Would you take a forfeit or play the game?????

[BlindWhiteHat]

Just a question to see if I'm in the minority on this sportsmanship issue. This particular case involved girls little league softball with the players 12 and under.

One team contacted the opponent days before a scheduled game to see if it was possible to reschedule a game. The home team wouldn't have enough players to play the game as more than half of the team was required to attend a school function. This was a function that affected the students' grades so there was truly no choice for these students. The opposing coach refused to reschedule and in fact, showed up with his team to "collect a forfeit".

Does anyone feel this was the right thing to do in taking a win by forfeit? I thought most people would have rather played the game than had to win a game in this regard. I felt the entire point of little league was to teach the kids about the rules of the game and fair play. I'd love to hear other posters' opinions on this subject.

[dragoncoach56]

I agree with you totally BWH. I think it was low class and showed an extreme lack of integrity to take that win. I actually lost in a game I could have taken a forfeit on and it made me a better team. we made some changes that ultimately led to making our playoffs,changes I probably wouldn't have made had we taken the "W" Especially in youth league this is important to not teach it is ok to win on a formality,let the athletes decide on the field. As for me I wouldn't be able to feel good as a coach with a win like that,but that is a sad fact about youth league sports. There are people out there who don't care and give us all a bad name.

[Orange and Brown]

I would reschedule. The hole point of scheduling games is to play them. Players learn nothing from A forfit

[BlindWhiteHat]

I was told the visiting team was given 48 hours notice and still refused to reschedule.

[ItownHosscat]

If they interleague they are at the mercy of the District but,In years passed the league official rescheduled the game.I have dealt with our girls having their recitals,and you are right they do count as part of their grade.This game was always rescheduled!

[RiverRatRay]

The Player Agent should reschedule the game since it is a school function. The coach of the opposing team should have no say so at all. This should be a league decision. Use a little common sense. I wouldn't want a coach in my league that wasn't there for all the girls.

[BubbleGumTiger]

The Player Agent should reschedule the game since it is a school function. The coach of the opposing team should have no say so at all. This should be a league decision. Use a little common sense. I wouldn't want a coach in my league that wasn't there for all the girls.

right on RRR.............

[johnny b good]

I think that since the coach gave plenty of notice the game should have been rescheduled. I look for the day when Little League is about the kids once again. There are so many who are there for the kids but it is the few that ruin it for everyone. I'd also wonder what the parents influence was on the coaches decision not to reschedule.

[Tigercannon71]

Should have been rescheduled. I can see taking the forfeit if there was no prior notice, but in this case 48 hours ahead of time you reschedule.

[BlindWhiteHat]

RRR, the problem is this was an interleague game. This was not a decision that could be made by one league or its player agent. I know had it just been our league, the game would have been rescheduled with no question. The problem has arisen because of the other league involved. These responses have been almost exactly what I expected. I guess the coach who took the forfeit and his league are the only people that would have done such a thing.

[RiverRatRay]

Could it be that maybe soon this problem will be resolved for the good of the kids?

Someone has to be over the interleague. That person should make the decision. School functions should override anything going on with Little League sports.

[BlindWhiteHat]

RRR in this particular case with interleague, there is no one person over it. It was up to the leagues to work this out amongst ourselves because we did something new. We split up the girls into 9-10 and 11-12 year old groups to get more players more playing time.

BD, you are exactly right. The records mean nothing. That is why I'm so shocked that this coach wouldn't reschedule and would rather take a meaningless win instead of playing the game.

[Peanut]

I would like to say something about this subject before you crucify the coach in question. First of all, the little league girls are interleague and a schedule was made for all teams. Ironton refused to play gus macker weekend and memorial day weekend. I felt they should of had to forfeit these games (this is not a school function) because interleague is not about Ironton but all teams. The other teams went ahead and rescheduled these games and the game in question is because of the reschedules from the first schedule. Games need to be finished by June 15th and time is running out. The other coach in question already has other games plus rain-outs that are scheduled. From what I was told, the coach in question gave the team a reschedule time, but the other coach would not play back to back games because he had to play the other Ironton team the next night. That is when the coach in question said he would be at the game which was originally scheduled. Ironton should of let people know way ahead of time of all of the dates they could not play. Once the schedule is out, everyone should have to play by the schedule.

[BlindWhiteHat]

No one is crucifying any coach on here because no names or leagues have been mentioned.

Since you brought it up, Ironton made requests not to play on 3 dates. This was done at the meeting in Minford when this league was discussed. The schedule has been redone many times since yet Ironton's three requests were ignored.

April 19th was suggested as a non-play date for Ironton because there was a function at Ironton but Ironton's teams were scheduled anyway for the benefit of the other teams in the league. Gus Macker weekend was suggested as the Friends of Ironton asked the district not to schedule games so the kids could participate in the basketball tournament. Ironton teams had games scheduled that day too. I also suggested no games on Memorial Saturday as most families have plans and it's difficult to have enough for teams to play. Once again, there were games scheduled on that day too. None of these dates were set as dates anyone "refused" to play so there is no need to be so dramatic. It was a suggestion that was obviously ignored.

