Our little league district
http://www.littleleaguedistrict8.com/ has as their first rule:
All Divisions will play according to the 2003 Little League Rulebook no exceptions.
The rulebook states that a team must field 9 players or forfeit. This season our team (13-14 year old Juniors) has won by a forfeit and lost by forfeit.
The coach of the team we beat by forfeit, protested the game and the district ruled that a team could have 8 players and take the automatic out. In fact all games will be played if 8 players can take the field.
However, we did not protest our loss. I decided that the team would learn to read the schedule properly. We have 9 or more at each game (our team now has 14 players). The other team forfeited to us when their players went to a diamond with a similar name as the scheduled diamond and did not arrive until 30 minutes past game time.
How do I tell the boys that the game they won has been taken back and must be played again, when the rules said "no exceptions"? Yet tell them the game they lost will not be replayed because I did not appeal the forfeit in a timely manner.
Also, how do I face the other coach, this coming Monday, without using actions or language that are unbecoming an adult or doing something to embarass my team and family?
Right now the way I feel, I am coaching my final few games and leaving little league FOREVER.