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In a high school game today:
The visiting coach was the only adult travelling with the team. He announced to his squad that there would be no one coaching first base so they needed to look at him down at third for everything. (When we were in little league, whoever made the last out the previous inning or the 9 hitter to start the game would coach first. This guy had two subs on the bench doing nothing, too. And there were several dads there, all capable).
His team scored 8 runs in the first inning, and except for a couple of baserunning errors (no first base coach), they might STILL be batting.
After three innings, the score was 21 to 1. In the top of the fourth, a girl who already had five hits in the game was given the TAKE sign on a 3-0 pitch! It was right down the middle. She walked on the pitch after that. The kid has five hits and you're ahead 21-1 and you can't give her the green light?
In the bottom of the fifth (last inning because of mercy rule) with his team ahead 27-1, the other team put runners at first and third with one out. This is when the most pathetic thing happened. Why the other coach would send the runner from first down 26 runs, I can't imagine-- but he did. Why the winning coach would put on a play in preparation for such a ridiculous move, I can't imagine either-- but he did. The play? Throw to THIRD hoping to catch the runner there napping!
In that spot, the coach shouldn't say anything. The catcher should just know that if the other side is dumb enough to try to steal down 27-1 with one out in the last inning, she should just gun down the runner at second. And she was jogging down there, too! If the coaches don't know what they don't know-- how can the players know what they don't know? It's really sad.
The visiting coach was the only adult travelling with the team. He announced to his squad that there would be no one coaching first base so they needed to look at him down at third for everything. (When we were in little league, whoever made the last out the previous inning or the 9 hitter to start the game would coach first. This guy had two subs on the bench doing nothing, too. And there were several dads there, all capable).
His team scored 8 runs in the first inning, and except for a couple of baserunning errors (no first base coach), they might STILL be batting.
After three innings, the score was 21 to 1. In the top of the fourth, a girl who already had five hits in the game was given the TAKE sign on a 3-0 pitch! It was right down the middle. She walked on the pitch after that. The kid has five hits and you're ahead 21-1 and you can't give her the green light?
In the bottom of the fifth (last inning because of mercy rule) with his team ahead 27-1, the other team put runners at first and third with one out. This is when the most pathetic thing happened. Why the other coach would send the runner from first down 26 runs, I can't imagine-- but he did. Why the winning coach would put on a play in preparation for such a ridiculous move, I can't imagine either-- but he did. The play? Throw to THIRD hoping to catch the runner there napping!
In that spot, the coach shouldn't say anything. The catcher should just know that if the other side is dumb enough to try to steal down 27-1 with one out in the last inning, she should just gun down the runner at second. And she was jogging down there, too! If the coaches don't know what they don't know-- how can the players know what they don't know? It's really sad.