This weekend’s 9/10 year old All-Stars area tournament in Monticello was well done. Hot ( not Low Country Hot, but still drawing fan moans as these folks don’t know “Low Country Hot”), but a tournament well done for the most part. As usual some teams were terrific, and a couple others, well, they were there and playing: learning, not on the couch.

One thing new to me was a particularly good team from about 50 miles north, who “paid” their coaches. I had not seen that before in LL play. I don’t know who paid them what, or how it worked in their league. But, word was, in a hushed fashion: “That the coaches were paid.” I suppose one could allow some doubt, but in my opinion the paid-thing is probably true. First of all, they looked like it; in full uniform, serious. Plus they beat the crap out of everybody. “Paid”, makes one big difference – The coaches were accountable, to someone, somehow. I wish more coaches in LL and youth softball at least felt accountable.

I want to describe a game situation I observed, concerning 3rd base coaching. First, I have numerous philosophies about coaching 3rd base. Philosophies concerning just what the heck it is that you are supposed to be doing, which first and foremost, at game time, is to help your team win a game. Next, in pursuit of the W is: If you are coaching 3rd base (on offense of course) and your team goes game after game without getting a runner thrown out at home plate, then you probably aren’t aggressive enough, as the coach. Summarize the duties of a third base coach as; See through the elements and play, to always work strategically to put your team in a better position to Win.

This weekend’s tournament was hot, 3 games a day, the first day dividing the winner’s bracket, from the consolation bracket. Yesterday was day 2, games starting at 8 am. At noon two teams from the winner’s bracket squared off for the right to get another W, and advance to the championship game. At the end of 4 innings, the score was tied 5-5, when one team (visitors) scored and went ahead 6-5. In my opinion it was the less talented team that went ahead, which is important. The other team did not score in their half of the inning, so into the 5th inning the Monticello team led 6-5, and did not score in their top half.

In the bottom of the 5th the team from Champaign got their first two runners on base, I think a walk and a single, no matter, runners on first and second, no outs. The 3rd base coach gives the traditional clap or two, and an “encouraging coach-holler, like, Let’s go Droopy, hit the ball”. Brilliant strategy to clap and yell! I watched the coach closely. Every opposing defensive player was poised, seemed to instinctively know where they would go with the ball. The 3rd base coach, I think had no idea what he would do, then another clap and Yea Us. I’m positive the coach had no idea of the depth of the left fielder in relation to his right handed batter and the runner on 2nd base.

OK, here is the dilemma: You are in the second hot day of a great tournament, a tying then winning run away from the championship game. That coveted, rare opportunity to Win a Tournament, at your fingertips. Runners on First and Second no outs: the right handed batter at the plate, swings, with a clean ground ball hit to left field, hit so clean the runners could easily advance off the crack of the bat, without waiting for the ball to get to outfield grass, a clean single. The runner on second split for third as the left fielder advanced, to field the ground ball and check runners. The 3rd base coach, standing just off the bag (not down the line), started holding the runner up, before the runner was even 15 feet from the bag, to which the runner completed his easy jog into 3rd base, and the coach completed his Rah-Rah, with some sort of at-a-boy to the runner and then to the hitter across the diamond and now at first base .

No effort, what-so-ever, was made to score the runner or act like there would be an effort to score. Remember it’s the second hot day of a well-played tournament, and the trophy on the hood, next to a grasp by the team and followers. Kind of an; “If not now, (for an extra effort), then when”, moment.

At the very least, the 3rd base coach should have been toward home, just off the chalk line, about 15 feet from the 3rd base bag in full frontal view of a runner rounding 3rd. At the least, the runner could actually “run to, then through the bag” as if in an effort to attempt to score , as if very interested in the game’s outcome. At the very least that team could have made an effort to draw a throw home, which in 9/10 year old Little League, has about a 50% (or More) chance of being a wild throw, with an easy walk-in tying run.

As a coach, remember, a 10 year old left fielder, seeing the runner go, must make a good throw to home, with a clean pick-up by the 10 year old catcher, and then a clean tag to get the runner. But this defense didn’t have to do that, because the 3rd base coach had the runner slowing to a stop even before he got to the bag, and the left fielder could easily see that. You have to make the opposing team make plays! There was lots of time for the runner to fake a run to the plate, but then see the 3rd base coach down the line to stop him, if the coach thought the throw was a good one. In actuality, the offensive 3rd base coach, made the play for the defense. That 3rd base coach, gave up the opportunity to put his team in a position to win.

(And of course there is more, there always is more, in the game, on the field making dirt fly. That lead runner (the tying run) should have two runners behind him. By drawing that throw on the first runner, you give the D a chance to throw it away, and thus have a chance to score the lead run with the next runner if the ball is thrown wild, with one inning between you and that rare trophy. Woe is me, I cringed.)

On a hot weekend, with the championship privilege in the crosshairs, the coach made the play for the other team. I don’t think players or the fans even realized what just happened, was self-inflicted Loser-ville-ball. In fact it is theft, of a coach, from actually leading a team to a chance to be the best, that day, on that field, for that trophy. But I realized it, and I saw the relief in the coach of the defense in the other dugout. He could not believe his good fortune.

Here’s the other side of the play: What would have happened if the runner had gone to home to score, and been thrown out, on a play at the plate? The answer: nothing would happen. You still have runners on 2nd & 3rd, with only one out, and in a great position to bunt, hit & run, etc. etc. In fact, that team got the next out on a ground ball to the D’s 2nd baseman, and the runner didn’t advance again, to which no one seemed to notice again. Then a strike out to end the inning.

Bases loaded, no one out, and they couldn’t score, or didn’t want to score; played it safe. And I suspect that arm-chair coach thought he did OK by not getting a runner thrown out on the bases.

And worse yet, I think the 3rd base coach never noticed, nor did the players and their team’s following. I think he walked off with another, same ole Rah-Rah to his team and too himself mostly. If you are coaching 3rd base and never get a runner thrown out at home, you are doing nothing more than taking up space. Heck, the mom’s in the stands can send runners on the Safe-Plays.

A third base coach is kind of like a field goal kicker in football, that is: Sooner or later they need to win a game for the team, not help the defense. Players should make plays, Coaches can make plays also, and must. Unless, of course they can’t take the heat in the kitchen.