What is the dumbest local league rules you have come across?

[ChapJim]

Originally posted by DG
I will turn this question around a little by mentioning a rule that if missing, is the dumbest thing I ever heard, and that is malicious contact. I have seen 10 year olds doing the "Pete Rose into Ray Fosse at the plate" with no rule to prohibit.

There may not be a malicious contact rule but I can't imagine a league not having an unsportsmanlike conduct rule, which is actually better than a malicious contact rule.

If you run a player under a malicious contact rule, you must make a judgment as to his state of mind. (Think about it. You eject a player for malicious contact and you've got Sparky coming from the third base box or out of the dugout telling you what a nice kid he is, he wouldn't hurt a fly, he's only a freshman, it's the first game of the year, etc. Has that ever NOT happened?)

Run the same kid for the same thing under an unsportsmanlike conduct rule and you don't have to worry about his state of mind. You run him for his act -- taking out the catcher -- and don't worry about whether he was clumsy or trying to hurt the catcher or knock the ball loose or just didn't want to listen to his teammates call him a candya$$ for giving himself up. "Sparky, he took out the catcher and you can't do that. I don't know why he did it. You take care of that part."