or stupidly trusting, or if that's truly the way it went down. Crap! That's going to keep me awake tonight.

 

[Orange Socks]

I was playing Am Legion baseball with most of the guys from my HS JV team. I needed a ride to a game from my teammate who lived down the street, but my mom was going to make it to the game later, so I didn't need a ride home from him.

My second at bat, I fouled a liner into a windshield of a car parked down the 1B line. Put a nice hole in it, and I think it may actually have even stuck there. Didn't know it was my friend's car until much later in the game, and he never really seemed mad that I recall. Probably a good thing that I had a ride home, though. I think he was actually able to get it replaced that day or the next day through insurance (remarkable considering no cell phones back then).

A few weeks later, my season was over due to a family vacation, so my friend borrowed my new (early 80s) 33" Easton B5P with the green lettering and the thin handle. (I was in LOVE with this bat, and it was a pretty big deal for my mom to shell out the $80-90 for a primo bat back then.)

View attachment 16346

When I came back from vacation, I went to get my bat and was told that he had accidentally left it in the team gear bag, and that someone had left the gear bag at the field that night where it quickly was stolen.

I never put these two pieces of that season together until tonight. Not sure if that makes me a dumbass, or stupidly trusting, or if that's truly the way it went down. Crap! That's going to keep me awake tonight.

I had that same bat!

 

[CrazyNani]

High school BB game, went back to my car at the end and found a baseball sitting on the passenger's seat. I left the sunroof open.

 

[ANNASDAD]

A funny one I remember.....this was 12U A-ball, we were playing this team of stacked giants from the mountains of NC, we somehow beat them in a game a couple of months prior, they were clearly the better team! They looked like a straight up 16U team playing my very small team!

Their number 3 hitter was at the plate, she was a bruiser, Anna had probably thrown her 7 or 8 pitches already, free swinger, and she was fouling off every pitch I called. I was sitting on a bucket calling pitches just inside the 1B dugout entrance, and I had THE best view of what was about to happen.........about the 10th pitch in this AB, this hitter fouled a scud missile (with a Rocketech ) and hit her 3B coach just a couple inches below his knee, square on the shin, he took it all!

This poor guy tried to move in the blink that this happened, but it didn't do any good. And I had a front row seat, it's like that ball came straight out of my eyes, and traced that guy down, I hated laughing but it was hilarious!

If it would have broke his leg, I would have believed it, he got hit scary hard, he was a big ole guy, he walked it off for probably 5 or 6 minutes, poor guy had an already blue baseball sized knot on his leg!

Here's the funny thing............the VERY next pitch Anna hit this girl in the ribs (on purpose (?) trust me I asked ), she bent this girl over, she was laying across home plate. Once the ump and the catcher helped her up and she started running to first to take her base, that 3B coach started yelling at the top of his lungs "HOW'D THAT FEEL, I HOPE IT HURT, I HOPE SHE HITS YOU AGAIN YOUR NEXT AB!!!

Sitting there, I was very shocked at this coach, turns out that was his DD that hit him, and after the game he told me she was laughing at him as he was trying not to cry in front of everyone!

I saw him a couple months after that at another tournament, we walked up to each other and shook hands, I asked him about his leg, he STILL had a big knot on his shin!