Intentional Hitting a Player

[Guest mchssoccernut]

You should never throw at any one intentionally. if you want to get back at someone do it on the field. Beat them at the game not with the ball.

[hillado14]

jimbobcooter knows what hes talkin about. thats the point ive been trin to explain for the past two or three days. maybe u other guys shouldve played a little more competitive baseball back in the 70s. u tlak about bonds. heck bonds hits his bombs and trots. the cubs are my favorite team, but what sammy does is uncalled for. LOL if you remember the fat kid in the little league world series, i think either last year or the year before, he would hit a bomb and flip his bat. if it had been me on the mound, i would have beaned the kid.

[ksgovols]

How many batters do you bean a game hillado? Bonds stand perfectly still for a good 3 or 4 seconds after he hits a bomb. He gets to admire it so long as he doesn't flip his bat or jump out of the box like Sosa? I wouldn't think so. It's funny how everybody's game is better during the era they played isn't it.

 

Lazarus, most of the scenarios you mentioned could have been avoided with a good call from blue. I'd have intervened the first time the first baseman decked a kid with an unnecessary tag that leveled a baserunner. As a coach, I'd have told my kids to slide if 1B comes off the bag. The kid with his elbow in the strikezone gets no mercy. That's a strike if it hits him with a pitch in the strike zone. The bunter has to run to the outside of the foul line when running to first. That's an out too. I was behind the plate tonight in a LL game and there was a batter whose toes were on the plate during his stance. He'd keep part of his foot in the batter's box and inch back his feet as the pitch was coming. All of his arms were in the strike zone. He walked twice and struck out twice against 3 different pitchers. The ones that walked him were pitching to the batter, the ones that struck him out were pitching to the plate. If he'd got hit, it would have been a called strike.

 

In youth baseball in particular, you should coach good sportsmanship. Flying cleats in the thighs and bean balls are usually taught either by the coach or Dad. You might get by with it some of the time, but a good umpire will catch you on it and you'll be tossed. I've never seen batters charge the mound in high school ball. I suppose it happens, especially if these guys are throwing at their earhole.

[lazarus]

"most of the scenarios you mentioned could have been avoided with a good call from blue."

 

govole,

i couldnt agree with you more. that is really half my point. i think it was blue's job to put a stop to it... warn the slapper the first time, it doesnt happen again (if it does, eject him). and i'd punish my guys for retaliating. call the inside the path baserunner out, and there is no throw, at him or otherwise. call the elbow ball a strike, and the batter will quit doing it.

but the other half of the point (more of a question) is what if the blue doesnt do his part? i cant pull my guys off the field. that's a cardinal sin. i am not going to tell them to be punching bags. sometimes a person just has to stand their ground.

 

i agree that it is important to teach sportsmanship. i think that goes at every level, not just youth. i dont believe that many coaches teach the cheap stuff. (that isnt where i got it!) other kids, sometimes parents, are the ones teaching that. as a coach you are trying to teach them better. quite a trick sometimes, when the parents are teaching the opposite.

oh yeah, after my little league season, the umpires voted me the sportsmanship award. i had to quit referring to it as the "good loser award", because we won everything there was to win. i dont remember what became of the championship trophies, but i still have the sportsmanship award. that and not having a single ofer on the team were what i was proud of.

 

lastly, off the subject, baseball was NOT best during my era. cheap stuff was much more prevalent, there were more inappropriate coaches, and the substitution rules sucked. the bigs were a lot better, but the youth version was worse.

[ksgovols]

We could start a whole thread on what's wrong with youth baseball (and to me youth baseball is 5-18), but you've hit on something. It mostly boils down to parents involvement and expectations and the work kids will put into the game. I had 3 tv channels and lot's of time on my hands when I was coming up. We had a backyard baseball game going on all the time and when we didn't, I was throwing a ball against the side of a house or hitting rocks with a broom handle. There was one league that everybody played in and some old guys without kids on the team coached for the most part. You might get cut from a team and have to wait until the next year to try out again. Playing time was earned and not mandated. We practiced 5 days a week and if you missed one unexcused, you sat the next game. Today's kids have so many distractions, an old guy who wanted to just teach kids the game would have to have 4 different background checks to make sure he wasn't a pedophile and you're lucky if you get 2 organized practices a week and even then it's tough to get 100% participation. If you halfway develop a kid into a decent player, a travel team's gonna pluck him right out of your league. I can't remember the last time I saw a bunch of kids playing pickup sandlot ball without adults. I think we had it better lazarus!

[jimbobcooter]

This is a great debate, but in my opinion, I think every now and again you have to send that message. I say there are three reasons to throw at a hitter.

 

1. This has already been stated, but i will state it again, SHOWING UP A PITCHER-Hitters if you knock the ball out of the park, put your head down and run the bases, dont stand and poise, because next time at bat you will catch a fastball in the ear and i guarantee, that dont feel good and you will never poise again, not even for a picture if you cant turn your head quick enough!

