Please list your number 1 pet peeve in Softball

daboss

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Coaches, parents, teams, players constantly trying to find a way to break or ignore the rules. Always wanting to seek out the grey area or blatantly breaking the rules instead of simply conforming. Use of illegal bats, teaching kids it's okay to cheat as long as you don't get caught, and coaching the kids methods that are unethical in nature to try and gain an advantage.

In today's world we have a new set of rules we're going to need to adhere to if we want to play. It's not our fault but it is a reality. I'm already reading in a few other threads of people sharing that they are not going to follow the guidelines like everyone else. They're searching for ways to "beat the system." Why cause so much trouble for everyone else? If you can't hang with the masses, just don't come. It'll make life more enjoyable for so many others that are okay with playing within the perimeters of the rules.
 

Chardon Storm

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Coaching in jeans
When in the batter’s box, holding up the hand closest to the pitcher to ask for time rather than the back hand to the umpire
Walking between the lines
 

coachjwb

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I had two:

1) Time limit games and the games that coaches played to take advantage of them ... I always understood the reasons for time limits, but the game just wasn't made to have time limits, especially anything less than 90 minutes .... and definitely not any "drop dead" formats.
2) Problem parents ... I take some of the blame despite the fact that I always laid out the ground rules in writing at the beginning of each season. 80-90% of parents are just fine but the other couple on the team can make a coach's life miserable, and often undermine/poison the entire team's enjoyment and experience. It was almost always about playing time and/or a very distorted and biased view of their child's abilities, effort or potential. And even though I only coached most of their kids one season (they either left or took down the team with them), I've yet to read about any of their children having been successful at the collegiate level, and the majority either quit before they finished high school or had pretty disappointing high school careers.
 

RedsDad

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Opposing coaches positioning themselves on a bucket just to steal the signs of the pitches signaled in from pitching coach/dugout to to the catcher, and then attempting to relay to their batter.

Oh yeah, also agree with others dislike of drop dead time limits.
 

24GahannaLadyLions7

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Opposing coaches positioning themselves on a bucket just to steal the signs of the pitches signaled in from pitching coach/dugout to to the catcher, and then attempting to relay to their batter.

Oh yeah, also agree with others dislike of drop dead time limits.

Guilty, I am a sign stealer, I teach the girls to try to pick up things from the coaches, relay when 2B, it's gamesmanship I believe.... not to the extreme of positioning myself on a bucket or moving into the stands -- or use of video
 

Dale Brigger

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A good way to counteract the sign stealing is to teach your catcher to call their own game. These girls should be building relationships with their pitchers and one of the best ways to do so is to call a game. Get in their pitchers heads and find out what makes them tick so you know what pitches to call in situations. No one should know the pitcher better than her catcher! And if the catcher is good enough to call her own game, you know she is good enough to switch up signs if she thinks the other team has picked them up. My daughter has even learned to fool that girl on 2nd that is trying to relay signs to the hitter and can really make the girls at the plate look bad if they are watching the 2nd base runner.
 

24GahannaLadyLions7

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A good way to counteract the sign stealing is to teach your catcher to call their own game. These girls should be building relationships with their pitchers and one of the best ways to do so is to call a game. Get in their pitchers heads and find out what makes them tick so you know what pitches to call in situations. No one should know the pitcher better than her catcher! And if the catcher is good enough to call her own game, you know she is good enough to switch up signs if she thinks the other team has picked them up. My daughter has even learned to fool that girl on 2nd that is trying to relay signs to the hitter and can really make the girls at the plate look bad if they are watching the 2nd base runner.
100% agree, even at the 10U level, we have our catchers call a lot of the pitches, teach them strategy, teach them what to do when a batter peaks as the catcher sets up, and messing with runners on 2nd base
 

DanMaz

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Opposing coaches positioning themselves on a bucket just to steal the signs of the pitches signaled in from pitching coach/dugout to to the catcher, and then attempting to relay to their batter.

Oh yeah, also agree with others dislike of drop dead time limits.
i dont let sign stealing bother me at all because the bottom line is you still have to execute the play regardless of thinking you know the sign or not. "That's right coach! She's bunting and we are stealing the next pitch" - beat us. ;)
 

RedsDad

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100% agree with all of your comments regarding my sign stealing post. I have no problem with gamesmanship when it’s from the players, but it is a “pet peeve” when a coach does it for his players as I described. Like you said @24GahannaLadyLions7, that’s taking it to the “extreme” in my opinion. No tantrums from my side of the field when I see it, but it does annoy the crap out of me. .

I also couldn’t like enough the comment about teaching catchers to call the game, this is a learned process however.
 

Softball Dad

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Most umpires do a good job but my number 1 pet peeve is an umpire who doesn’t know or won’t enforce the rules. Primarily runners leaving early, obstruction/interference, pitching rules.
 

Stedman00

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Most umpires do a good job but my number 1 pet peeve is an umpire who doesn’t know or won’t enforce the rules. Primarily runners leaving early, obstruction/interference, pitching rules.

To go with this, the ump that know the rules but makes stuff up about "she's not getting an advantage by breaking the rule", or KNOWS the rule that has never been a rule. Those are the ones that really get the blood flowing.
 

MCS21

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I have 2!!!
1) Parents from opposing teams who find thinks their sole duty is to yell at umpires and want to argue with opposing coaches when calls are questioned
2) Coaches who wear denim
 

CoachLucas

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Drop dead

Yelling at outfielder to "get it in!"

Multiple hitting lesson from 3rd base during an at bat

Stay to Play

Sizing/ordering uniforms
 

Felix31

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When organizations bring a stacked team to a Rec ball tournament. Get a life trophy hunters! Bring what you have.
 

jt7663

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Rain Outs!! After Quarantine for Months!!
 

CarMad

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Guilty, I am a sign stealer, I teach the girls to try to pick up things from the coaches, relay when 2B, it's gamesmanship I believe.... not to the extreme of positioning myself on a bucket or moving into the stands -- or use of video

I don't care for it so much and don't see it as gamesmanship but doesn't get me fired up anymore. The Astros have taken a pretty big beating over it.
 

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