Turnadouble

I have yet to see it called. Can't blame the pitcher for trying to get away with it, just like most the other rules, umps over look it.

Oh no, I think you missed my point. I'm all about taking chances and far from conservative. My point was a response to a previous post, the coach chewed the girl because she got doubled out when he told her to straight out steal. When you straight out steal you have one objective & that's to get to the base. The coach has to own that out because it was his call. Let me retract from my previous post "never" is a strong word, me personally I won't call a bunt steal at the same time. It has nothing to do with faith because I have all the faith in the world in my girls, it has to do with statistics. I really practice bunting too but when they drop the bat head or go after a bad pitch it will pop up. I bunt a lot and my runners know they are doing more than just a lead she is going, going, going constant forward motion until she sees it in the dirt, once it hits dirt she is gone and her goal is 3rd, some can make it some can??™t. I??™m always pushing the envelope with runners, I do all kinds of stuff other coaches won??™t do. Ok the whole squeeze bunt is a different aspect of the game, I love it but very few can pull it off. When a player pulls it off it synergizes the whole team but I have seen the very best runners and bunters not succeed at it, it is a chance sometimes you have to take. There are many chances sometime you have to take. If you take that chance and the runner gets out are you going to yell at her? That was my point from before, if you call it you have to own it. I am an all or nothing kind of coach but I am a realist too, some things work and some don??™t, if it works for other coaches good for them.

I thought it but I never said the word idiot but I agree that it??™s not a play I would call because of the pop up factor. Hit and run is risky too but it is a little different because she is swinging away & the runner would have more time to get back if the ball was popped up(out field or so). They all have risks but bunting is tricky for most players, thay can make contact but not everyone can put it in the dirt. All runners should check where the ball is if it's hit or bunted I agree but when you tell a player to steal they should have one job and that??™s to get to the next base. They shouldn??™t look up until they get to that base. When you tell a batter to bunt the runner should know what's going on and know she is shooting for third if possible but as a coach I have never told my runner to steal & batter to bunt at the same time. I let runner know the situation and if you have worked with your runners they know what you expect and they know their speed and if they can push it. On a bunt my girls are in a forward motion but watching that bunt until it hits dirt. Do you see the difference in straight bunt/steal and the runner knowing her job when the bunt is laid down? I??™m sure that??™s why the girl was thrown out before she could get back to 1st, she was doing her job and was focused on stealing a base. The coach told her to steal and that??™s what she was doing. We have all told a runner to go and the ball not get away from a catcher or baseman as far as we thought it would and the runner gets thrown out. As a coach you just have to own it and tell the player good job for doing what you told them and the out is on you .

lol I thought the same thing. I have never given the steal sign with a bunt. On a bunt from any position the runner has to be aware where the balls because the risk of pop ups. If the runner was a speedy I would have just showed bunt and pulled back to move the defense out of pocket.

I agree completely. I have another example for you, High School game & the pitcher is having trouble sticking her pitches, she really has to work at moving the ball around because she has a natural inside pitch. She lines up on the very edge of the pitching plate(left side), on her delivery her left foot is a good two foot outside of 24 inch plate dimension. Correct me if I??™m wrong but doesn??™t your first step off the mound have to be a forward step within the 24 inch pitching plate? I talked to umpire about it and he looked at me like he had no clue.

Your right, lack of coaching is one of the biggest factors. It is hard to have the time unless you have more assistant coaches. I even have a few managers that I let practice with us. They love the game and they have so much heart but they didn't make the team. If they are willing to learn I will teach them.

JV teams are your future you shouldn??™t just dismiss them nonchalantly. I practice my JV and Varsity separately and for the same amount of time. I also have inter-team scrimmages and mix Varsity and JV up. Live action is some of the best practice, I think it sticks with players more when you show them instead of just telling them. You could talk all day but when they see what runners do in situations they remember it better. It gives your coaching staff a heads up on what the team needs to work on too.

I have a very strong opinion about this; I think it should be the same for HS & College. HS shouldn't be allowed to do it but they are. I watched a JV game the other day and the RH pitcher would take a complete big step with her right foot off the mound and plant then take her big stride with her left. It was like a slow motion crow hop. There were two TSSAA umpires on the field neither of them called it for 3 innings. I know it was a JV game but you have to call the game right. If you don't let players know what they are doing wrong how can they correct it?

I hear mixed emotions about this all the time. In my opinion bunting and slapping is a very strategic part of the game. It is meant to pull defense off the bases, moves runners, punch the ball by the infield but for me I like keeping the defense off balance. If you have a good power hitting/bunting/slapping team you are going to keep you defense off balance because they never know what you are coming at them with. In the defensive players mind they know you can bunt but if they pull in to much they also know you could turn and hit and they are a few feet from you. That can put doubt in a players mind. You have to prepare your team for that defensively. The short game is VERY important to the game. To play at the next level you better be able to play the short game offensively & defensively.

Well MrNoitAll I am no newbie. /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" /> I don't consider it a dumb question by asking if you were a coach. At 32 I have been a coach for 9 years and an Umpire for 7, my husband has umpired baseball and softball for over 15 years, and I would have never guessed you were ever a coach. It's evident to me you know a lot about the game, area teams and their play and but your approach to humor or amusement is not the same as any coach I have ever been around. Just to say the least Softball is a very big part of my life. Fast pitch or slow pitch it doesn't matter to me, whether I??™m playing coaching or just watching, if it's softball I'm there. I guess we will have to agree to disagree about your approach to entertainment at the players cost. You ever want to talk straight up plays, strategies, stupid calls, great plays or stupid plays I would love to but I will say it again your ???Losers??? board is tacky. MrNoitAll, as much as you post why don't you pay CoachT and become a plus member?

