The Run Rule – and the Golden Rule

[_MIA_]

Regarding stepping off ... I can understand the position @pattar relates to and the position @GIMNEPIWO provides, but I think there is value in doing this for both teams.

Show me where I said you shouldn't do it? All I said is if it gets to the point where that needs to be done then some
self-reflection might be necessary (from the losing team..)

 

[OmniscientFan]

Some of the HS coaches here in SE MA are either utterly clueless regarding sportsmanship or are just plain bad human beings. One team's coach was tweeting about her team's "great win," 28-0, over a vastly overmatched conference opponent (a school at which I teach, actually). I'd be fine with her tweet if she had simply championed her players' individual accomplishments from the game, but to include the score in the tweet was poor form. Fittingly, her team lost, 17-3, to a different conference opponent the other day.
Additionally, our Division 1 two-time defending state champion, Taunton, beat a school, 34-1, a couple weeks ago. Yes, they tweeted out the score.
Could these schools have employed some of the measures written about in the article? I believe so, though I did not witness either game.

 

[Greatdaytobeawildcat]

Some of the HS coaches here in SE MA are either utterly clueless regarding sportsmanship or are just plain bad human beings. One team's coach was tweeting about her team's "great win," 28-0, over a vastly overmatched conference opponent (a school at which I teach, actually). I'd be fine with her tweet if she had simply championed her players' individual accomplishments from the game, but to include the score in the tweet was poor form. Fittingly, her team lost, 17-3, to a different conference opponent the other day.
Additionally, our Division 1 two-time defending state champion, Taunton, beat a school, 34-1, a couple weeks ago. Yes, they tweeted out the score.
Could these schools have employed some of the measures written about in the article? I believe so, though I did not witness either game.

I agree that describing a lopsided win as “great” isn’t a good look, but the score is informational. I have no problem with the score being included in a tweet, with no adjectives. HS sports coverage is so spotty a coach’s tweet might be the only place you see a score.

I agree with some others that the requirement to play 5 innings in NFHS is also rough.

 

[GIMNEPIWO]

Regarding stepping off ... I can understand the position @pattar relates to and the position @GIMNEPIWO provides, but I think there is value in doing this for both teams.

NOBODY is getting anything out of a game like that. As the team that is up, I have the health and safety of my team to look out for. If it is 90 degrees out at 10:00 in the morning already and we may have three more games to play today ... I'm sorry you stepped too far out of your rec league, but I am getting my team off the field as fast as possible. As the team that is down, thank you for allowing me to save my pitching, get my girls off the field safely, and allowing us to begin the mental healing so we can move on.

This is where softball has an advantage over baseball. I had a V/JV double-header today ... 38 degrees and snowing. It was ridiculous. The visiting team put in their entire bench in the second inning of the varsity game. The home team kids started finding ways to entertain themselves, most of which had nothing to do with baseball. Why were we still doing this? We finally get done (5 innings, just under 2 hours), switch out and come back trying to talk the coaches into just playing 3 innings of JV. No, no, they want to go a full game.

Another almost 2 hours later and we pulled the plug in the 3rd inning when NOBODY was even paying attention to what was going on. The coach came out to make a pitching change and asked, "Who wants to pitch?"

Sorry, but I fully believe in stepping off and, more importantly, believe teams do not do it often enough or soon enough.

If you were beating your little brother at cards and wanted him to have a shot or learn the game; would you let him know you were letting him win or disguise it in some other way?
I understand your point that "NOBODY" is getting anything out of a game like that" and concur ... IF it is allowed to go on as is ... But who gets anything out of it by someone by stepping off ? This is a game played outdoors in all sorts of weather, if conditions are unsafe to play there are other methods of ending a game ... For the winning team to be able to "save" their pitching or because the coaches are unable to keep their players focused are unusual arguments at best, but OK ... What I am saying is that there are other ways to speed up the game and the article in the OP mentions several of them ... Many of the other methods do not stick it in the face of the team on the losing end ... These athletes deserve a chance at learning sportsmanship and getting better, especially given the fact that we are supposed to be out there for them.
One thing that I have done that is not mentioned ... I always let my athletes switch hit in practice for fun ... It builds confidence plus if a game gets out of hand, I tell them its time to use their new talent ... They've already done it in practice so they don't look like a duck out of water and in most cases the other team has no idea this kid is not a switch hitter ... Sometimes it surprises their parents as well - LOL ... Another thing, I try to find something to work on that can hopefully benefit both teams ... On one occasion a couple years back it was a suicide squeeze play ... My gals just couldn't GET IT no matter how often we worked on it in practice ... I had already had them running station to station, no extra bases, no steals etc ... With initiating the suicide squeeze that they were yet unable to execute correctly, everyone learned something and the game ended just as quickly.

 

[GIMNEPIWO]

Another great article.

I have never understood why certain schools insist on bringing their varsity team to a game they know is not going to be competitive. Play your JV team, they need the reps.

The school I teach at recently got beat 37-0. We are not even close to being mildly competitive. We are a large school that can barely field a team. You know that coming to the game, so why don't you just bring your JV to play us? They will still whip us.

A few years back I took over a program at a school like yours ... I only had one returning player from the previous years Varsity team, a Senior ... Everyone else was either new to the game, a weak Rec baller or returning from a weak JV squad that had some players drinking on the bus the previous year ... I could have cut the one Varsity returner and played as a JV team but didn't think that was fair to her ... Not having enough then to also field a JV team they wouldn't let us play our Varsity against others JV teams, so we had to take our lumps.

