I would contact your rules interpeter and your association president and file a protest with whoever administers the league.I believe you should be recieving more backing from "YOUR" association and I would have tossed the coach for his actions after you spoke to him.

Pithers/Batters got a wedgie........
 

One of the most popular ones in my area this year.........(I hate to say.......that my youngest's team brought this back from a tournament.........it took about 3 days to make the rounds.........lol)


"Pithers/Batters got a wedgie........go wedgie.......go wedgie GO......"

The girls know how to block it out........there are some cheers I don't allow........

But, for the most part........it is a part the game........

I have even seen a few HS teams do the cheers...........(for the most part.....they do not)!!


But........enthusiasm.......should NEVER be discouraged......

Joel

Shoot! Around here the HS teams do just as many cheers as the younger teams, if not more. You even hear the colleges around these parts doing them, though they are a little more refined. I agree that the players, by and large, tune the cheers out. Unless, of course, it is one that they want to add to their own repetoire of cheers. They will even stand in the field and rotate a cheer begining with, say, F3 and working their way around the diamond.

I agree that it is part of the spirit of the game, and have no problem with them as long as they are not malicious.

Scott

From what I am reading, I get the feeling that some people think that the yelling was coming from the dugout. That was not the case. This was yelling by the infielders at the batter. The yelling started as soon as the pitcher started her pitching motion and did not start until the pitch crossed the plate.

I do not have a problem with teams doing cheers from their dugout when they are at bat. But this was not the case in my original play. The yelling, by the infielders, was directed at the batter and only done while the pitcher was actually pitching the ball.

In that case you definitely have obstruction. There are many times when infielders hiss alternately or something of that nature...but if they start with the release of the pitch for the sole purpose of distracting or otherwise unnerving the batter, then I would have to put an immediate end to it.

Scott

Sorry about getting back to the Forum with this posting but I have been busy with other things.

I received an reply via email from Mary Struckhoff, NFHS Softball Rules Editor, concerning the play that I used to start this discussion. Her reply was that it is a violation of NFHS R3-S3-A1o.1.2, which states:

A coach, player, substitute, attendant or other bench personnel shall not commit any unsporting act to include, but not limited to use of profanity, intimidation and/or deceitful tactics, or baiting or taunting. PENALTY: The umpire shall eject the offender from the game, unless the offense is judged to be of a minor nature. Then the umpire may warn the offrender and then eject her if she repeats the offense. For coaches who violate, the umpire may (1) restrict the offender to the bench/dugout forthe remainder of the game or; (2) eject the offender.

The correct rule is NFHS R3-S3-A1o.2. I typed to quickly and did not proofread it.

Good!
 

I consider this a "good for softball" rules interpretation. While it does fall into the category of "know it when you see it" (i.e. hard to precisely define with written words), there is a clear difference between cheering / chatter and taunting / intimidation.

While this ruling may have vindicated your original ruling, it no doubt had no effect on the coach's blackballing you from the playoffs. Too bad. Good call, though.