Softball team tanks to keep Iowa team from advancing

[BABiscuit]

Looks like the little league officials are going to make them have a play-in game. Any bets on whether the west coach has a punchable face?
.....................

The Central Iowa All-Stars won their final pool play game of the Little League Softball World Series on Monday 7-0 against Canada. The team finished pool play with a record of 3-1.

For the Central Iowa team to advance to the semifinals, they needed either the U.S. West team (undefeated 3-0) to win or score at least three runs vs. the U.S. Southeast team (2-1, a team Central Iowa already beat).

Southeast upset the West by a score of 8-0, and it looked like the girls from Iowa would be the odd team out of the tiebreaker.

However, Little League officials, according to Central Iowa manager Charlie Husak, determined the West team lost the game on purpose, trying to keep Central Iowa out of the semifinals.

The West reportedly did not start their four best players, and during the game the West kids were bunting with two strikes, trying to get out on purpose, and swinging at balls in the dirt on purpose to record outs intentionally.

Under the Little League pledge it states, “I will play fair and strive to win.” Little League officials determined the West team did not play fair and did not try to win, and in fact tried to lose by a certain number of runs to keep the Central Iowa team out of the semifinals.

Instead of disqualifying the West team, the officials determined there will be a one-game playoff.

Central Iowa will face the West on Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT. The winner reportedly advances to the semifinals as the two-seed.

“It’s been a very emotional day,” said Husak via text to Channel 13.

http://whotv.com/2015/08/17/crazy-s...ies-central-iowa-to-play-in-one-game-playoff/

 

[brownd7949hawks]

Wonder what their reason for tanking would be?

 

[hawkifann]

Wonder what their reason for tanking would be?

As I saw reported, the story is that they wanted to keep the Iowa team out of the semi-finals.

 

[iowalaker]

Here is an idea. Teach the kids a lesson, and the "Adults" in this.

Send the west team packing. The adults in this situation are pathetic.

 

[brownd7949hawks]

As I saw reported, the story is that they wanted to keep the Iowa team out of the semi-finals.

I assumed that, any specific reasons?

 

[hawkifann]

I assumed that, any specific reasons?

I think they felt they could beat the Southeast team and opted to set that up. Nice message to the kids on the West team.

 

[TJ8869]

Wonder what their reason for tanking would be?

The way I understand it, two of the five teams in the pool advance to the semifinals. The West team had already beaten three of their four opponents, including Central Iowa. If West had beaten Southeast or at least scored 3 runs, then Central Iowa would have joined West in the semifinals. Since Southeast is not as good as Central Iowa, West lost to them intentionally, knowing West and Southeast would get the two semifinal berths and Central Iowa would be left out of the three-way tiebreaker.

 

[JWolf74]

Here is an idea. Teach the kids a lesson, and the "Adults" in this.

Send the west team packing. The adults in this situation are pathetic.

This

 

[TexMichFan]

Here is an idea. Teach the kids a lesson, and the "Adults" in this.

Send the west team packing. The adults in this situation are pathetic.

Nope, keep the kids let them have a play in game and send the adults packing.

 

[TJ8869]

Here is an idea. Teach the kids a lesson, and the "Adults" in this.

Send the west team packing. The adults in this situation are pathetic.

What I object to is not so much that they tanked the game, but that they tanked the game so blatantly. Sitting the top four players. Bunting with two strikes. Swinging at pitches in the dirt. Trying to get out on purpose.

Come on. At least make it look like you were trying.

 

[Funky Bunch]

Here is an idea. Teach the kids a lesson, and the "Adults" in this.

Send the west team packing. The adults in this situation are pathetic.

I don't even see another option other than this.

 

[DavenportHawk8]

Wow that is pathetic. What do these parents think they are teaching these kids? Jackie Robinson Little league last year out of Chicago cheated and now these girls are "tanking" games??

My god sports sure have changed in the past 20 years, really need to get some people with class coaching these kids.

 

[Run&Blade]

Traveling teams are a ripe environment for hatred back-stabbing sabotage and bitterness from the adults. And that is just the stuff that goes on within the teams.

I don't feel bad for anybody involved. We are talking about spoiled privledged elites here.

 

[ICWestfan]

Wow that is pathetic. What do these parents think they are teaching these kids? Jackie Robinson Little league last year out of Chicago cheated and now these girls are "tanking" games??

My god sports sure have changed in the past 20 years, really need to get some people with class coaching these kids.

Because cheating is new to little league?

 

[hawkfan0319]

I thought I read somewhere that the coaches have been suspended and won't be allowed to coach the team anymore. Did anyone else hear this?

 

[Titanhawk2]

I don't mind the sitting of some players. If you know your team is in, let some kids start that probably won't get that much playing time. But play the game.

 

[hawkifann]

What I object to is not so much that they tanked the game, but that they tanked the game so blatantly. Sitting the top four players. Bunting with two strikes. Swinging at pitches in the dirt. Trying to get out on purpose.