 

[tim_s]

we play in a conference that has gotten weak, for the most part, and doesn't allow non-con games.......so we'll play a 16 game schedule knowing we should win every game, and that realistically there's only two teams that have pitching enough to contain us......and that our pitching should carry us in those games even if we struggle (we shouldn't, but we also start 5 sophomores)

it's a fine line.......we need live reps for out starters, but we also need to develop young kids........we need to develop young pitcher, but we also have two "#1's" that need innings

we won our opener 13-0 on 5 Friday (didn't score after the 3rd ......and with the weather predictions, won't play again until at least wednesday......we got everyone into the game (we only have 16 rostered), but starters got 4 at bats.......pitcher went the full 5 (we had a JV scrimmage yesterday to get through, also)

it's going to be a trick all year keeping kids focused and prepared (with 3 games a week, more if makeups stack up) and sundays off, and often multiple JV games on a Saturday, kids gotta play during the week....not advancing on past balls is an easy one, station to station does happen, but we also have 5 young kids (and not all of our kids, especially the bench kids, have played travel, and have lots to learn.....station to station does nothing for learning)

we do our best, but speaking from the "other" side, and having been on "both" sides.......it isn't easy from the top, either....we do our best, but sometimes the JV kids that get in hit, too.......sometimes even when you DON'T take the extra bases, you don't move on passed balls, runs still happen.......we put up over 30 in a game last year where ALL of the starters were out after 2, where we didn't move on passed balls, we started leaving runners on 3rd with balls in the OF........the bench kids just kept hitting.....kind of hard to tell a freshman who's getting varsity time to not hit the ball.......sometimes it just happens despite our best efforts.......sometimes we've just got to manage our team the best we can, to meet their needs, the other team needs to do the same........and it still might not be pretty

 

[tim_s]

we play in a conference that has gotten weak, for the most part, and doesn't allow non-con games.......so we'll play a 16 game schedule knowing we should win every game, and that realistically there's only two teams that have pitching enough to contain us......and that our pitching should carry us in those games even if we struggle (we shouldn't, but we also start 5 sophomores)

it's a fine line.......we need live reps for out starters, but we also need to develop young kids........we need to develop young pitcher, but we also have two "#1's" that need innings

we won our opener 13-0 on 5 Friday (didn't score after the 3rd ......and with the weather predictions, won't play again until at least wednesday......we got everyone into the game (we only have 16 rostered), but starters got 4 at bats.......pitcher went the full 5 (we had a JV scrimmage yesterday to get through, also)

it's going to be a trick all year keeping kids focused and prepared (with 3 games a week, more if makeups stack up) and sundays off, and often multiple JV games on a Saturday, kids gotta play during the week....not advancing on past balls is an easy one, station to station does happen, but we also have 5 young kids (and not all of our kids, especially the bench kids, have played travel, and have lots to learn.....station to station does nothing for learning)

we do our best, but speaking from the "other" side, and having been on "both" sides.......it isn't easy from the top, either....we do our best, but sometimes the JV kids that get in hit, too.......sometimes even when you DON'T take the extra bases, you don't move on passed balls, runs still happen.......we put up over 30 in a game last year where ALL of the starters were out after 2, where we didn't move on passed balls, we started leaving runners on 3rd with balls in the OF........the bench kids just kept hitting.....kind of hard to tell a freshman who's getting varsity time to not hit the ball.......sometimes it just happens despite our best efforts.......sometimes we've just got to manage our team the best we can, to meet their needs, the other team needs to do the same........and it still might not be pretty

in that 30+ run game.....we had one girl get her first, her 2nd, and her 3rd hit......not varsity hit, but hit.....ever.....

 

[Gambler Bob]

If the game is that much of a lopsided game I have had my girls bat with their opposite hand, or leave bases early. If you don't like a team doing those type of things to get the inning over, you should work more with your daughter more often, or sign up for lesser tournaments. I will not tell a girl to strike out on purpose.

Also, it not always the coaches that are making their players hurry up the innings. I have had umpires come up to me and tell to start making the girls step off bases. I have had this happen as early as the first inning. Obviously the umpire can't make the girls leave the base early but they can certainly effect a future game if the coach decides to continue with the azz whoopin.

 

[tim_s]

If the game is that much of a lopsided game I have had my girls bat with their opposite hand, or leave bases early. If you don't like a team doing those type of things to get the inning over, you should work more with your daughter more often, or sign up for lesser tournaments. I will not tell a girl to strike out on purpose.

Also, it not always the coaches that are making their players hurry up the innings. I have had umpires come up to me and tell to start making the girls step off bases. I have had this happen as early as the first inning. Obviously the umpire can't make the girls leave the base early but they can certainly effect a future game if the coach decides to continue with the azz whoopin.

tournaments are a different story.......we have without a doubt stepped off bases early to get it over with, and even to the point of whispering "blue, watch 3rd!" lol

 

[The Man In Blue]

Show me where I said you shouldn't do it? All I said is if it gets to the point where that needs to be done then some
self-reflection might be necessary (from the losing team..)

I was trying to be concise ... didn't mean to imply you said it shouldn't be done. You said you could see it as embarrassing for the team needing the outs. I can understand that, but yes ... if you are more concerned with receiving mercy than losing 37-0, it is a bit overly-macho.