Sportsmanship vs Gamesmanship

[Griff]

A couple of 12 year olds I know are on the Susquehanna County West All-Star team thats making a run at the Little League World Series. People show their worst and best when the competition gets intense. Our guys eliminated Tunkanock last week in a playoff game after they ended round robin play with one loss each. Sus then drove out to Potter/McKean and lost the first game of a best of three. When we hosted PM the coaches and a bunch of the players from Tunk came up to cheer them on. Very classy bunch, it seems competition has fostered some friendships among these kids who play with and against each other on various teams.

Our kids beat PM at home to force a third game last night at Mansfield. The opposing coach decided that rattling our pitcher would be a good tactic. With 12 year old boys, thats a pretty safe bet. He started by complaining about the pitcher picking up dirt and rubbing down the ball. If he rubs dirt on the ball without first wiping off his hands its a violation of the rules. The ump warned the kid, who promptly started to make a big show of picking up dirt, dropping it, wiping off his hands, and rubbing down the ball, which was what he had been doing all along. The kid was dusted off with inside fastballs a couple times, while he was batting as well. Later the same boy apparently stepped on the opposing first basemans foot, causing another ruckus over whether or not the first basemans foot was on the bag. That shook the kid up enough to hit the backstop with one of his warmup pitches. Our shortstop, who is a pretty savy kid walked over to him put a hand on his shoulder and apparently explained the bigger picture to him. The first batter had the misfortune of seeing the three hardest fastball strikes of the night and the pitcher was solid the rest of the way earning the win and a trip to Williamsport starting tonight (they have to get through the PA competition before the actual World Series starts). The PM coach played within the rules and his players were very polite and sporting, even exchanging bash brother fist taps with our shortstop, after he hit a homer. Did the other coach cross the line? My view is clouded on the subject because I know and like the kid but what I liked was the kid never said anything and was able to regain his composure.

[elSicomoro]

I used to umpire Catholic Youth Council baseball when I was a teenager in St. Louis. And there were a handful of coaches that used to piss me off to no end with their lack of sportsmanship. Almost had to throw a coach out of a game once.

What was sad about this is that these were THIRD graders, who were just beginning to play baseball. Competition is a good thing, and winning certainly feels good, but come on. If they're learning this sort of thing in 3rd grade, imagine what they'll be like in high school.