Un-sportsman like conduct

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #41

Maybe I'm kind of "old school" because, personally, I think that a cartwheel is too much. Illegal? No. Something the umpire should address? Nope.

What is the old football saying (which seems to be attributed to every coach from Woody Hayes to Joe Paterno) about how a player should act when he scores a touchdown and is in the endzone? Act like you've been there before!

I don't really care for incessant chanting, infielders high-fiving the pitcher after every strike out or teams huddling on the field between every half inning, but that is just personal opinion and all those actions seem to be regarded as accepted behavior in fastpitch softball. The game belongs to the girls and if they're fine with it, I'm fine with it.

Let's file this one under the "unwritten" rules of softball. You don't steal bases after you're up by "X" number of runs (I'm not sure exactly how many "X" is, because nobody ever wrote it down), you don't make the first or last out at third base, you don't bunt to break-up a no hitter (maybe that one's more of a baseball thing) and you don't show-up your opponent after hitting a home run.

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #42

Just to answer the question, this was a 14U team and the final score was 6-5. A very close game (although this was not a game winning hit). The girl that did the cartwheel was from the winning team, team A. and team B had beat them the day before in pool play. So your speculation may be correct. There may have been a little more going on then just another game!

 

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• Jun 25, 2008

• #43

Amen

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #44

This whole thing about disrespecting opponents has been way blown out of proportion in baseball in my mind. Intentionally running up scores or taunting an opponent are forms of disrespect. Celebrating accomplishments is another matter altogether in my mind. There are appropriate and inappropriate ways to do this for sure ... we want to see people act and win humbly. A quick high five on the mound after a K is not excessive but a cartwheel running bases is in my opinion. But I don't see it as being disrespectful to the other team, and deserving some sort of macho retaliation ... that's just stupid.

 

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• Jun 25, 2008

• #45

I do think a cartwheel is excessively exhuberant and as a parent of their opponent I would not have laughed about it. However, we really don't know if her coached addressed this in the dugout afterwards. But I do have to say that at 14 years old she should know better. At 14 you have to wonder "exhuberance" or "in your face" .

 

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• Jun 25, 2008

• #46

My DD started varsity as a freshman and hit her first HS homerun in the top of the 7th inning of a game we were losing 0-3. We ended up winning that game 8-3. She ran the bases as fast as she could and was mobbed by her teammates at home and to the dugout. She looked at me with a huge smile and sparkling eyes, I nodded and pointed to her. She turned back to the game, standing up to the fence and cheered her teammate up to bat. Like it or not, agree or disagree, I raise and coach mine to do their job. She did and moved on.

Some kids are raised to work for attention for every success, some are just raised to work to succeed.

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #47

Good for you Centerville Fastpitch!!!!

Hope as though mine will follow the same path. And I believe that she will.

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #48

All though there are no rules broken it is the responsibility of every adult associated with an organization to teach sportsmanship. If this would of happen at our High School it would of been that players last at bat for a long while.

Have fun, show respect and act as if..........

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #49

Playedout,
Firt, I take offense at being told that I'm ignorant of the "unspoken" rules of the game. You don't know me or anything about me or how long I've been involved in softball. Let's just say it's been many years and I'm aware of the rules of the game both written and unspoken. Although it may have been a little over the top - that doesn't matter as far as the game itself goes. No rule was broken therefore nothing was required of the umpire which is what the original question was. Do I think she should do it every time she gets a home run - NO. Should her coach address this with her - probably. But I still think that too many parents and some coaches try to play the game for the kids and as much as some don't want to accept it, they are kids and sometimes they say or do things during the course of the game that we adults don't care for - those things can and should be addressed at the next practice.
I wonder if anybody would even be complaining about this if cartwheel girls team ended up losing the game? Somehow, I don't think so.

