Appropriate sanction?

[lstorie1971]

Let's ask what would you do if your DD threw the punch? Hopefully, if I was at the game, I would have made her apologize then and there. If the incident was going to escalate and that was not practical, we would contact you as soon as possible and meet (at school, maybe). I would inform you how I was discipling my DD and that , if she ever throws a punch in sports, again, what would happen. Then, my DD would hand each of you a written apology asking for forgiveness and leniency.

I had to discipline my 3yo granddaughter, yesterday for repeatedly screaming and carrying on in public, about WANTING A DONUT! It isn't fun to discipline, but it is necessary.

After the incident, I explained to my girls that if they ever did something like that, I would absolutely require them to apologize in person and I would self-suspend them from all softball for a full year - school ball, travel ball, everything.

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

While I have no doubt that your DD got hit and was frightened by the incident , I cant help but feel that there is some info missing here. In all the years I have watched and coached softball , I have never seen a middle school girl throw a punch. Are we talking a closed fist punch? Was there just aggressive contact when your DD went to make the tag? Help me visualize this better.

At any rate , I think criminal charges is a bit much.

 

[lstorie1971]

While I have no doubt that your DD got hit and was frightened by the incident , I cant help but feel that there is some info missing here. In all the years I have watched and coached softball , I have never seen a middle school girl throw a punch. Are we talking a closed fist punch? Was there just aggressive contact when your DD went to make the tag? Help me visualize this better.

At any rate , I think criminal charges is a bit much.

When I first saw it happen, I just thought that the girl ran into my daughter and forced her glove to hit her in the throat. Then my daughter starting crying and couldn't catch her breath. Several parents started that she was punched. I was pretty shocked. When my daughter finally had her breath she said that the girl punched her closed fist in the throat. The girl didn't deny, but she said that she didn't mean to do it.

When the coach approached the bench to apologize and wouldn't talk to me, she did tell the coach that they don't play that way.

I don't think there is any question that she punched my daughter. The question is of intent.

I'm basically over it now. I am dealing with a highly, highly pissed of wife who wants reports made to AHSAA, ASA, USFA, USSSA, etc. If the girl's parents contacted me right now and offered to have her apologize in person in the principal's office, I would accept that and be done with it. Her punishment isn't really my concern at this point.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Bullying must not be accepted or gotten over. If the parents and the school do not punish this girl to every extent that they can (and how are you to know?) I would file a police report.

Let me preface that by saying that my father was a cop, so maybe I think differently. A punch to the throat can kill a person, no matter how unlikely. This is more serious than a shove, in the heat of the moment.

I wonder if video tape exists?

 

[CycloneSoftball22]

Bullying must not be accepted or gotten over. If the parents and the school do not punish this girl to every extent that they can (and how are you to know?) I would file a police report.

Let me preface that by saying that my father was a cop, so maybe I think differently. A punch to the throat can kill a person, no matter how unlikely. This is more serious than a shove, in the heat of the moment.

I wonder if video tape exists?

Talk about a major overreaction !!! I still highly doubt that this girl did this with an intention to harm. But , I (nor you) saw it. Even the OP didnt quite see it as that violent when first saw it.

 

[SoCalASABlue]

That's interesting. I've worked closely with high school sports for years and have never heard of such a thing. Thanks.

Really? I see this all the time. Not the throwing a punch part but the hard contact initiated by a 1B tagging a batter-runner coming up the line. DD hit a little squibber up the line to 1B (who she had just K'd in the top half of the inning) - she knew she was going to get blasted when she saw that the 1B was not going back to touch the bag. DD braced herself with elbows up and took the contact (afterwards I told her she should have swerved around the running lane to avoid it and maybe get past the tag).

I see a lot of coaches that absolutely expect their 1B to "hard" tag a batter-runner rather than try to race her to the bag or chance a throw (expecting 2B to be there).

That being said, I'm glad the umpire did the right thing and eject her. I've seen way too much "hard" contact without even a warning being given. The punch-thrower should absolutely be thrown off the team. Behavior is a choice and her choice deserves severe consequences.

 

[Jr10234]

As a coach, they should ignore the fans, including parents. She checked on the player, but I wouldn't have engaged in any conversation with a parent. She knew you were ticked and it could quickly escalate out of control, understandably ticked.

As a parent, I might have asked the name too but the book has it and the ump has it on the lineup card. I think even without the name a call should be made to the girls school, AD, principal, and district, the school will quickly know who did it.

Hopefully the player learns her lesson.

 

[Amy in AZ.]

Let us know if anything happens with this. I support your wife, that something has to be done. Is every other person that thinks I am over acting a guy?

 

[SoftSocDad]

An automatic one-game suspension following an ejection seems appropriate.

If additional sanctions are in order, there needs to be a process where more information can be considered and where decisions are not made in the heat of the moment.

As described, I don't see this as a criminal assault, however, it's not entirely out of line to consider a possible civil claim against the parents if this was a completely unprovoked attack.

 

[lstorie1971]

Let us know if anything happens with this. I support your wife, that something has to be done. Is every other person that thinks I am over acting a guy?

I'm an attorney in juvenile court, and the DA called me about another case I am working on with her. I told her about the incident, and she said that she'll prosecute the case if I make a police report. I'm going to let everyone calm down over the weekend and then decide what to do.