You Gotta Love It

[Hoosier_Dave]

Last nite. Post season tournament. 12U-Instructional. League broke the 12U-I into 4 brackets. I got the D bracket--teams that haven't won a game. First game was a barn-burner. 26-25 final score. 2 overtime innings. 3 1/2 hours game time. We had to switch fields in the middle of the game because of darkness. Took me 5 minutes to explain the international tie breaker rule to one of the coaches. A girl missed a pop fly with 2 outs which allowed the winning run to score in bottom half of inning, or I think we'd still be playing.

Round 2 is tonite. I'm packing a lunch this time.

[SRW]

Originally Posted by Hoosier_Dave

Took me 5 minutes to explain the international tie breaker rule to one of the coaches.

Why? That's pretty easy to explain...

[Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by SRW

Why? That's pretty easy to explain...

Yes it is - but I think you overlooked the key word: COACHES.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Dave,

If you are going to be an umpire, you need to remember there is no "overtime" in softball.

[Dakota]

I umpired a quarter final game in a state FP tournament Sunday. One team had an outstanding pitcher and mediocre hitting. The other team had a very good pitcher and good hitting.

Regulation ended with the score tied 1-1. It took 4 extra innings (ITB) for one of these teams to put another run across.

I actually had one case where the runner placed on 2nd base was NOT the last out! I'm fairly confident there are now at least 2 scorekeepers and 2 coaches who actually understand the rule! (At least until they have the umpire who, a few weeks ago, made both of these teams go to tie-breaker with a runner on 2nd and one out!)

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by Hoosier_Dave

Last nite. Post season tournament. 12U-Instructional. League broke the 12U-I into 4 brackets. I got the D bracket--teams that haven't won a game. First game was a barn-burner. 26-25 final score. 2 overtime innings. 3 1/2 hours game time. We had to switch fields in the middle of the game because of darkness. Took me 5 minutes to explain the international tie breaker rule to one of the coaches. A girl missed a pop fly with 2 outs which allowed the winning run to score in bottom half of inning, or I think we'd still be playing.

Round 2 is tonite. I'm packing a lunch this time.

I think this says Instructional, or is it Institutional or some other typo?

Tom, Please don't tell them "last out". It's hard enough to explain who the ITB runner is when the last out is made by a lead runner.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Tom, Please don't tell them "last out". It's hard enough to explain who the ITB runner is when the last out is made by a lead runner.

I didn't. I'd ask the scorekeeper who was first up, and then move up one on the batting order and tell them #22 (or whoever) is on 2nd. They'd invariably say, "yes, she was the last out." So, I had a teachable moment when that was NOT true!

[CecilOne]

I posted this three years ago. No response then, don't expect one now.

"I've been trying to figure out if we should stop criticizing the coaches and think about the league and tournament committees, whoever selects or accepts the coaches and should provide some training. Maybe even parents."

[baldgriff]

For sake of clarification please give me the current International Extra Innings rule. We are having a bit of a debate over this lately.

Thanks

[SC Ump]

Originally Posted by baldgriff

For sake of clarification please give me the current International Extra Innings rule. We are having a bit of a debate over this lately.

Thanks

The runner at second should be "the player who is scheduled to bat last in that respective half inning", i.e. if B6 is leading off, then B5 is put at 2B.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by baldgriff

For sake of clarification please give me the current International Extra Innings rule. We are having a bit of a debate over this lately.

Thanks

With all due respect, what is there to debate?

[DaveASA/FED]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

I posted this three years ago. No response then, don't expect one now.

"I've been trying to figure out if we should stop criticizing the coaches and think about the league and tournament committees, whoever selects or accepts the coaches and should provide some training. Maybe even parents."

I agree with your thoughts in competitive leagues, and travel type ball. But having been involved in low level rec league for 10 years, I know it comes down to having someone who is decicated enough to leave work early, spend countless hours running practices, figuring our schedules call kids, trying to figure out who is going to be at the game, and what to do when only 4 show up (practice and or games) that it ends up being someone who is not that great at softball. From my expierence you end up with four different classes, nice people, softball smart people that can't teach, people who are great with kids but don't know softball, then that 'perfect' catagory that is a mix of all of the above.

And as a league official (UIC of small rec league) we have done all we can to teach, educate and inform coaches. We also attempt to find the best skilled coaches, and then try to mix the more knowledgable coaches up between the teams. Bottom line is sometimes it just don't work and you have a team that is run by the nice people....and they do need some help on rules, how to pitch, how to field, how to bat........etc. Again I am speaking of rec league, cost $50 to play including your shirt and a trophy for every kid at the end.....now if you are really paying to play (travel ball) you should expect someone to know what they are doing and know the rules of the game.

[GregM]

Thank you Scott for clearing that up for me....Greg