 

2. If you are getting lite up on the mound, HITTERS ARE STANDING TO CLOSE TO THE PLATE AND CAN SEE EVERY PITCH YOU THROW. You have to back the hitter off the plate or it will be a long day. HITTERS that plate is there to determine balls and strikes not for you to stand on so your cleats dont get dirty, so dont stand on it, or once again you will catch a fastball in the ear hole.

 

3. If a team is blowing another team out and they are trying to RUN UP THE SCORE, by stealing bases, running the squeeze play and any of the unnecessary stuff in a 15 run ball game, Once again guys, be humble and take the 15 run victory, because it will feel alot better that that knot on the side of you head that you took from a fastball because you were trying to squeeze home a run with a 15 run lead.

 

Thamks for your time!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my earlier post and guys, straight up, this is the truth no matter how you want to look at it! You say you should never throw at a hitter, well, that is just part of baseball and that is what make it interesting! I am sorry but I am of the younger generation, but i believe in the "OLD SCHOOL" way of doing things. And if you are one of the ones whose kid hit a homerun, then show boats around the bases like he is a greek god, then dont be crying to the umps when you son has a ugly little knot on his head after the game! Teach him to respect and he will recieve respect! Yea, a homerun in baseball is nice and i have no problem with the team coming out and patting the kid on the head for a job well done, but there is no need to hit the ball and stand and poise in the batters box. Think of all the old school players, did you ever see Cal Ripken, Tony Gwynn, Ryne Sandberg, Dale Murphy, Joe Carter, ETC. hit a homerun and stand in the box and do a dance, NO YOU HAVENT! Watch the tape of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th Homerun, he puts his head down and runs the bases, he even had his head down when the guys ran up shaking his hand! I am telling you, it is classless! So we can argue all you want too, but if you act like a fool, expect to go home with a headache!

 

And on the prevent them from scoring comment, is that a joke? Of course it is your job to keep them from scoring, but it is total classless to run a squeeze play with a 15 run lead. Does anyone disagree with that? If so, I would love to know what kind of person you are? Gimme a break, I am not complaining about hitting and running the bases, that is the opposing teams job to stop, but to be stealing bases and running squeeze plays with a 15 run lead is just classless.

 

As far as standing on the plate, this goes back for generations. Anyone who has ever swung a bat at a ball knows that the closer you get on the plate, the better you can see the ball and the easier it is to hit the ball with power to the opposite field. OK-you say it is baseball to stand on the plate, well it is baseball when your high school is having to buy a new helmet to replace the one that was busted on your head by the ball.

 

Now I know there will be you folks who say, you never throw at a hitters head, and I agree, because it is dangerous! But have you ever been hit in the head with a baseball? I promise you there is nothing more scary that seeing a baseball coming at you face, but i will bet you one thing you next at bat you will not be show boating, standing on the plate, or squeezing a run home with a 15 run lead.

 

THANKS TO ALL FOR TAKING TIME TO READ THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ksgovols]

Amazing. I have no further comment. I think you Y generation dudes speak for yourselves. No wonder our game is going down the tubes.........

[jimbobcooter]

Amazing. I have no further comment. I think you Y generation dudes speak for yourselves. No wonder our game is going down the tubes.........

Should I assume that quote was directed at me? I will tell you right now BASEBALL is a great sport and there is some physical contact involved in baseball and getting hit is one aspect of the game, so like my dad used to tell me, IF YOU CANT TAKE THE HEAT GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!

[ksgovols]

Yeah, you and hillado. I prolly played against your Dad. I've been out of the kitchen for awhile....with my brain cells intact. You guys get back to me when you've graduated from college and we'll talk.

[dawgluva]

I dont kno abot all you sissys that are replying on this post but anybody that knows anything about baseball knows that there are sometimes a player needs to be hit on purpose period end of disscusion. So learn the game before coming on here and writing stuff that you know absoulutely nothing about

[Vultor]

dawgluva, what page is that on? Just trying to learn the game.

Edited May 17, 2004 by Vultor

[jimbobcooter]

dawgluva, what page is that on? Just trying to learn the game.

Its right there on the page with the UNWRITTEN RULES of baseball, it states, IF YOU DISRESPECT YOUR OPPONENT, DONT CRY TO THE UMPIRES WHEN THEY ARE TRYING TO GET THE BALL OUT OF YOUR EARHOLE! You oughta read those rules, prolly save some disrepectful kids alot of money in Doctor visits.

 

 

Aside from that, I dont care what anybody says, sometimes you have to teach somebody a lesson if they cant learn it the easy way, then they have to learn it the hard way!

 

Guys when you step between the lines act like you have had some raising and dont be an arrogant player who show boats everytime you hit a single to left field and if the ball goes over the fence, put your head down, round the bases, get your high fives, sit in the dugout and wait for the next inning to start! In other words, ACT LIKE YOU HAVE BEEN THERE BEFORE!

 

BE HUMBLE! BE COURTEOUS! And you dont have to worry about going home with a headache, and all the other players will respect you alot more!!!!!!!