I agree with your post. I know it will make some kids play harder but some kids are to hard on themselves anyway. I believe in talking about the games and what went wrong and right in the game, who needs to step it up and who excelled. Debate is healthy and I will talk to him all day about different things but my point is the whole emphasis on the ???losers???. It may be entertaining but at who's cost, not ours. Entertaining or not they are still kids. I will say it again tacky. I have wasted too much of my time trying to make him see he may want to rethink his approach.

My bad, my hands were going to fast. Please except my wholehearted apology, I wouldn't purposely do you that way. /biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":D" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

You are so right, they know when they play poorly. With good players the mistakes are ALWAYS in the back of their minds. Even as a coach you tell them when they screw up but you can't just focus on what they did wrong or it will consume them. They have to remember the things they do right so they still believe in themselves.

To answer your first question, my teams are well aware when we lose and it??™s not all ??? they played a good game and that is all that matters???. LOL If you only knew me. I??™ll just say I take care of my teams. Yes, I yell and scream when I have to but you won??™t hear me leaving my girls negative vibe. I am pretty good at getting my point across, I praise them when they do things right but I??™m also the first to let them know when mess up. You know, you can be a smart a*$ all you want. If that makes you feel better and gives you self worth knock yourself out. But I just have one question for you, are you a coach?

First, I am not a man and second I'm not tore up over this so I have nothing to get over. Thanks for your concern though. He just does this top get a rise out of people most ignore it and some reply. I am well aware there is a losing team every time there is a game play and yes, I know it is part of the sport. However, I am a coach and I don??™t use the word loser to my team. I teach them that win lose or draw if you give it your all it was a good day. As a coach you have two kinds of players, the ones that you can crawl their butt and they play harder and the ones that you have to watch your words or they will shut down. I get my point across to both but with tact. You focus on the bad and kids start to think the worst. I don??™t except you to understand unless you have ever coached. For people who love the sport as much as they say they do, they should have respect for the players because it??™s not about us as the fans it??™s about them as players who bust their butts so we all have something to talk about. I don??™t expect Mrknowitall to stop because he has ???last word syndrome??? . I have my opinion and I think he is tacky.

I know, 1996 was a great year but a heart breaking championship. Livingston had an amazing team that year, Tiffany Krantz and Sunday Watson were both up for AA Miss Basketball in 96. I don't think I have ever heard of two girls from the same team up for Miss Basketball in the same year?

When I went to Central to watch the Upperman game we had a very small area for Upperman fans and I was right on the end that joined the McMinn Central crowd. I will say everyone around me was really nice except for one big guy. He was part of that 5%. When Lashay was fouled real hard he yelled "Take her out". I just stopped and looked at him like Seriously? I knew he had to be the village idiot because everyone else was extremely nice. It just takes one and every crowd has one.

Now I will agree with that.

Come on, seriously how old are you? Does this give you validation by acting like this? These girls get out there and bust their butts whether they win, lose or draw. We all know there are winners and losers in a game but seriously out of respect for the ones who actually play don't make a spectacle of these girls.

I watched every match up between Livingston and Upperman this year and I also watched the Upperman vs. Central game. Hands down these are 3 great teams in their own right. All of this who is better LA or Upperman doesn't matter now. But let??™s all just be honest here, you know and I know NOONE wanted to travel to McMinn Central last week. You can??™t say and Central "who didn't even have 2 of their starters on the floor the last few minutes??? you really don??™t know about that game because you weren??™t there. I was there that night and I will tell anyone that game between Upperman and Central was a battle. It was a battle unlike any of the LA vs. Upperman games this year. The outcome of that game come down to the last minute. Central pulled out the win it was plain and simple. I won't even try to talk about why Upperman left this post season so early. I can tell you they lost to a very good Central team. I can also say without any reserves that Upperman had the talent to go to the state championship but it doesn??™t always work out that way. I heard Lesley Smith on the radio before the game talking about how she had been in contact with Dana McWilliams about McMinn Central and she appreciated Dana??™s help. I love that. Even though through the season they probably can??™t stand each other but when it come down to it Dana would pull for LA. If the coaches can do it the fans should too. Here are my thoughts, LA and Central made it to the dance, they were the best teams that showed up when it mattered. I??™m sure McMinn didn??™t expect the level of play that LA has because of their record. Records mean zero when it??™s MARCH MADNESS, anything can happen. The thing that has carried LA to this point is HEART along with talent but they are carried mostly by heart. That is the difference maker, HEART. Good luck to the Lady Cats I know I??™m cheering for them all the way.

Chargerettefan and Crow6424, I would just drop it because Upperman and Central are not in the running anymore and you are not doing these girls any justice by stirring the pot. Central and Upperman had great teams this year but unfortunately it doesn??™t always work out. Congrats to both on a good season.

That is not what happened to Upperman, they don't worrying about who's going to get the points and attention and the coach just falls apart. So if that is your theory is that what happened to McMinn Central when LA put them out? Upperman and Central are both great teams and now they have one thing in common LA beat them this year.

Wow what a game. This just proves that records mean absolutely nothing when it's MARCH MADNESS! I was listening to the game on my way home from work and I about wrecked when Alyssa hit three 3's in a row then another 3 a few minutes later. Great game LA!

What a great way to pay your respects. Ravenwood sounds like they have a great group of girls and coaching staff.

If you want to post winners fine but posting the losers is just tacky. There is no way you can spin it to make it look good. When players lose they feel bad enough. This is just tacky.