The Little League Coach

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It’s after midnight and I just got in! Umped major championship after getting field ready. Well, the city guy did most of the work and he wasn’t even supposed to be there! Learned a pretty cool trick w/ a pump to get rid of water, but that will have to save that story for later.

Anyway, losing team was up by 8 in going into the bottom of the 5th and lost on a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the sixth. Amazing. I think we will see more of this with the new pitching rules. Teams are on their 5th and 6th pitchers this late in the tournament.

Sectionals tomorrow have to be there at 7:30! Gotta run!

What’s the greatest ending to a game you have ever seen?

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All Little League umpires are volunteers. At least they are supposed to be. Some leagues pay them. I would love to see a protest at the sectional or state level where a team was disqualified because they used paid umpires all year. Anyway, 99% of Little League umpires are volunteers, we do it because we love it.

The greastest honor a little league umpire can have in his district is to be selected to umpire the Major’s Division Championship game. I, along w/ a few of my friends, have been selected to umpire that game tomorrow. Hand picked by the adminstrator in fact.

It is an honor, and I am humbled.

What is your biggest honor in Little League?

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I saw an all-star coached ejected today for chewing tobacco in the dugout. The use of tobacco products of any kind is strictly prohibited in Little League . While I am not a big stickler on this, I don’t know why anyone would think they could chew in the dugout. At least the smokers know to go to the parking lot.

Should chew be allowed in a little league dugout? What do you think?

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Today I saw a call incorrectly made that I wanted to clarify. A ball is foul based on where it is touched, not where the player is or where the players feet are. The ball is called based on the position of the BALL at the time it is contacted.

Therefore, if a player is standing fully in fair territory and reaches over into foul territory to make a play, and contacts the ball when the ball is in foul territory, the ball is foul. The position of the player or the player’s feet is irrelivant.

This is a call that is often made wrong and rarely understood in the stands.

Do you know any other strange rules that come into play often?

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Biggest Geek in the World

I am the biggest geek on the planet! I actually look forward to the release of the new rule book each year so I can read it cover to cover! Baseball and Softball btw. So I have little patience for people who try to throw the rules around and make rulings that have an impact on the game.

Don’t Impact the Game

My basic rule of thumb, if it is going impact the game and you are unsure, don’t impact the game! That said, an official really should know all the rules, but I know that when you have volunteers you can’t expect this. In that situation, you need to make sure to take the time to get it right.

Great Job Girl!

Tonight, we had a young girl umpire who did just that. When she had something wrong, or when in doubt, she took the time to get it right! This was wonderful! I only wish the other team knew the rules so that it was never an issue in the first place, but again, they are volunteers, so it isn’t that big of a deal. Coaches just try to bring rules from other leagues into Little League , and that’s not good. Little League almost always sides on leniency. We should learn from that.

18 Years Straight of Reading the Book

I heard my wife say it best in the stands as we were debating this, "why do they argue with him about the rules?". I don’t know them all, don’t always get them right, but I bet I am 99% right 1/2 the time! (Yogi would be proud). I have read every word of each rulebook and the operators manual for 18 years straight. Yes, I am the biggest nerd you will ever know! But at least I know the rules.

What are the most common rules violations you see? Let us know.

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Incessant Hum of the Cheer

Softball is wrought with an incessant hum of the cheer . It is at times enlightening, at times motivational, at times informative, and at times funny. But, it should NEVER be unsportsmanlike.

Rules Violations

Some cheers are naturally unsportsmanlike. I don’t know if coaches don’t recognize this or don’t care. Either way, they are unacceptable. Rule 4.06(2) states that "no manager, coach or player, shall at any time, whether from the bench or the playing field or elsewhere, use language which will in any manner refer to or reflect upon opposing players, manager, coach, an umpire, or spectators."

This rule effectively eliminated the "chatter" we used to do as kids. Remember, "hey batter , batter, batter, batter, hey batter, batter, batter, batter, SWING!". This was a motivational thing the coaches used to keep their kids focused more than a tactic to distract the batter. But, our PC world will not tolerate such actions, so it has been banned.

Some Offenders

The cheers I hear coming out of some softball dugouts are in blatant violation of this rule. Some that come to mind?

"3 and 0 now, whatcha gonna do now, walk her, walk her"

"We’re #1, we’re never #2, we’re gonna beat the woopsies out of you, the woopsies out of you"

And the worst of all:

"We stole on you, yeah we stole on you, while you were picking your nose, yeah, we stole on you"

Those are the three I can think of off the top of my head, there are plenty more that are obviously in violation of this rule and definitely unsportsmanlike.

Essentially, any cheer that is derogatory to the other team is unsportsmanlike. Why would you want to taunt a team you were beating, or awaken a team that you have under control? Regardless of the situation, cheers should not berate the other team.