It's a shame to think anyone would take a forfeit win in a league in which wins mean nothing. This interleague was set up to allow the kids more opportunities to play and to play more of the skilled positions. Unfortunately, some can't see things that way.

I for one have been very disappointed in the way this setup has unfolded and will look for other options for my league next season.

[Peanut]

I too am not happy with how interleague went this year. The district wants all the control, but really doesn't seem to care. I think the interleague rep. was kind of thrown into the situation, with 11/12, 9/10, and 7/8. He just let people kind of work things out instead of just telling people when to make the games up or forfeit. I feel in the end, the kids did get a whole lot more out the season then if all the leagues were combined. It is very hard when you start something new, like with 9/10, 7/8 but again in the end I think it was better. I would like to see just two leagues who had enough to make a league play within themselves instead of going all over. Too many people have too many interpretations of the rules. If you kept it within two leagues, everyone could agree on things better. I just know the coach involved tried to make the game up. I was at the Minford meeting and heard nothing about schedule problems and dates that couldn't be played. I heard all of this a week later after the schedule was out. I too want all games played because a forfeit is ridiculous. These kids only get a few games and all should be played no matter what.

[wemufans]

I would have rescheduled if possible. When you are dealing with what the interlegue dealt with this year I can see both sides too. There were too many Indians and there needed to be one chief. I agree that you should not have more than two leagues interleagueing together.
This year SP and Fairland went together for Little League 9-12 (10-12 for the most part) if didn't go as well as planned either. One league was predominantly better and it seemed a waste of time to play the other league. We would have saved gas money and not traveled and played the home teams and gotten more out of it. It was done originally because we would have only had 4 teams and would have played each team 5 times.Both leagues originally had 4 teams each. Although one legue dropped a team. Both leagues thought it was better to play diifferent teams. The argueing and different interpretations of rules by the different leagues was stressfull for both sides.

[shljunkie]

If something is truly a "school" thing, program, graduation, etc... that is one thing and should be worked around. However, if it's not a school thing then sorry, play your games. Otherwise everytime you turn around someone has a recital, Reds tickets, going to Kings Island with friends, something. Once you start rescheduling for one thing, how can you say no to something else. Everyone's thing as as important to them as everyone elses. It's hard enough to work around the rain. When these kids get in junior high and high school they have to play the schedule they're given and that's just how it is.

[Strikeout]

Here is the other side of the story... He called to ask to reschedule and we were unable to reschedule because of three make up games already. And can not go over the dead line because of playing in some other tourn. The days he was wanting to make up would have put us in back to back games and is not fair to are girls. He told us not to even show up because he would not be there, But we said we were coming anyways. So when we show up he has his girls on the field hitting and taking batting time. And also has a UMPIRE. Now if we would not have shown up it would have been are loss. And the umpire who is saying reschedule is the same coach who the week before took a forfiet because another team did not have anough players. How do I know because I was helping Umpire his game.. We dont care if it is a forfiet or not but we do not have enough time to make it up.

Should not have played in the GUS MACKER AND MADE EVERYONE A WEEK BEHIND. That was just for Ironton.

[BlindWhiteHat]

So the game could have been rescheduled but you chose not to because it would result in back to back games. Translation--it would have created a pitching hardship for the team playing back to back games.

I don't believe that rescheduling so girls could play in the Gus Macker would put the league one week behind. That is just an excuse. Besides, Ironton's league president requested no games scheduled on that date as asked by the people running the Gus Macker. That request was ignored. It's only one game, not a week. Plus, regular games are only scheduled for 2 days per week. That allows 5 days to make up games. If you exclude Sunday and Wednesday, there are still 3 open days per week to reschedule games. The real problem is that people won't reschedule games because coaches can't agree on a CONVENIENT day for both teams. Too many are worried about back to back games and such. Let's not make excuses when the truth really is that people WON'T reschedule. It's not that they can't reschedule.

[Riverrat Tiger]

Strikeout, if what you said is true....

So when we show up he has his girls on the field hitting and taking batting time. And also has a UMPIRE. Now if we would not have shown up it would have been are loss.

Why did you guys not play?

The games should always tried to be re-scheduled. I have been a coach in the inter-league for a very long time and if there has been something to do with school, the games are always re-scheduled. Kay and Tuttie have been very easy to deal with.

As far as the Macker is concerned, Fairland High School scheduled their Sectional Championship Game on Monday as to not conflict. It's not just an "Ironton" thing. Scheduling really isn't this hard. Playing back to back games is a perfect time to develope some other pitchers. 2 years ago we played 12 games in 26 days, take away Sundays and Wednesdays and well, you get the picture. It comes down to whether or not you want to play.

The Inter-League is set up as to get more kids playing time with the time that you have against different opponents.