Here's an article about a recent blowout game I saw in my area. Final score was 45 to 0 in 5 innings. My question is, when is a blowout a blowout, and when it it "rubbing it in?"

http://www.indystar.com/articles/5/145242-1035-014.html


Had a game tonight where coach was up 10-0 in top of sixth...he started bunting, trying to get out...other coach called it "bush league"...coach of winning team took off all bunts and kept stealing.

[Edited by FUBLUE on May 13th, 2004 at 12:56 AM]

How did the game get that far? Does IN not use the 15/3 - 10/5 "mercey" rule?

I've had a couple games this spring where one team scored 20+ runs in the first two innings, but after that next at-bat, we're outta there!

WMB

Lost my partner today
 

When a game appears to be out of control to avoid any embarassment, I have a coach who will tell me that he is going to have players leave early and to watch for it. Our mercy rule is 15 after 4 1/2.

Our "mercy" rule is 10 after 5 (4 1/2) innings.

I'm not passing judgment on this coach for the score...just wanted to see what everyone else says.

Texas was using the 15/3, but a three inning game is not
a complete game. All schools that had 15 run blowouts on
their record when they went to state, had to throw out the
3 inning games. 15/3 will not be an option in 2005. Only
the 10 after 4 1/2 or 5 if necessary. All play off games
utilize the 10/5 4 1/2 if home team leading.

In Ohio for NFHS the "mercy" rule is 15 after 5

Our mercy rules varies by conference.

For some, it is 15/5; for others, it is 10/5. None (that I am aware of) use anything after 3.

But what I found interesting in the article was this...followed later in the article by this..Either the players didn't do what their coach told them to do, or somebody is "enhancing" the truth.

I think Coach Hammond (the losing coach) probably stretched the truth a bit about the base stealing in the 5th. I mean, look at the number of walks and errors his own team had. The winning coach did the right thing telling his girls to hold on passed balls, etc.

I've seen the same thing happen in other sports. Had a buddy that did an 8-man football game that ended 60-0 at the half. The winning team was to the point of returning every punt back for touchdowns and their coach realized that their defense was keeping the opponents pinned back to the end zone, so he told the returner to call for a fair catch. Next thing they knew, their own offense would score on the first play from scrimmage. So, coach changed his strategy again. Free kick after each fair catch. The kicker got a nice number of free kick field goals that night. My buddy said he'd never seen anything like it before.

I've never known the winning coach to run-up the score. There have been times where he's played aggressively, but he was working on situations and wanted to get runners in these situations.

Plus, with 22 walks and 9 errors, that's a lot of runs without hitting the ball.

FHSAA here in florida has a 10 run "mercy" rule
at 5 innings. Works well for Varsity games, but I
feel there should be a 5 run per inning or a bat
around the order only once per inning rule for sub-
varsity games. Most coaches will not steal bases
or bunt, etc. when the game is out of hand. I do
not like it at all when they resort to leaving
base too soon, etc. to move the game along.
I feel that is insulting and not good sportsmanship.

Recreational
 

SWFLguy, can't agree with thought of "5 per inning" or "once around the order". While I understand the concept or comment of "sub-varsity" teams these are still teams made up by choice of the players. Trying not to "insult" the game or the players and showing good sportsmanship is an opinion of the moment at hand. Is it not perhaps insulting to provide the "rules of protection" that you suggest? These are not your local recreational teams. Those types are rules work well when your playing for grandma & grandpa's enjoyment. I've always thought that sports help prepare athletes for the good and bad parts of life. I just checked and Bill Gates does not really care that his bank account is so much bigger than mine.

I do local youth football here where I live, and the coaches have an unofficial agreement to use second and third string players after they are ahead by 24. As officials, we have an unofficial rule that a team doesn't score when up 24. Quick example: one team had a player no one could catch...they used him on sweeps every play. After first quarter, game was already out of hand. So, every time there was a sweep, a flag went down. Same true for the team that would pass all the time. We knew who was better, no one needed the scoreboard to blowup to prove it. Sometimes (in our league--football) coaches score just to get back at each other...nice lesson to teach the kids.

Then why, in their infinite wisdom, did the powers that be at TASO say that the 15/3 option was in effect for the first time legitimately this year? In previous years, the 10/5 had been the only acceptable mercy rule. Yet this year, at the meetings and even on the website, they stated that if both teams agreed to the 15/3 prior to play, then it would be an acceptable alternative.

In Delaware, we use the 9 batter rule and 10 run rule for sub varsity games. These games mean nothing, they are just to get the younger girls playing time and experience.

I'm coming in late to the conversation but something a couple of people said I can't agree with. The idea that I should tell a coach to have her girls leave base early or to make calls that are solely done for an out makes me think that it's ME that's making a travesty of the game. I'm on the field to inforce the rules, not to influence the game one way or the other. I may not like it but a bad game is just a bad game.