Come on. At least make it look like you were trying.

I agree with this. They would have been just fine to use the "free" game to give some of their bench kids a shot at more PT, rest their best pitchers and all the rest. In the process, they might have lost and that would have been fine.

 

[ottumwan in tx]

iowa football tanks game to advance the sec

 

[markfromj]

Under the Little League pledge it states, “I will play fair and strive to win.”

But there is the crux: Win what? The game? Or the tournament? Just as there are moves in a game to increase the chances of winning the game, can't there be moves in a tournament to increase the chances of winning the tournament? And can't purposefully losing a game/scoring few enough runs be such a move?

The fault here lies in the existence of tournament advancement rules that provider any scenario where it pays to lose.

 

[Noble Hawk]

Yet another example of adults ruining youth sports.

 

[TJ8869]

But there is the crux: Win what? The game? Or the tournament? Just as there are moves in a game to increase the chances of winning the game, can't there be moves in a tournament to increase the chances of winning the tournament? And can't purposefully losing a game/scoring few enough runs be such a move?

The fault here lies in the existence of tournament advancement rules that provider any scenario where it pays to lose.

What they did was hardly analogous to a sacrific bunt. It was unfair to the Iowa team and insulting to the North Carolina team. Basically the Washington team was saying, " we think you suck and we would rather play you in the next round of the tournament than play the Iowa team again. So we're going to do a Keysyone Kops routine and let you win so you can advance with us."

 

[Joes Place]

Central (Iowa) is up 3-2 in the 3rd....
https://gc.com/tmt/summer-2015/litt...series-2015-557eff39cb41bc001ee33075/schedule

 

[Joes Place]

Looks like they're already in the top of the 6th (last inning I believe):

Central (Iowa) 3
West 2

 

[SSG T]

Traveling teams are a ripe environment for hatred back-stabbing sabotage and bitterness from the adults. And that is just the stuff that goes on within the teams.

I don't feel bad for anybody involved. We are talking about spoiled privledged elites here.

Slight correction. This isn't an AAU or USSSA team or any other travel team. This was a Little League team. Not saying you aren't correct in many instances, just the type of team this is.

 

[Joes Place]

....aaaand.....THERE's your Karma, bitches!!!

Central 3
West 2
F

 

[whatsup12579er]

slowclap.gif

 

[BABiscuit]

I bet the after-game "good games" were a little awkward.

 

[tarheelbybirth]

....aaaand.....THERE's your Karma, bitches!!!

Central 3
West 2
F

No adult associated with the West team should be allowed within 1000 yards of a softball field...forever.

 

[Cougar63]

The point of sports is to win the game every game. I understand round robin tournaments lead to situations like this, but you play to win the game (thanks Herm).

 

[EagleHawk]

....aaaand.....THERE's your Karma, bitches!!!

Central 3
West 2
F

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-...wing-rile-little-league-softball-world-series

According to this, they play this evening at 6:00 on ESPN 2 against Rhode Island

 

[Vroom_C14]

You can't have a rule set in place, have a team circumvent that rule and then the commission circumvents their own rule?

Should have kicked them out, banned the coaches and their area's organization from playing for the next 2 years.

 

[SSG T]

One issue, Iowa's #1 pitcher now can't pitch tonight because she already threw today. If they wouldn't have had to play the "play in" game, she could have thrown tonight.

BTW, her dad is our school's softball coach and she'll eventually pitch for us. I'm not sure if she's going into 7th or 8th grade, though, so it might be another year.

 

[BABiscuit]

No adult associated with the West team should be allowed within 1000 yards of a softball field...forever.

I have read in different places that the parents from the West team were not happy about this. The Iowa coach stated some apologized to him after the tanked game. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if I was a parent. I would be upset, but can you really do anything during the game? My kids are still young so I have no experience in the competitive environment of 12 year old softball.

 

[nowalkin]

I have read in different places that the parents from the West team were not happy about this. The Iowa coach stated some apologized to him after the tanked game. I'm not sure how I would have reacted if I was a parent. I would be upset, but can you really do anything during the game? My kids are still young so I have no experience in the competitive environment of 12 year old softball.

If you have even one half of one testical you go down and tell the coach he's teaching a horrible lesson and you tell him your child will not be a part of it. I would've gone ballistic in this scenario. West coach should never coach anything the rest of his godforsaken pitiful miserable life!

 

[nowalkin]

And one more thing, this douche bag is protesting the game. Way to double down you giant doucher.

 

[Hawkeyemc]

Just win, It's not a personality contest. Oh, wait.

 

[whatsup12579er]

And one more thing, this douche bag is protesting the game. Way to double down you giant doucher.

He's protesting the 'play-in' game? Wow.

He would be correct that the game should not have been played. His team should have been disqualified.

 

[HawkAttackDial911]

 

[Joes Place]

Iowa.....Snohomish.....Gesundheit!!!!

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Iowa vs Rhode Island on Espn2 right now (6;30)