[Gulf Coast Blue]

I unfortunately turned into a Softball Parent tonight................sigh

My youngest daughter plays on a 14U Rec team. They are well coached and as competetive as can be expected in this league. They had a game tonight against the best team in this age group.

Tonight.......we are team A and the other is team B. Team B leads in the standings for the league (8 teams in 5 different cities).

I am parked in my usual spot down the fence in right field (depending on which dugout we have).

Katie (my daughter) is F3 and fields an off line throw and while she is searching for the white bag.........the BR trips and goes sprawling (but out).........for some reason........she went for the white bag..............

1st mutterings from the opposing bleachers and dugout. Stoppage of game and BR is replaced.

Next inning...........Katie takes a high throw that puts her awkwardly to the back of the white bag ........they have another runner go sprawling (but out).

Now we have other team bleachers, assistant coaches and all fans of team B yelling that F3 did something wrong....................sigh

Asst. coach (who I know well) charges out of the dugout to tend to his fallen player, comments to the BU that the play by the F3 was a "dirty" play.

Plate umpire comes out..........warning the F3 (my daughter) that she cannot trip the runner going to first......................they put the BR on first.

I lost it...............I yelled at the complaining coach that if they taught their runners to run the bases properly, they would not have those kinds of wrecks. There was a couple of glares and he worked the PU the rest of the game.

I don't know what caused me to lose it as I did.............I have had sat through tons of Basketball games where my oldest was called "dirty" by other schools fans...........even though she wasn't. I have been spectator to literaly hundreds (may have even reached into the thousands............grin) of softball games that my girls have played in...........and never once questioned a call. This assistant coach just pushed the right button tonight.

Bad situation all around. I always thought I was safe situating myself away from everything..................I guess I was wrong.

Joel