Practicing Good Sportsmanship

[jmattbassplaya]

I coached my son for many years. the kids were learning as were the umps. There was a rule that coaches were not allowed questioning umps. They were pretty much kids as well...Its for fun.
Just the fact you posted this makes me think you should be staying at home and not going to the games.
Its the dooshbag parents that ruin the game.

+1

At least when I reffed, most umps and refs were between 13-18 years old. They're usually kids themselves, which makes bad behavior by any parent even more abhorrent.

 

[soulman969]

Sad to say umpiring at that level has seldom been good or consistent.

I've spoken with youth umpires who've told me they're ordered to call obvious balls strikes in order to move the game along and keep it within it's time limit and I also recall that happening when I was playing Little League. They aren't gonna disregard the orders of those who hire them so pitches at a batters eye or ankle level get called strikes and the outside corner of the plate extends at least 12" beyond it's official 17" into the opposite batter's box.

As a coach I fought against this asking how we could coach young batters to have plate discipline and "have an eye" for their strike zone when so many are already over anxious to swing at anything near them as they would in a sandlot game when the called strike zone was twice it's official size but I got nowhere with that. It is what it is and many leagues would rather hire teen umpires they can manipulate than adults whom they can't.

So.....buy the kids burritos but insist they learn to play the game right despite poor officiating and they'll be OK.

 

[jugglingfreak]

Yeah, just keep quite or get burritos.

Horrible parents is what turned me off of youth sports when I was about 10. At that young age, having seen the behavior at my games and the games I had to go to that my brother was in, I decided it wasn’t fun or worth it.

Half of them acted like Vic Morrow’s character from “Bad News Bears” and about another quarter were worse.

 

[slobake]

I coached my son for many years. the kids were learning as were the umps. There was a rule that coaches were not allowed questioning umps. They were pretty much kids as well...Its for fun.
Just the fact you posted this makes me think you should be staying at home and not going to the games.
Its the dooshbag parents that ruin the game.

YIKES! I'm innocent I tell you.

 

[Downunderwonder]

With the average loudness of the average American tourist being comparable with Rosanne I can't imagine the ''quiet disgruntled aftermatch discussion'' was anything other than fully audible to the kids.

 

[slobake]

With the average loudness of the average American tourist being comparable with Rosanne I can't imagine the ''quiet disgruntled aftermatch discussion'' was anything other than fully audible to the kids.

Sorry you have that impression of Americans, we are not all like that. We intentionally kept our voices down and the kids were some distance away either on the field or in the dugout. I doubt they heard us. It is a good group of parents and we are all aware of how our behavior can influence our kids. Not everyone is like the stereotype loud mouth parent who gets thrown out of little league games. Some of us have a lot invested in our children's little league experience and we are smart enough and care enough to not do anything that would detract from that.

 

[buldog5151bass]

With the average loudness of the average American tourist being comparable with Rosanne I can't imagine the ''quiet disgruntled aftermatch discussion'' was anything other than fully audible to the kids.

Steotyping doesn't help your argument. Like most things, the bottom few screw things up for the majority. Perhaps you are only hearing the loud ones - the others being soft and respectful enough that you don't notice them.

 

[capnjim]

we are smart enough and care enough to not do anything that would detract from that.

Yet here you are whining about a little league game on a public forum. Its pretty darn pathetic if you ask me and I feel sorry for those kids having you in the stands.
I have seen kids learning to be umps in tears thanks to idiot parents like you. its sickening.

I once lost a final tournament game in the 5th inning due to a total lack of understanding of the rules by some poor kid trying his best. A few of my teams parent started to complain and I immediately told them to be quiet and accept it as part of the game.
Seriously, stay home and don't go to any more games.

 

[Gaolee]

It could always be worse. You could have been that umpire. I called my son out on a called third strike when he was about 8 years old. The pitch was a big ol' beach ball down the middle of the plate, and he looked at it. He was the last out of the game, too. He has never let me forget it, and probably never will. Oh, well. We did, in fact, have burritos afterwards. Burritos solve all problems.

 

[slobake]

I have seen kids learning to be umps in tears thanks to idiot parents like you. its sickening.

Idiot? How dare you call me an idiot. I'll have you know I made it all the way through till 6th grade, and with a D+ average too.

 

[rendevouz]

It’s a learning experience for everyone even the umpires and as such you should yell at them that way they’ll learn what its to be on the MLB