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Should conceding defeat be allowed?
I was working a youth tournament yesterday in which there was a six-run maximum per inning. One game was a total mismatch. After three innings, the home team was up 18-0. The mercy rule (of 15 runs) would not come into effect until five innings had been played. Before the top of the fourth inning, my partner had a talk with the coach of the team getting shellacked. The coach agreed to "concede defeat" after they had their turn at bat in the top of the fourth. (They didn't score in that inning, either.)
Where I live (Ontario) there is no provision for a team to "throw in the towel" without it being deemed a forfeit. Therefore, what happened wasn't entirely kosher. However, nobody wanted to see this route continue, and runs for and against made no difference in the tournament format.
I think it would be a good idea to allow teams to concede defeat when they are hopelessly behind and outclassed--sort of like what happens in a one-sided chess match. What does everyone else think?
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