Batter throwing bat

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Since OBR makes no provision for throwing a bat, carelessly or otherwise, my question to you is why you are trying to enforce a non-existent rule? The coach who challenged you was correct to do so. If he said that there is no rule against tossing the bat away after hitting the ball, then he is right.

By the way, citing any 9.01 rule as justification of an on-field ruling is extremely weak, and shows a lack of understanding of the playing rules.

In his defense, Steve, OBR is written for professional leagues where this almost never happens. In youth leagues that use modified OBR that don't address a carelessly discarded bat, in my opinion, it should be addressed by us. If I or the catcher gets hit by a thrown bat the offender receives a warning, and only one warning. Next time I see it, he's gone.


Tim.

[SanDiegoSteve]

I was under the possibly incorrect idea that he was working big boy ball, and not kiddie ball. I usually just tell the kid and the coach to stop throwing the bat. It sometimes takes more than one warning to get the kid to break the habit of slinging the bat backwards. I really hate ejecting little kids for this.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I was under the possibly incorrect idea that he was working big boy ball, and not kiddie ball. I usually just tell the kid and the coach to stop throwing the bat. It sometimes takes more than one warning to get the kid to break the habit of slinging the bat backwards. I really hate ejecting little kids for this.

An option I used to use in LL small diamond games it to give the manager the option of sitting the player himself as opposed to me issuing an ejection where the player has to sit a one game suspension.


Tim.

[canadaump6]

You would be amazed how old kids can be when they're still throwing the bat. I have had kids as old as 14 not knowing how to simply drop it. I don't want anybody getting hurt, myself included. A player who cannot play safely should not be in the game IMO. I haven't had to eject for it yet, but if I did it would be a "okay coach, your player can stay on the bench for the rest of the game but he cannot play".

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by canadaump6

You would be amazed how old kids can be when they're still throwing the bat. I have had kids as old as 14 not knowing how to simply drop it. I don't want anybody getting hurt, myself included. A player who cannot play safely should not be in the game IMO. I haven't had to eject for it yet, but if I did it would be a "okay coach, your player can stay on the bench for the rest of the game but he cannot play".

Is there a rule prohibiting this in the code under which you're working, or are you making one up?

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

Is there a rule prohibiting this in the code under which you're working, or are you making one up?

I guess I'm making one up. I can live with it...................


There's no specific rule in OBR that prohibits a player from hurling his helmet into the dugout or slamming it on the plate after a call they don't like. But, they're going to get dumped in a game I'm working, made up rule or no.


Tim.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I guess I'm making one up. I can live with it...................


There's no specific rule in OBR that prohibits a player from hurling his helmet into the dugout or slamming it on the plate after a call they don't like. But, they're going to get dumped in a game I'm working, made up rule or no.


Tim.

First, I did not quote you and was not posting to you, but if you work like Canadaump6 let me ask this: Do you see no difference between a player throwing a helmet purposefully and an incidentally thrown bat?

[SanDiegoSteve]

But Tim, the problem I had was with the heavy-handed way Canadaump was warning people, in true Gestapo fashion. It seemed quite OOO to me. He never said that it was a "carelessly" thrown bat, just a "thrown bat." It seemed like he was saying that the batter must lay his bat gently on the ground, or else face the wrath of CU6.

If he had made clear what kind of thrown bat he was talking about, and what age group he was talking about, then I may have understood a bit more. But what he said was, "How do you guys deal with a batter who tosses his bat after making contact with the ball?" The correct answer to this question (remember, he wants to err on the side of picky) is "nothing, it's not illegal to toss a bat."