Bush League Tactics?

[3'sDad]

DD is a pitcher. Pitching coach taught her to aim for the bat if they wave it in front of the plate when she was 10. A few fastballs and 0-2 counts in a row stop this quickly. Another favorite tactic in 10U and under play is "take until the batter has 2 strikes". Mnat pitchers struglle with control and any help they get in swinging at marginal pitches is an advantage. this does not develop a good hitting eye.

I send my kids up telling them" swing at anything close because the umpire will call it a strike". Know what, they do. Know what, the game moves along quickly, the kids put the ball in play and it's an enjoyable game all around. Both sides, and the blue have a great time.

 

[FPump]

I played a team this weekend that didn't know how to play anything BUT bush league ball...

A few weeks ago, my RF threw a ball to catcher, who was standing there, ball in glove, when the girl from third came home. Instead of sliding, runner crosses her arms up high and hits my catcher hard in the shoulders knocking her off her feet, flat on her butt. Balls, rolls out of her glove. Ump calls the runner out, my team runs off the field...

MAJOR discussion by blue and the other coaches, and then ump comes over to tell me that they argued she didn't have control of the ball at the tag (wha??).
Ump told the coach he had a choice: 1) take the out or 2) get the run, and then the ump was going to throw the girl out of the game for going with some "piss poor bush tactics that some adult obviously taught her to do.." Coach took the out.

I thought it was classic...

Where do you get these umpires?

 

[stephanie]

don't get me started on the numerous bad calls I had to deal with this weekend....
but, we're 10U rec, if that gives you an idea...
My 7U sons BB team's ump was even worse....

 

[Rooster98]

Is it "bush" for the third base coach to tell the batter where the catcher was setting up for a pitch....Happened in pool play to our team this year....end result pitcher still had 13 strike outs....I know when I played ball and that stuff happened.....the next pitch was high inside.....should I teach my pitcher and catcher how to deal with this....and the catcher to top it off is not even moving to her spot until the pitch has started or early....so we were not giving it away to give the coach on 3rd any advantage....I must of heard cover outside, cover inside about 50 times in one game....just chuckled as the batters went down strike out after strike out....and then get this the coach of the other team afer we shake hands pulls me aside and said you know you catcher really needs to work on hiding her signs.....Our dugout was on the third base side....no way in hell that coach could see what she was calling. I say mayby you should let your batters bat and not yell at where you see my catcher setting up....She was telling her batters way to late where the catcher was setting up and it blew up in her face. My only comment to the coach was in my day if that happened the next batter was on the ground to out of the way of a pitch.....I call that bush....

 

[Ken Krause]

I played a team this weekend that didn't know how to play anything BUT bush league ball...

A few weeks ago, my RF threw a ball to catcher, who was standing there, ball in glove, when the girl from third came home. Instead of sliding, runner crosses her arms up high and hits my catcher hard in the shoulders knocking her off her feet, flat on her butt. Balls, rolls out of her glove. Ump calls the runner out, my team runs off the field...
MAJOR discussion by blue and the other coaches, and then ump comes over to tell me that they argued she didn't have control of the ball at the tag (wha??).
Ump told the coach he had a choice: 1) take the out or 2) get the run, and then the ump was going to throw the girl out of the game for going with some "piss poor bush tactics that some adult obviously taught her to do.." Coach took the out.

I thought it was classic...

That umpire gets my vote for umpire of the year, so far. Glad he called the guy on it. There's no place for that in youth ball when there is a clear collision avoidance rule.

 

[alexander58]

Have to agree. When I think about 8u, most leagues don't even use kid pitch but rather coach or machine. Purposely trying to rattle a DEVELOPMENTAL 8U pitcher by fake-wiggle bunting is totally bush.

In 10U travel and up however, it is no longer bush. In my experience however, this tactic usually results in the pitcher throwing a perfectly wasted meatball right down the middle.

The bat waggling to draw a walk is bush. Kids want to play ball. To me, playing ball is hitting when given a good pitch to hit. Kids should approach every at bat as an opportunity to hit the ball. That's why mom and dad spend $300.00 on bats and $200.00 a month on hitting lessons.

 

[SoCalDad]

My top bush league incident:

This happened about 14 years ago with DD#1. Playing at one of those open fields with no fences down the lines. Runners on 2 and 3 and the batter represents the winning run. Batter hits a shot to left center gap and has a very good chance of making it around the bases. As she is rounding 2nd a dog runs on to the field and proceeds to chase and nearly catch up to my player near 3rd. The opposing coach runs out from the third base dugout and steps in front of my runner to "protect her from the dog". Ump is forced to call time. Opposing coach immediately starts in on the ump that the runner should only be awarded 3rd since he was acting out of his concern for the players safety. Safety is first, this dog could have attacked her, he should be regarded as a hero, and on and on. In the meantime the dog in question walks back to its owner and a young boy standing next to him who are both wearing the opposing teams colors.

Ump: "Is that your dog?"
Owner: "Yes"
Young boy next to owner: "Yeah my dad let him off the leash".

Runner awarded home, game over.

 

[2 DD Coach]

Wow! That's got to be a new all time low. How does someone even think of using a dog to try to stop a runner?
As to the OP, yes BUSH LEAGUE! What skill exactly are you trying to teach your girls? How to win operating in the gray area of the rules? All your really saying is " I was mediocore at sports in my youth, and my manhood is determined by the score of a game played by 8yr old girls. We are not good enough to beat this team, and I'm a lousy coach for not teaching you how to play this game." This really gets my fired up. How do you look at your team if you actually manage to win a game using some of this garbage, and tell them they did a good job?

 

[1fingeredknuckler]

Voted best of the year!

I think this one should be VOTED POST OF THE YEAR, OR DECADE?

Can't beat fun at the ol ball park!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[fastpitch]

lol @ the dog tactic.

As to the bat waving its probably one of the top bush league moves. If the coach specifically tells the girl to wave the bat to distract the pitcher it means he thinks the only way he can get on base is by distracting this pitcher.