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Would you walk a star player in order to face the cancer kid?

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fellas... you're losing track of the fact this is an instructional league... basically winning is to take a back seat.. there's a reason kids are playing at this level... it's strictly to learn the basic fundamentals (at times to even learn which hand the glove goes on and what those three sacks on the corners are for)... and practice good sportsmanship... winning is not the focus... heck the couple years I coached it, winning was never even mentioned...

if it's competition and winning that is important.. then the coach and players should step up to the other leagues...
 
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NJ-Buckeye said:
fellas... you're losing track of the fact this is an instructional league... basically winning is to take a back seat.. there's a reason kids are playing at this level... it's strictly to learn the basic fundamentals (at times to even learn which hand the glove goes on and what those three sacks on the corners are for)... and practice good sportsmanship... winning is not the focus... heck the couple years I coached it, winning was never even mentioned...

if it's competition and winning that is important.. then the coach and players should step up to the other leagues...
Click to expand...

I've never seen a U10 league be so Tee-ball like. You're talking rules for a coach pitch/U6 league.
 
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scooter1369 said:
I've never seen a U10 league be so Tee-ball like. You're talking rules for a coach pitch/U6 league.
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there ya go.. now you're getting the idea of what an instructional league is there for... same concept...

I coached it as a favor of a widowed Mom with a young son... don't think it was 9/10 but was after T-ball and coach pitch leagues...
 
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NJ-Buckeye said:
there ya go.. now you're getting the idea of what an instructional league is there for... same concept...

I coached it as a favor of a widowed Mom with a young son... don't think it was 9/10 but was after T-ball and coach pitch leagues...
Click to expand...
I coached instructional leagues. I knw what they are there for. I'm saying I've never seen it with kids older than 6.
 
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I've been watching the LLWS and they have rules where every player has to get an at bat and be on the field for 3 consecutive outs, but I would never call that an instructional league. the only other rule this league has that differentiates itself from LL is the four runs per inning, but that was lifted for this so called "championship game" Honestly, NJ, it really doesn't matter. I totally see where you are coming from, but personally I don't see the point in playing not to win. You can play in a competitive league and still learn what those three sacks on the corners are for, you just won't play many innings at first.
 
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agree.. not very common... but I could make a case for instructional league for 11/12 .. I've had 12 yr olds in rec that I was literally afraid to put them on the field with other kids who could flat out play and hit...

In rec leagues, I doubt if there are cuts anymore.. it's first signed up till league is full... more than likely the parents insist twelve year old Johnny still wants to play.. and worse, the parent wants to know why Johnny can't play infield too... I won't jeopardize Johnny's teeth by putting him at second when David Ortiz jr is at the plate... it's been ugly at times...

Instructional leagues at the 9/10 tier must be a formalized version of neighborhood ball where anyone (boys and girls) can play and just have fun...
 
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But if the point is to "just play and have fun", why would there be scoring, playoffs, a title game, and rules changes just for that title game that would infact, allow for an absolute blow out if one team got hot.

I'm not disputing the concept of instructional leagues, although I disagree with the "Everyone wins" philosophy. I'm disputing whether that kid was playing in one. They way its laid out, it doesn't seem like it. Instructional softball in Hilliard ended over a month ago. Only Travel and Flyte teams were still active in tournaments and such.
 
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I understand what you're saying NJ, re: winning taking a back seat in such leagues.

I just believe we can teach the game, and still have winners and losers. When I learned baseball, no one was making sure my feelings weren't hurt and I turned out OK. Losing, and how to deal with it is part of LIFE and what is MORE instructional than teaching kids how to cope? Getting struck out or fuckd over is reality. While it's true that it's "how you play the game" that's important... winning and losing is also necessary and we shouldn't shy away from it.

Candidly, kids under ... what... 8? Most of them don't give a shit if they win or lose anyway. As has been mentioned on this thread, it's the parents who get all worked up. My daughter's team lost in the championship game this year. Only one girl seemed to care about that (cried) the rest of them just gave hugs and smiles as they awaited their trophy, and once they got that they raced eachother to the ice cream stand... like always. And while this too is an instructional league, both sets of coaches were trying to win.... so their girls could feel good about their performance... proud of their accomplishments. And that's just as important an instruction as understanding what base to run to after you hit the ball.

That said, I am against the "win at all costs" assholes that some leagues have. I mean, we are talking about 8 year old kids and not MLB all stars. Teaching isn't easy, and some people who want to try coaching simply don't have the patience. But, we don't need to go changing the rules of the game, in my opinion.
 
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I guess the part I'm having trouble understanding is that in NJ's league if you walk a player the next batter automatically gets walked as well.

What are the players really "learning" as a result of this?

That bad pitching is unacceptable and should be penalized?

That has to be the dumbest rule I've ever heard of.
 
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