In the heat of the moment we all do things we regret. I have no excuses only explanations. Allow me to set the stage. 2 times previously we have faced the slammers in pool play. The first one ended in a pitching duel 3-0. The second in not so dramatic fashion with the slammers run ruling us. This past game in question was bracket play with the slammers being the home team, they were up 5-2 bottom of 4 with under 3 minutes to go in regulation and we were trying to get our 3rd out to get another opportunity to hit before time expired. Then the girl in question came up to bat and launched a 180'+ BOMB over right center field. One of those type hits that you know it's out as soon as it leaves the bat. I did not see the player get assisted nor did I say anything to the umpire. Here is the problem- I am 100% responsible for not only the way my players and assistant coaches act, but also the way the parents of my players act. What happens on the field and in my dugout is my responsibility. I made a HUGE mistake by not putting a stop to it, when I knew morally that was the right thing to do. Technically a rule was violated, morally, that violation didn't assist the ball in going over the fence.
***By saying "technically a rule was violated" I was speaking in the moment of the game based on the advice given to me by an NSA umpire who happens to also be a parent. This happened Sunday prior to the clarification. I believe it is understood now by numerous posts that this is not a violation of the rules. ****
I felt horrible the second that the umpire left the conference and put his fist in the air. The only thing I knew to do was to instruct my girls to get a ball and sign it for that girl. My apologies to her and her family and the Slammers team. It is and will remain a home run in my eyes. This is not indicative of the way that I coach or teach the game- those who know me, know this to be true. Those who don't can question my integrity all day long. Bottom line is this- I made a mistake in a game that I was trying to give my girls every opportunity to win. I feel like if I don't fight for my girls, then why should they fight for me? And what times/ rules are my girls worth fighting for and which times/ rules are they not? I obviously took that too far. It was a mistake that I won't ever forget as I would never want a girl to feel any less about herself after a shot like that. I explained this to my team after the game and admitted to them that I made a mistake morally, and explained to them why I did it. It doesn't make the situation any better. But like I tell my girls on a daily basis- learn from your errors, don't let one mistake turn into 2 or 3, and learn from it so the you can make the right play next time. I've learned from my mistake and I know I will not allow a situation like that again.
