Youth Baseball - Collisions at home plate

[Julio Riddols]

I don't think I ever played in a league as a kid where running through the catcher was frowned upon. I only saw it once or twice, but I guess as a kid I always felt like the catcher is the one with all the leverage in the situation. They have the padding and presumably the ball, and a catchers mitt to the mouth was always the best way to combat a charging runner. A well hit ball back at the pitcher always seemed far more dangerous than a couple kids running into each other.

That said, this day and age seems to feature far more litigious and protective parents and I am surprised there isn't a pure "slide or evade or you're done" rule.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by Subby

I'm the president of our local little league and I would say, without question, that most of our kids would be happier if adults were not allowed within 1,000 feet of the field during games. The glory hounds are a minority, sure, but are completely terrible. However, that pales in comparison to the MASSIVE overcoaching the kids are getting during the games. If we can't enforce the no adults rule, maybe a STFU rule might work better.

Seriously. Stop over-coaching during games. And parents who coach their kids from the stands should be duct taped to a light standard in the parking lot.

100% agree.

I am not talking about cheering, but actual coaching. That shit pisses me off.

I have a good friend who coaches a 14u (I think...maybe 13 or 15...not sure another town over) travel team. They are good. Have existed for ~20 years...have corporate sponsors...the whole deal. If your kid plays on this team into high school chances ae he will be playing at least small college ball somewhere.

We went a few weeks ago and watched them in a regional championship game. Their leadoff batter was up, and his dad is sqwaking from the stands about hand placement (Dont choke up) and arm positon (Back elbow higher Kevin!)...my friend who is the head coahc and a former minor league ball player calls time. Walks to the backstop summons the ref and asks the parent to come down as well. No one in the stands could hear what was said, but later the coach relayed it to me as this,

"Listen I coach your son for 3 hours a day 5 days a week as well as these
other 11 kids. It has taken me two months to break his horrible plate habits and
stance and he has been hitting the ball fantastic the last 2 games. If you wanted
to coach this team you coud have signed up to do so before the season started.
As is I am the coach I will tell him how to play so long as he is on MY team.
Either feel free to take him from the game right now, or keep quiet the remainder
of the game and let me do my job and coach. If you yell instructions 1 more time
I am asking the umpire to have you removed from the facility. Understood?'

As he walked back towards the dugout he looked at his player and said "Now hit the ball."

"Thank you coach. That is so distracting"

And the kid had a monster game hitting a homer and 2 other extra base hits.

Drives me crazy to sit there and watch parents, many time who havent seen a practice all year, yell instructions to their kids which often contradict what the coaches are teachng.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Not sure there were any grounds for the umpire to have anybody removed in that situation. No profanity, nothing abusive.

Deal with it privately, drop the kid from the team, whatever, but don't overreach. He can be completely & utterly right in principle but I'd have taken major issue with his tactic there, and most likely would have ended up in jail.

I'll be brutally honest: that's the sort of thing that ends up getting coaches either in a brawl or, occasionally, shot.

Once again I'm reminded how enormously thankful I am that my child had other interests that took him out of youth sports.