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Most sports forums have a referee or umpire around who can answer questions in an "ask the ref/umpire" sort of thread, but what about the "rules" that you really can't find in a rule book? Here are some observations from the last couple of years, some "unwritten rules" if you would. I realize that by putting them out there they are now just a bunch of written rules like the rest of them.
Anyway, here goes. In no particular order:
1. You only get one pass at celebrating a victory in an overly emotional way, usually when you win a big tournament for the first time. After that you have to act like you've been there/done that before. Don't be the Roger Federer of softball. For those of you who don't know who Roger Federer is, he's arguably the greatest tennis player in history who's won every major tournament a bunch of times. But every time he wins the same tournament again, he flops down on the court, cries, or gets hysterical in some other way like he's a rookie winning the tournament for the first time.
2. You should, as a matter of respect, shake the opposing coach's hand as you get to them at the end of the line. The only time you don't have to do this is if the opposing coach makes a negative remark about you during the game ("She left early" "She was out of the box" "No catch, she trapped that" "She's out" "She stepped on the plate" etc). They disrespected you, so there's no need to show them respect by shaking their hand.
3. If you're on an unseeded team and you make it to the finals against a superior team don't get overly emotional if you lose. You were not seeded and they were so you already knew the other team was expected to win. You only got to the finals through some fluke, so don't act all angry/devastated when you lose as if you were expected to win.
4. If you're on the team I described in #3, chances are you're going to be spending a lot of time in the consolation bracket. If the #1 or even #2 seeded team gets beat at some point in the tournament and chooses the indignity of joining you and the rest of the yabos in the loser's bracket, don't act all high and mighty and play to defeat them. They have already lowered themselves to try to get a meaningless 3rd place award. They don't need the additional insult of some scrubs bringing their A game to try to defeat them. The rule is you play a solid game but the #1/#2 seeded team gets to win and advance.
5. When your game is up and you are on the inferior team don't run to try to get the 3rd base dug out. The 3rd base dug out is for the superior team.
6. Rules for playing against a superior team or returning champion:
*Don't step on the field before they do.
*Your coach is to wait until their coach offers their hand for the handshake before the game starts. Never allow your coach to disrespect their higher position in the sport by offering their hand first.
*You never score the first run or steal the 1st base in a game against a superior team/returning champion.
7.If you win a tournament, don't invite the 2nd place finishers to join you and your team in a picture. It's beyond condescending. You're basically saying to them "You weren't good enough to bring home the big hardware but we give you permission to join us even though everyone knows that you don't really belong here."
8. Don't wear t-shirts advertising the camp you went to over the winter. Nobody cares or is intimidated that you made it through some "N-tense" or "X-treme" camp. Besides it makes you look foolish if you end up losing to a bunch of girls who spent their winter playing other sports or doing nothing.
9. If all of the girls on the opposing team are wearing an old school chin cup on their batting helmet your pitcher is about to get rocked.
10. If you get hosed in the finals there are several ways of handling the hose job. The ultimate option is to not show up to the awards ceremony so one base line is awkwardly empty, which lets everybody know that a hose job took place. The other more discrete option is to show up to the awards ceremony and stand on the line. But when the tournament director comes around to drape the silver medal around your neck, don't bow down and let them do so. Instead reach out and take the medal from their hand and hold it to the side during the ceremony. This is a subtle way of letting everyone know that you'll take the medal but you don't really accept it. If you want to really go all out, you can stand on the base line but refuse to take the medal as they present it to you.
Anyway, here goes. In no particular order:
1. You only get one pass at celebrating a victory in an overly emotional way, usually when you win a big tournament for the first time. After that you have to act like you've been there/done that before. Don't be the Roger Federer of softball. For those of you who don't know who Roger Federer is, he's arguably the greatest tennis player in history who's won every major tournament a bunch of times. But every time he wins the same tournament again, he flops down on the court, cries, or gets hysterical in some other way like he's a rookie winning the tournament for the first time.
2. You should, as a matter of respect, shake the opposing coach's hand as you get to them at the end of the line. The only time you don't have to do this is if the opposing coach makes a negative remark about you during the game ("She left early" "She was out of the box" "No catch, she trapped that" "She's out" "She stepped on the plate" etc). They disrespected you, so there's no need to show them respect by shaking their hand.
3. If you're on an unseeded team and you make it to the finals against a superior team don't get overly emotional if you lose. You were not seeded and they were so you already knew the other team was expected to win. You only got to the finals through some fluke, so don't act all angry/devastated when you lose as if you were expected to win.
4. If you're on the team I described in #3, chances are you're going to be spending a lot of time in the consolation bracket. If the #1 or even #2 seeded team gets beat at some point in the tournament and chooses the indignity of joining you and the rest of the yabos in the loser's bracket, don't act all high and mighty and play to defeat them. They have already lowered themselves to try to get a meaningless 3rd place award. They don't need the additional insult of some scrubs bringing their A game to try to defeat them. The rule is you play a solid game but the #1/#2 seeded team gets to win and advance.
5. When your game is up and you are on the inferior team don't run to try to get the 3rd base dug out. The 3rd base dug out is for the superior team.
6. Rules for playing against a superior team or returning champion:
*Don't step on the field before they do.
*Your coach is to wait until their coach offers their hand for the handshake before the game starts. Never allow your coach to disrespect their higher position in the sport by offering their hand first.
*You never score the first run or steal the 1st base in a game against a superior team/returning champion.
7.If you win a tournament, don't invite the 2nd place finishers to join you and your team in a picture. It's beyond condescending. You're basically saying to them "You weren't good enough to bring home the big hardware but we give you permission to join us even though everyone knows that you don't really belong here."
8. Don't wear t-shirts advertising the camp you went to over the winter. Nobody cares or is intimidated that you made it through some "N-tense" or "X-treme" camp. Besides it makes you look foolish if you end up losing to a bunch of girls who spent their winter playing other sports or doing nothing.
9. If all of the girls on the opposing team are wearing an old school chin cup on their batting helmet your pitcher is about to get rocked.
10. If you get hosed in the finals there are several ways of handling the hose job. The ultimate option is to not show up to the awards ceremony so one base line is awkwardly empty, which lets everybody know that a hose job took place. The other more discrete option is to show up to the awards ceremony and stand on the line. But when the tournament director comes around to drape the silver medal around your neck, don't bow down and let them do so. Instead reach out and take the medal from their hand and hold it to the side during the ceremony. This is a subtle way of letting everyone know that you'll take the medal but you don't really accept it. If you want to really go all out, you can stand on the base line but refuse to take the medal as they present it to you.
