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What kind of league? It's LL Pony 7-8 M&F
What kind of league? It's LL Pony 7-8 M&F
It is a coach-pitch league. The umpires are usually 15-18 year-old kids that try to do a good job. They are paid but not paid very much. The main problem is that most don't know the obstruction rule and they can be intimidated by real loud mouth/jerk coaches. Of course the coach that taught this tactic (having F5 planted on the inside corner at all times after the ball is hit to the OF) thought I was a jerk for bringing the obstruction to the umpire's attention when we were already beating them by 15 runs or so. I explained I wasn't concerned about the score, only the safety of the kids and teaching them how to properly play the game. I've yet to see obstruction called by an umpire on a F4, F5, or F6 in 1 1/2 years in this league. I'd say it happens 5-10 times a game. The umps do occasionally try to get a F3 to stay on the edge of the 1B bag when taking throws. Poor coaching by about 20-25% of coaches ignorant of proper techniques is the main problem. These guys think they know it all but fail to make the connection between their poor W-L record and their coaching ability. The worst coaches I've dealt with consistently have poor W-L records. The league is affiliated with LL and I'll be bringing this problem to the attention of the league commissioner in hopes he'll pass it on to the umpires and the coaches. Thanks for the responses guys.
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