"Are you serious, that's insane."

[Dakota]

The quote below was posted on the small ball board. LDUB, if you object to my bringing it over here, say so and I'll delete it. This was posted as kind of a follow up to a discussion about players drawing lines in the dirt (explaining it being posted on the baseball board).

Since the "traditions" and so on regarding player behavior differ somewhat between little ball and fastpitch, I thought this might be worth kicking around over here.

Originally posted by LDUB
Last night I called a youth softball game. One of the girls seemed to have a little of a problem. So she is up to bat, pitch comes in, catcher moves and blocks my view of the end of the pitch. From what I saw of it, it was a strike. I call strike, batter looks back and says "Are you serious, that's insane." I decide to let it go. She ends up getting a walk.

Next time she is up, first pitch is about halfway up the torso. I call the pitch a strike. Batter moans, and takes her arm and signals to the height of the pitch. Right after this pitch, we realized the game was over because of the slaughter rule. Now I would have issued a warning to the batter if the game had continued. Did I do the right thing?

[chuck chopper]

I would have ejected her on the "that's insane" comment. That comments went beyond a question of strike or ball..it became disrespectful & unsportsmanlike. Then when you let it go..her bad behavior continued later in the game because you let her know it was acceptable. Unfortunately now she is going to her next game with the same attitude and some other "blue" will have to handle her.
.
Enforcing code of conduct is also part of our job description, and worse her Coach should had been all over her. One of my old boss's once quoted me a line.."if you're not part of the solution, then you're part of the problem".

[LMan]

since we're kicking....

last night in my LL game I had a kid with an attitude with almost identical results. After I called a strike on him, he turned to me incredulous and said, "THAT was a STRIKE?" I replied, "yes, son, you could tell because I said 'strike'" The catcher snickered and the batter's face got very red. He struck out swinging weakly on the next pitch.

On the way to the dugout he angrily pulled off his helmet and tossed in into the fencing. I warned him and his coach that if so much as looked cross-eyed the rest of the game I would eject him.


Was that too lenient? Should I have tossed him sooner? Am I a total jerk for hijacking this post?

[chuck chopper]

You taunted him. Should had just said Yes that was a strike and left it at that.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by LMan
Am I a total jerk for hijacking this post?

Well, not total.

[LMan]

Originally posted by Dakota

Well, not total.

*sigh* *eyeroll* hehehe

[Dukat]

I do not feel that is hijacking: It dealt along the same lines and had prety much the same content. IMHO Hijacking is taking one subject and then by a small thing in one post totally turning it into another subject. (Kinda like I am doing here, Sorry about that)

But to get back on subject I think they did allow that girl too much leeway in the first place and agree with the other posters who said that all that does is hurt the next blue that has to call her.

[ChampaignBlue]

Way back when I coached I once had an incident during playoffs where the umpire made a protestable call. As I was explaining to the blue his error my catcher chimed it with a "He's right." meaning me. I turned on her and told her to be quiet that it's my job to talk to the umpire when he has made a mistake. They were both taken aback because I was clearly unhappy with the call but I still don't allow anything resembling disrespect by one of my players.

Too bad some kids think that they can say what they want, but it's worse when adults let them say what they want.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by LMan
since we're kicking....

last night in my LL game I had a kid with an attitude with almost identical results. After I called a strike on him, he turned to me incredulous and said, "THAT was a STRIKE?" I replied, "yes, son, you could tell because I said 'strike'" The catcher snickered and the batter's face got very red. He struck out swinging weakly on the next pitch.

Batter: "THAT was a STRIKE?"
Umpire: Good, I'm glad we agree.

[TexBlue]

Originally posted by LMan
since we're kicking....


On the way to the dugout he angrily pulled off his helmet and tossed in into the fencing. I warned him and his coach that if so much as looked cross-eyed the rest of the game I would eject him.


Was that too lenient? Should I have tossed him sooner? Am I a total jerk for hijacking this post?

I think I would have told him on the spot that was a strike. I'd of let it go there. When the kid threw the helmet, he leaves the field. Nobody, absolutely nobody throws a helmet on the field or in the dugout. They are never the ones that get hurt from that act. It's always someone else who gets hurt. I've lost a few players over the years for doing that. I don't get loud, or vocal, just tell the coach that he/she'll need a substitute when they come back on defense. Not once have I had a coach complain about it. They usually are in agreement with the ejection. I've seen coaches later on in the year after this and they tell me that player had never thrown a helmet again, someone shold have done that before.

Which begs the question, why hasn't the coach pulled her before or talked to her before about it?

[WestMichBlue]

""Are you serious, that's insane."

Youth (?) softball. 10 YO? 11? I thought it was funny. I probably would have laughed or joked back at her.

"catcher moves and blocks my view of the end of the pitch. From what I saw of it, it was a strike. I call strike"

If catcher gets in my way I'm calling a ball. Then tell her why.

WMB

[LMan]

[QUOTE
When the kid threw the helmet, he leaves the field. Nobody, absolutely nobody throws a helmet on the field or in the dugout......

Which begs the question, why hasn't the coach pulled her before or talked to her before about it? [/QUOTE]

In retrospect, I agree. I should have tossed him. One on me. :/

I'm new at this and this was the first game (well, maybe the second) where one side had a lot of prima-donna, emotionally-overwrought players that 'lost it' as soon as things went downhill for them. This same player, while pitching, called for time (as it turned out) so he could go over to the foul line to sob on his coach's shoulder a minute b/c he walked 3-4 batters in a row. He didn't like it that I refused to call pitches at the BR's neck level strikes.

Strange scene. Time called for impromptu pitcher's Dr-Phil session with coach on field. FED say anything about that? *LOL*