All for Positive Cheers

Now I am all for cheers! Love them! Love the team spirit, love the comraddery, love the way they bring the team together. But ALL cheers should be just that, positive cheers FOR your team, or player, and YOUR team or player only. I don’t care if Little League had that rule or not, this should be a common courtesy and respect between teams, I shouldn’t have to mention it here. But, I do.

Respect your opponent, treat them with dignity, and, win or lose, always conduct yourself with pride.

Do you know a disrespectful cheer? Let’s get a list going!

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I received an email today from our Umpire in Chief . He was commenting on the spectator’s perspective. Here is his observation:

"You see that crowd over there, they REALLY want the outcome on a play to be one way. And that crowd of people over there, they REALLY believe what they’re about to see is going to have a completely different result. In a way they’re all predisposed to believing what they see, before the play even happens.

Now me, as I don’t care either way who scores the most runs, I may just be the best judge of things out there - good angle, bad angle or no angle at all"!

How true is that observation? So often we see managers, coaches, and spectators questioning umpire’s calls. Why? If you don’t dwell on a bad call, it will quickly be in the past and as you move forward, it will not really even be an issue in the game.

I have noticed a continued lack of respect for authority. Check out #2 on a softball blog I found. He provides an interesting insight to the spectators chastising of the umpires. Besides his perspective, what are we teaching the kids? Why are we surprised when they disrespect all levels of authority when they are older? Why are we surprised so many kids get in so much trouble any more? Might we all want to look in the mirror?

Everyone needs a moan and grown every now and then, but constantly abusing the umpires is ridiculous!

How will we ever find umpires if this is how they are treated? How will we ever raise leaders if they are not taught respect?

Do you have any bad spectator or manager stories to share?

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There are not enough kudos to send out to the Little League Mom. She sometimes works all day, runs home and gets dinner on the table, gets the kids to their games an hour early for batting practice and cheers as if she isn’t tired all night long.

Uniform coordination, coaching assistance, team mom, party organizer, domestic planner, they are often the unseen heroes, and sometimes on the front line. They tirelessly work concessions, console strike out victims, provide first aid for skinned knees and bruises, and offer encouragement in the face of discouragement.

A true Little League mom knows the difference between and injury and a little pain from getting beaned. "Get down there", "Get over it", is often heard from the stands, but the same voice consoles truly upset Little Leaguers.

I know at my house my Little League mom has 4 uniforms, 3 coaching shirts, and 3 practice shirts to keep track of. She has to make sure umpiring clothes and jock straps are laundered and ready to provide protection! Socks, belts, pants, underarmour, cleats, bat bags, hats, everything ready to go. Dinner ready at 5, coach in and out in five minutes at 5:15. It is a mad rush at our house every night. Snack bar duty, snack night for the kids, birthday parties to plan, attend and buy for, school events to keep track of, grades to keep up with, homework to manage, showers and in bed late every night, and up early the next morning to do it all over again!

Wow, I had a glimpse at her job today as I helped w/ everything I usually don’t attend too. An SHE CAN HAVE IT! I have no idea how she does it, I am only thankful she is so good at it!

Thank you to My Little League Wife and All of the Little League Moms and Wives around the world! You are the true driving force behind our success.

Anyone know a great Little League Mom? Give her props here!

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One of fields we travel to has one of my favorite signs in the whole world posted on each field. No it’s not "do not hit ball into fence" or "no pepper". It is:

IF YOU DON’T LIKE WHAT YOU SEE ON THE FIELD THEN VOLUNTEER

As you sit in the stands for hours on end, you read this sign at least a thousand times. How true is that? It is amazing how much people are willing to complain, yet they never step up to actually volunteer themselves.

Most of the complaints are lodged at umpires, though many complain about coaches as well. But the most under appreciated group of volunteers is the umpires. Did he say volunteers? Yes VOLUNTEERS!

EVERY UMPIRE ON A LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD IS (or is supposed to be anyway) A VOLUNTEER!

They are not paid by most leagues! Any league that does pay umpires is violating Little League policy.

Can you imagine treating a hurricane relief volunteer passing out ice in 95 degree temperature the same as some treat Little League Volunteer Umpires? What makes them different? If umpires blow EVERY call, it still didn’t cause anyone to win or lose, and besides WHO CARES! It is not about winning and losing is it?

I have become very intolerant of anyone criticizing an umpire . When we have so many umpires lining up to volunteer that we have to turn them away, then we can criticize, for now, my only comment for an umpire is:

THANK YOU BLUE!

Do you have any great volunteer umpire stories? Please submit them here so we can recognize their thankless efforts!

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