Throwing the Bat - LL

[MD Longhorn]

Got pressed into service last night for LL to help out a friend. I probably screwed up here and was too lenient... but:

What are the rules in LL surrounding a player throwing a bat. Can you call outs? Can you eject? Is there a specific number of warnings for this, and is it by player or by team?

I'm referring to the careless toss of the bat after contact - flinging it either to the backstop or into the catcher (who had no play on the ball).

[dileonardoja]

You cannot call some one out for throwing a bat. PERIOD. It is protestable and the protesting team should win. DON"T DO IT; it only perpetuates the myth.

Warn the player, if they do it again, Eject. At the LL ages don't make a big deal about the ejection. Just tell the manager the player is removed from the game. At this age I would (my opinion) keep the warnings to individual players.

[MD Longhorn]

I await further replies... but if all that is accurate, I didn't do anything incorrectly, except perhaps the final warning...

The problem arose when, after 1 such throw I asked the coach to remind his player to be less careless with the bat. When the very next batter plunked the catcher with a bat, I went to the head coach in earshot of the dugout and told him, "Coach, that's the 2nd batter in a row that's thrown a bat. Please remind them not to do that." He did so...

Very next batter threw one to the fence. When the play ended, I went over, stood at the bat, got coach's attention so that he saw where it landed. He was pretty vocal in admonishing his team at that point.

But ... the very NEXT batter did it as well. 4 in a row. After the play ended, I told the coach, loud enough for the dugout to hear - coach, next flung bat is ejected. Period. Someone's going to get hurt.

Miraculously, that somehow fixed the problem.

[kylejt]

Our guidance from Williamsport is warn, and eject.

Now the problem is that an ejection carries with it a one game suspension, and most level headed folks think the suspension is pretty harsh for a non-intentional act. What most do is warn the individual, then tell the coach to pull him from the lineup.

But four in a row it pretty odd(and spooky), and I think your proclamation was warrented. Hell, it worked, didn't it?

[yawetag]

Originally Posted by kylejt

What most do is warn the individual, then tell the coach to pull him from the lineup.

What if this doesn't match minimum-play rules? Let's say VT's lead-off hitter throws the bat on the first at-bat. Team bats around and he does it again. You have coach pull him from the lineup.

VT wins, but HC protests (or whatever you do) that minimum-play wasn't completed on VT's lead-off.

[kylejt]

It's the same as a kid coming out of the game for an injury. No penalty for missing MPR.

[ozzy6900]

Originally Posted by kylejt

Our guidance from Williamsport is warn, and eject.

Now the problem is that an ejection carries with it a one game suspension, and most level headed folks think the suspension is pretty harsh for a non-intentional act. What most do is warn the individual, then tell the coach to pull him from the lineup.

But four in a row it pretty odd(and spooky), and I think your proclamation was warrented. Hell, it worked, didn't it?

If your guidance is warn then eject, what are people doing requesting the player be pulled from the lineup? If the player was warned, then it is an ejection - plain and simple. Why are people complicating this simple procedure?

Warn then eject!

[nopachunts]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Why are people complicating this simple procedure?

Because it's Little League. Almost as bad as Fed.