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #50

in all the hubub, would you care if she was wearing metal spikes, fell, broke her ankle? or maybe, came down on another girl? just wonderin

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #51

the original poster didn't ask if a rule was broken or if the umpire should've done something about it. He/she asked for opinions and experiences. Everyone knows there is no rule being broken by doing it, so then of course there is nothing for an umpire to do. Kids are kids and will do some silly things from time to time. But that doesn't change whether it was right or wrong, acceptable or not acceptable. Bottom line is, in my opinion, which is what the original poster asked us for, the girl was wrong for doing it. Its over the top and totally too much of a celebration for what just happened. She didn't mean it to be in your face I'm sure, but at 14u she let her emotions get the best of her for a minute and did something that a coach (and a parent if she were mine) should probably explain to her, after telling her great rip!, that is was a tad overboard. Expected from a 14u player? Maybe, she is only 14u. But still needs to be told about it.

Funny, at what point did they learn to all come in and high five the pitcher after each strikeout? When did they learn the pat the leg dance with the accompanying "two down, one to go" after an out? All these syncronized dances, skits, chants and cheers? Was this when they should've been focusing on how to field a ground ball? Or when to throw to what base? Or how to bunt? Or how to run the bases? Etc, etc.

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #52

I agree with Centerville Fastpitch. This sounds to me like the girl has special needs to have the world's attention, but was probably not flaunting directly at the pitcher. Too bad for the home run hitter, she'd probably be better off if she were just a poor sport instead of needing to be the center of attention. This seems more common now (with kids and adults) compared to 'the good ole days'.

Success is when you feel it from within, you don't need to show others, or get acknowledgement from others to find out if you've succeeded.

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #53

I think it was inappropriate.
Meeting them at home plate is a team thing and not at all the same thing.

My dd is a pitcher and I think that would really make her mad because it APPEARS obnoxious.
The girl may have just been so happy she couldn't stand it and may not have meant anything by it.

One thing that did happen and infuriated her was when I called timeout too late, she didn't hear me and she started to pitch then stopped when the catcher stepped out - they called an illegal pitch and the parents on the other team shook the fence and screamed and yelled like someone had hit a grand slam!

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #54

Way to much analyzing going on over something as simple as a cartwheel. This is a kids game, a game we want them to be excited and passionate about playing. Let the girl show here excitement and don't read anymore into it.

But if she followed the cartwheel up with a "Nana Nana Bo Bo", those are fighting words. LOL

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #55

The3dm said:

Way to much analyzing going on over something as simple as a cartwheel. This is a kids game, a game we want them to be excited and passionate about playing. ?Let the girl show here excitement and don't read anymore into it.

But if she followed the cartwheel up with a "Nana Nana Bo Bo", those are fighting words. ?LOL

Click to expand...

Well said 3dm!

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #56

Wow, did this post get legs and run or what? I seems unanimous that it was overboard but not so with how much she should get "yelled at" for doing it. At 14U I would just tell her nice hit honey but hold the cartwheels. If she was 10U I would tell her that was cute but you only get to do it once. If she was 16U or 18U I would tell her she was a Dork! But notice no one has said they ever say anyone do it other then the original poster. So it seems it was a very isolated incident. I just don't see it becoming a problem. I don't think its excessive celebrating but I would stop them out of fear of an unnecessary injury. How would you like your long ball hitter spraining her wrist celebrating? That would bite. So girls NO cartwheels anytime or for any reason! ;D

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #57

coachmem said:

OK If my daughter finally gets one over the fence this year I will do a cartwheel!

Then as I am carried away by the paramedics I am sure someone will start a post about it..

Please no photos though. ?;D

Click to expand...

Be careful. I know of a parent who tore her achilles tendon celebrating her dd's homerun.

 

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• Jun 25, 2008

• #58

ohlovessteelers said:

[quote author=coachmem link=1214312901/0#12 date=1214322951]OK If my daughter finally gets one over the fence this year I will do a cartwheel!

Then as I am carried away by the paramedics I am sure someone will start a post about it..

Please no photos though. ?;D

Click to expand...

Be careful. I know of a parent who tore her achilles tendon celebrating her dd's homerun.
[/quote]

lol ;D

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #59

no cartwheels for my kid..........but don't make such a big deal over nothing.

 

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Member

• Jun 25, 2008

• #60

What makes you think they can't do all that and still give some glovin' lovin'?It's for morale,not disrespect to opposing team.Good pitchers work really hard and I'm guessing a lot of weight on their shoulders.this is in response too KRM0503.