Tournament seed question (home vs. visitor)

[DG]

In my coaching days years ago I have coached in many tournaments. I have also been tournament director for quite a few. I have never coached or been a TD for a tournament game, local, district, state or regional that home team was not decided by coin toss before the game. If I had to do it I would call Tails every time and if I could I would designate an assistant to go do the coin toss, because I did not care. My focus was on getting my team to score more than the other and play good defense. If your players get a vibe from you that you care who is home team, you have planted a bad seed.

Get over it, league officials are correct, toss a coin, send an assistant to do it.

[Mountaincoach]

Originally Posted by DG

In my coaching days years ago I have coached in many tournaments. I have also been tournament director for quite a few. I have never coached or been a TD for a tournament game, local, district, state or regional that home team was not decided by coin toss before the game. If I had to do it I would call Tails every time and if I could I would designate an assistant to go do the coin toss, because I did not care. My focus was on getting my team to score more than the other and play good defense. If your players get a vibe from you that you care who is home team, you have planted a bad seed.

Get over it, league officials are correct, toss a coin, send an assistant to do it.

Thanks. Trust me, I'm "over it". Like I said in the original post, I was cool with just batting in the "visitor" slot. It's no big deal at all, and my kids are just having fun. I just figured you guys might know what the usual practice is in a tournament like this. I'll just let them flip a coin and let me know how it turns out when it comes time to have my kids bat or take the field. I'm so proud of all the kids. The playground has all different color jerseys on it after each game. They're having the time of their life.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Mountaincoach

Thanks. Trust me, I'm "over it". Like I said in the original post, I was cool with just batting in the "visitor" slot. It's no big deal at all, and my kids are just having fun. I just figured you guys might know what the usual practice is in a tournament like this. I'll just let them flip a coin and let me know how it turns out when it comes time to have my kids bat or take the field. I'm so proud of all the kids. The playground has all different color jerseys on it after each game. They're having the time of their life.

Did you really say a tournament played by 9 and 10 year olds was "intense?"

[asdf]

Originally Posted by GROUPthink

Did you really say a tournament played by 9 and 10 year olds was "intense?"

+1

The only thing they'll remember is how the ice cream was after the game(s).

[MD Longhorn]

Ignore the dumb comments at the end... I remember games / seasons / tourneys from when I was 9 or 10. Some of them were intense TO ME, which is what matters.

Tournaments generally state somewhere what the home/visitor rules are for the tourney. I'd say that at least 3/4 of the tourneys I work do not use the seeding at all to determine home or visitor - it's a coinflip at the plate before the game. The higher seeds already have the advantage they've earned by virtue of the opponents they get to play. Additionally, at least half of those, perhaps a bit more, state that the ONLY game that is not flipped for is the winner bracket vs loser bracket game - winner bracket is home. In tourneys with IF games, the IF game is always a coin flip.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Ignore the dumb comments at the end... I remember games / seasons / tourneys from when I was 9 or 10. Some of them were intense TO ME, which is what matters.

Tournaments generally state somewhere what the home/visitor rules are for the tourney. I'd say that at least 3/4 of the tourneys I work do not use the seeding at all to determine home or visitor - it's a coinflip at the plate before the game. The higher seeds already have the advantage they've earned by virtue of the opponents they get to play. Additionally, at least half of those, perhaps a bit more, state that the ONLY game that is not flipped for is the winner bracket vs loser bracket game - winner bracket is home. In tourneys with IF games, the IF game is always a coin flip.

I umpire a ton of 9-10 year old tournament games as a bit of community service -- the only people it's intense for are the coaches and parents, it seems.

[MD Longhorn]

You should have come to either of the recent USFA softball qualifiers I worked in NW Houston. Had you not been told in advance, you would not know these girls were 10. In size, in attitude, and in ability. Yes, 10U baseball and softball is often slightly more than babysitting, with the occasional 2-3 kids per team that can play and take it seriously. But most of the teams still playing this late into the season are for real - both boys and girls.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by GROUPthink

I umpire a ton of 9-10 year old tournament games as a bit of community service -- the only people it's intense for are the coaches and parents, it seems.

Again, it depends on where you live, and what league it is. I've worked 9-10 LL Minors games that the players weren't very skilled or coordinated and spent most of their time chasing dandilions or picking their noses. Then I've worked 9-10 Mustang games with some very skilled young ballplayers who took the game quite seriously and these games were very competitive and intense.

I remember when I was a kid, we were more skilled as a general rule, and played the game with intensity from Day 1. That was back when baseball was all there was to do during baseball season.