When a coach cost a kid their entire season.

[coachjwb]

Valley Force .... thanks for giving your side of the story as well as the good news on the injured player. I am sure you have thought about this or even done it before, but one of the things I have always done when coaching 3B is to tell players to not go home on a passed ball if we are up a lot, and have even been heard to say "and we don't want anyone to get hurt". With that being said, there have still been some times when I said that (and other times when I didn't) and the player went anyhow! Fortunately, I don't remember anyone ever getting hurt, but I can recall a time or two when I heard some grief from the other team or their fans when this happened, and I used it as a teaching moment with the player later about listening to the coaches' instructions!

 

[Valley-Force01]

I am the mother of the injured player. I love my daughter and wouldn't put her into harms way but..... Softball is a CONTACT sport!! Maybe you have never played in a contact sport but I have. The player bust their ass to help their team out no matter who or what the score is. Accidents happen no matter how hard you try not to get injured. I can't believe you would say her coach ruined her career. She is only a 12 yr old girl but has the determination and the love of the game. She gives 110% in every game no matter who her team is playing. She does play every game like she's in a College World Series and I'm PROUD of her!! Her injury is no different than a player sliding into 2nd on a non-break away bag. She could have slide into home 300 times and the injury never happens. So you can't blame her coach, the catcher, or my daughter she was just doing her job!! My daughter is a very strong and healthy girl and she will make a full recovery!! You will see her again THIS SEASON!!!

 

[CoachDS]

Thanks for all the input. I am glad your DD will play again THIS SEASON. As for the one coach yelling throw elbows. I seen our head coach put a stop to that and believe he apologized to the Valley Force coaches and the Tournament Director for what his assistant coach did.

 

[#4mom]

So is this rule of sliding up to each tournament? We had a 10u girl ejected from a tournament game in troy for not sliding! Is this or is this not a rule?

 

[SoCal_Dad]

As Louuuuu posted (see #9), runners are not required to slide and are not allowed to run over the fielder either. "Must slide" rules are unnecessary as runners have the options of sliding, going around the fielder or retreating.

Players aren't ejected for failing to slide - it has to be flagrant/malicious contact.

 

[BretMan2]

So is this rule of sliding up to each tournament? We had a 10u girl ejected from a tournament game in troy for not sliding! Is this or is this not a rule?

It's not a rule in any of the standard rule books from the main sanctioning bodies.

I've never personally known a tournament to add it as a rule.

It is a popular rule myth that gets repeated fairly often.

I have known of some leagues that add it, in a misguided attempt at "safety". I'm not sure how "safe" it is to require young players, who have probably never been taught or mastered correct sliding techniques, to be required to perform a dangerous action. Statistically, more baseball and softball players are injured from sliding than for all of the players hurt by batted or thrown balls put together, and far more than by player-to-player collisions.

The rule says that a runner must avoid contact with a fielder making a play on them. Sliding is one way to legally avoid contact, but it's not the only way. Runners can remain on their feet and go around a fielder, dodge a fielder, slow down, or stop, all of which are legal ways to avoid contact without sliding.

If your runner just plows into a fielder without dodging, slowing, stopping, or sliding, then she should be at least called out for interference, and even ejected if the umpires judges the contact to be malicious or flagrant.

At the 10U level, it's entirely possible that you had an inexperienced umpire that didn't understand this rule.

 

[manitoudan]

What inning was this game in ? was it a time limit game ? Was there some reason the 3B coach didnt remind the runner to stay put ? I totally understand its hard to give young players every piece of advice they need ....but when you are up 12-0 most players , even young ones , know when to dial it back . I cant totally buy the " we are so aggressive we just cant dial it back " excuse.

 

[freddieball]

You can yell, scream, wave your arms, or whatever you want at 3B. The player has a mind of their own. In the heat of the moment in which only the people there know the scenario, but I can see many aggressive players taking off home in a passed ball. Doesn't matter the score. You can give a 12yr old the bunt sign 100 times and then they see a meatball coming and swing at it. Its the passion of the game. The players end up making the final call. The coach said he did not send her home, and the parent said it was a accident. What more can anyone ask for. Sounds like everything will turn out ok in the end and she will be playing this season.