Poor sportsmanship

[Eric F]

The more I re-watch the video, the more it looks to me (in slo-mo, at least) like both runners were actually altering their course, lowering their shoulder and trying to hit Crosby. She shouldn't have been as close to home plate as she was, but it is really starting to look to me like both of those girls were looking for trouble, and they found it.

In fact, on the second girl, it really looks like that if Megan didn't throw the elbow, she would have ended up on her arse instead of the runner.

If you look at the pic taken from CF, you can see how much she was leaning her body into it, too. It wasn't just her elbow. The catcher built the foundation to be a brick wall.

 

[KCPRK]

You're right, this incident by itself is not enough to pull a scholly, IMO. But I do think it's enough to make a college coach want to have a talk with the player, and the scholly might be pulled if the coach wasn't satisfied with her answers. Think about this - This is Texas. There probably isn't a Friday night in the fall where at least one high school football player in Texas doesn't do something that equals this. I'm not excusing it, but stuff likes this happens, and it doesn't necessarily mean the student-athlete should be banned for life.

.

I played football and baseball in texas in the late 90s. I can vouch that everything that happened in this softball game was very minor compared to what we were instructed to do and what we did on our own to win. If I was the catcher I would have been screamed at because the runner was able to get up and walk off-my coaches would have said if she got close body slam her.

And in football-the things that happen in the trenches and especially under a fumble pile most people never know about or see. Youd have a different perspective if you were part of that culture (texas sports).

 

[Little Angels Softball]

If you look at the pic taken from CF, you can see how much she was leaning her body into it, too. It wasn't just her elbow. The catcher built the foundation to be a brick wall.

I totally agree with you. But the angle the camera gives clearly shows both runners (especially the second one) abruptly changing course and veering toward the catcher at the last instant before contact. I think we may be looking at three wrongs here is all I'm saying.

 

[rdbass]

If you look at the pic taken from CF, you can see how much she was leaning her body into it, too. It wasn't just her elbow. The catcher built the foundation to be a brick wall.

I keep thinking about how strong the catcher is......

 

[Rocketech1]

I played football and baseball in texas in the late 90s. I can vouch that everything that happened in this softball game was very minor compared to what we were instructed to do and what we did on our own to win. If I was the catcher I would have been screamed at because the runner was able to get up and walk off-my coaches would have said if she got close body slam her.

And in football-the things that happen in the trenches and especially under a fumble pile most people never know about or see. Youd have a different perspective if you were part of that culture (texas sports).

Well that's a very sad culture if you ask me where body slamming base runners is acceptable. It's scary to me that some can think this is acceptable behavior for the softball field....If that is the way softball is played and taught in TX, I'm glad my DD doesn't play in that state.

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I believe they let the first one go and warned her on the second one. She did not do it again when the next runner scored.

Maybe, maybe not. Was there any possibility of a play on the next runner(s)? She wasn't near the plate on the first run and didn't knock down the runner from 3B that scored just before the first elbow (i.e. 2 runs scored on that hit). The elbows occurred when she thought they might have a play on the runner.

 

[Little Angels Softball]

I keep thinking about how strong the catcher is......

Yup. I keep thinking that all three were looking for a little scrape and the bigger, stronger girl was left standing both times.

 

[rdbass]

Yup. I keep thinking that all three were looking for a little scrape and the bigger, stronger girl was left standing both times.

That's the way I saw/see it. Maybe...that's why no retaliation.

 

[Nsanesoftball]

I'm not describing what should happen, but why it probably won't and cannot. And Lenski, you are correct about pulling verbals. I'm talking about high school associations.

If you are a high school association, can you realistically punish players based on videos sent by fans? Or even by member schools? I don't think a state association's bylaws would allow it. The umpires missed the call. So it's over. The umpires could've kicked the player out of the game, and there might be additional penalties in the bylaws for players who are kicked out. But once the call is missed and there is no protest, it's over. I don't think that a high school association will take action over something that was not protested or acted upon during a game. Imagine the consequences of that precedent. Any punch thrown in any high school sporting event that is caught on camera could be sent to the state association. How would could they realistically deal with that? Would it be fair since some things are caught on camera, and others are not? Or fans or member schools could show only part of a video. The state association is not making decisions based on videos sent after the fact, IMO.

The state association doesnt have to worry about people sending in video, the were recoding the championship games and will be selling dvd's. I know the school, parents, and catcher have all said no comment to the media asking questions about it. if she would have gotten in front of this early on it would have probably died by now.

 

[Eric F]

I totally agree with you. But the angle the camera gives clearly shows both runners (especially the second one) abruptly changing course and veering toward the catcher at the last instant before contact. I think we may be looking at three wrongs here is all I'm saying.

I'm not sure I would go as far as calling the runners "wrong", but I would expect a runner trying to score to take (what appears to be) the available path of much less resistance to the plate. As I have mentioned previously, it makes me curious to know if the runners were instructed to run through the catcher - especially after the first hit. Draw an OBS call, and the run scores for sure.