We played terrible yesterday, struggled in every aspect of the game. We were down 9-1 late in the game and the opposing team sac. bunted twice, and stole bases! I was furious! I was taught that if you were up by 8 or more late in the game you quit putting runners in motion, and held runners when they get to third base. I do note see a reason to sac. bunt late in the game when you are up by 8 or more. I consider this bush league. As someone who loves the game, and loves to see it taught the right way, this frustrates me. You would think a high school head coach would understand the unwritten rules of the game.

Am I way out of line? Do any of you think along the same lines as I do?

I'm sorry, but I consider it your problem and not theirs that you were down 9-1. I understand where you're coming from, but look at it from their perspective.. when do you get game situations where you can practice stuff?? It can't be practiced in practice because you don't have the game situation.

I was taught the scoreboard doesn't dictate the way you play the game.

I would say in all sports the scoreboard does dictate how you play. You don't fullcourt press in basketball late in the game up by 20 or 30 points, and you do not throw the football deep down the field up by 3 or more touchdowns late in a game. I believe strongly in the unwritten rules of the game of baseball. I feel like putting runners in motion and sac. bunting late in a game is kind of like rubbing my nose in it so to speak. You are right though, if we had played good baseball we would have never been in that spot, but I believe what goes around comes around. I have respect for my competition. I am careful to never try to show someone up.

An 8 run lead is no time for mercy---I have to say coach at that point you can still pull it out===the onus is on you---is your team so bad they cannot make up 8 runs?

They were not showing you up at all--they were striving to make sure you did not get back up off the mat!!!

quote:

Am I way out of line? Do any of you think along the same lines as I do?

Yep....Worry about your own team, not how the other coach chooses to run his team and and go back and fix whatever it is that made your team get pasted.

Make your team better.

Who was bunting and stealing? Starters? Backups that need the experience? 8 runs isn't an insurmountable lead in hs ball.

And I never take my foot of the gas till we hit the 10-run rule mark, for pitching purposes if nothing else.

i ease up depending on team..10 i quit running and bunting..12 usually stop being aggressive.

I believe it was Whitey Herzog back in the 80's who said,"When they stop hitting home runs, I'll stop running."

Now this was pro ball, but if you are playing a good team, as soon as you let up, the players let up, and next thing you know you have a 2 run lead or you are behind.

Take it as a compliment that they didn't want to give your team a chance to come back. It is a different way to look at it, but I would say they respected your team too much to let up.

We will have to agree to disagree. As I said, I believe firmly in the unwritten rules of the game. I was taught 8 or more runs late in the game (6th and 7th) you quit putting runners in motion, you just play the game as it comes, you do not force the issue. Again, we will have to agree to disagree.

Nicholas25...I understand that if you were taught that way, then we might expect you to react the same way. Understandable.

But I'm with the others. Worry about your own club and getting better. If the other team was standing there calling your team losers and bums, then that is one thing. If they were playing the game within the rules, then you gotta suck it up man.

Are you sure your reaction isn't emotional due to a good butt spanking?

I am really suprised that I am the only one who feels this way. Not at all saying that you guys are less baseball men, just suprised I am on an island here. It is never fun when your club doesn't play sound, fundamental baseball. I do not think it is fun if we win, but we win ugly, and do not play sound, fundamental baseball.

local middle school scored 15 runs in first inning. Coach was flumoxed as to what to do. He slowed down the game after the 5th run scored. He asked the umpires what to do with out insulting the other team. (They called the game at 3 1/2 innings.) (Team was clearly out of its league. our side was cheering for them - they seemed like a group of good kids.)

Some of the things I've heard suggested is to bunt, bat from the other side, slow the runners down. 9 runs isn't a lot. Maybe the other coach thought you were strong enough to come back. I've seen it done - been on both ends.

as someone said above, 8 runs is not that insurmountable. pitchers could change, etc. maybe in the last inning, but not in the 6th. I wouldn't consider it before it was 10 runs.

and i agree, the coach may have been showing you some respect, thinking you could've come back. apparently, you didn't agree with him..

thinking back, this happened to our team when we were eleven. we were getting crushed. we lost 19-0. the other team was bunting. I was livid. but 19-0 at age 11 is a little different..

Another point I could make is that if you are up by 8 or more late in a ball game, you may still score many more runs. You just do not get them by stealing bags, sac. bunting, hit and running, etc.. It's not like a guy is going to hit the ball and you are going to tell him to slow down so he can get thrown out at first. You just are not trying to shove it down someone's throat when you already have the game well in hand. I know that will not change your viewpoints, but it is another point.

My point is that if I'm up by 8 in the 6th and if I push 2 more runs across the game is over (mercy rule - 10 after 5) then my kid at 70 pitches doesn't have to go back out and I don't have to burn another pitcher because I have a game tomorrow and one on Monday I'll squeeze the last sonofabitch home. I'll explain it to you afterwards, but I'll do it and sleep fine.

I've seen 9 runs scored in a 1/2 inning between 2 good varsity teams. It's hs baseball. Get better.

Amen ironhorse - you said it best. Get the game over with as quickly as possible. I say go for 12 runs so you can have a couple to play with. 9 - 1 is not a bad score and is not impossible to come back on.

Look your upset and ticked off and it's understandable but you cannot control what the other team does. Control what you can control. Make your team better.

Each time you say that the other team is bush league to your players you send the wrong message. They are now given an excuse for why they got beat - the other team is jerks.

Put the responsibility back on your kids. They messed up so they have to get better.

You want to let up after 8 run lead then that is your choice but who's fault is it if the other team comes back on you? Either way - up or down - your team allowed the other team to score 8 runs on you.

No Way Guys, we take full responsibility for our play. We do not allow excuses! Yesterday in practice the players hopefully learned a lesson, and payed a price for not showing up to play. We are striving to be a championship level baseball program. When I am talking about championship level baseball, I am talking about how you run, stretch, warm up, throw, dress, talk, everything! I am not mad at the other team because they beat us. We did not deserve to win. I just hate WE allowed ourselves to be in a position to have our faces rubbed in it. Again, not bunting runners over and stealing bags doesn't mean a team won't score 15 more runs. I just do not feel you should try to "squeeze one across" up by a bunch late. And rest assured, we are trying to get better! I would be shocked and disappointed, if we weren't the hardest working team in our conference.

If you are talking High School Federation rules and the pitcher's innings are limited, then try and get the game over with as soon as possible, and however you feel you can do it. I just don't see how what the other team does (swing away, sac bunt, steal, whatever), should have any impact on how you feel. Sorry.

If you were a basketball coach and a team was fullcourt pressing up by 30 late in game, would that have an impact on how you feel? If you were a football coach and the opposing team was throwing it deep down the field up by 4 touchdowns late in the game, would that have an impact on how you feel? I promise I am not trying to be a jerk or anything, this is just very interesting to me. I have been around "solid baseball men" for years (I am sure many of you have as well), and all of them felt the same way I do. In fact, I have never been around a genuine baseball man, who doesn't understand the unwritten rules and codes of the game. When you are up by a bunch late, just play the game, don't try to squeeze them across. Thanks guys, I have enjoyed it.

I have one more quick comment I want to make on this topic. I have a supreme love and passion for the game of baseball. I loved playing, and love coaching, watching, thinking about, talking about, and reading about the game. I want to see the game taught right because I feel it cheats the kids when they have coaches who do not teach the game correctly. I say all that to say this, if I was in the stands watching a game, and it had nothing to do with me, I would be upset if I felt a team was trying to rub another teams nose in it, because I love the game. It's not about me, it's about the kids and the game!