HS Blow-out

[NewNCref]

Having been around softball as long as I can remember, and just getting into the umpiring side of it this year, I've seen plenty of examples of this (though never this drastic). I went online and looked at some news articles about the stories, and from all reports, it looks like it was a no-win situation for the coach.

I can remember the first time my sister joined a travel softball team. The first game, they were getting killed, something like 15-0 going into the top of the second inning. The opposing team's coach began having players leave bases earlier, etc, just to get his girls out, and keep the score reasonable. The only people upset that they were doing were the girls themselves. The girls, regardless of the score, wanted to play ball. The game eventually ended (though I don't remember what the final score was, I remember it was a shutout in the high-20s), and the girls were fine with it. The icing on the cake was when the girls met the same team in a tournament at the end of that same year, and lost 5-4 in the finals. They lost the finals of that tournament, but you would have thought they'd won the World Series.

All that being said, I think the best thing to do is for the adults to shut up and let the girls play ball. I'm sure the girls would enjoy it much better that way. There's not much the coach can do, other than putting in his subs, and scaling back offense (no stolen bases, etc.), but if a pitcher is walking everyone, or the players are making easy singles, what can you do? The umpires can't do a thing. They're obligated to call the game within a certain set of rules, which is irrespective of the score (though I am all for enlarging the strike zone reasonably in this case).

[SRW]

Last night I got the chance to talk in person to the PU on that game. Like bkbjones said above, it was the perfect storm.

Woodinville was the home team. They had scored the 64 runs by the completion of the 3rd inning. All 3 outs in the bottom of the 4th were from runners on 1B leaving early (i.e.: no score in the 4th inning.) They played the top of the 5th, and were done.

Not much he or his partner could do... they couldn't manufacture outs where there wasn't an out. None of the outs against Woodinville were made by a put-out at 1B.

He opened the zone for Franklin's pitchers as much as he could while still holding some integrity - calling chin to shin, box to box. Even when the pitch came down the middle of the opposite batter's box, Woodinville was reaching out and pegging them for doubles.

A nightmare game for all parties involved.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by SRW

He opened the zone for Franklin's pitchers as much as he could while still holding some integrity - calling chin to shin, box to box.

Hell, that's not a big zone. Try nose-to-toes, dugout-to-dugout!

[SWFLguy]

The solution is simple--- "play" for two hours and
go home !!!
Are these folks lame in the brain ??

[argodad]

Originally Posted by SWFLguy

The solution is simple--- "play" for two hours and
go home !!!
Are these folks lame in the brain ??

Do y'all have time limits on HS games in Fort Myers? We only have them for JV (if a varsity game follows).

The worst HS team in Pensacola is much better this year. Last year they lost by 25-30 runs in each 5-inning game. This year they only lose by 12-15.

[SWFLguy]

Same here "argodad". If a time limit for blow out games
in not OK with FHSAA, maybe a 15 run/3 inning mercy rule
(10 runs in five innings) would
work. It would pretty much give the winning team 3 innings of BP
and then put and end to the needless slaughter !

[WestMichBlue]

Originally Posted by SWFLguy

Same here "argodad". If a time limit for blow out games
in not OK with FHSAA, maybe a 15 run/3 inning mercy rule
(10 runs in five innings) would work. It would pretty much give the winning team 3 innings of BP and then put and end to the needless slaughter !

Our blow out games don't go on for long. Michigan game ending rules allow:
10/5
15/3
Losing coach to ask for game to be ended with no penalty.

Never had a coach give up, but more than a few games have ended after 2 1/2 innings.

WMB