Stalling yourself to a "W"

[Sftbll4ever]

Look in the dugoutr and see the faces of the girls.....

I would have a really hard time looking into the dugout if the faces were like yours!!! HAHAHAHAHA

[DDG]

There are times when stalling is a necessary part of the game. Using it wisely is as important as any other coaching decision.

I agree, in most friendlies, stalling is a show of poor sportsmanship. However, there are exceptions, as noted previously (a rare victory for a struggling team, et.al.).

I don’t know about everyone else, but when we show up at a tournament, we are there to win (doesn’t always happen). If stalling will help in a close game (bracket play or elimination), I see no problem. It is up to the umpires to control this.

There are times when stalling is poor sportsmanship, just like running up the score in a meaningless situation.

[Tucson]

What is that saying "There is a place for everything and everything has its place?"

That is why I like school ball, it either goes 7 innings or someone is run ruled.

I saw the Illini last night not know how to run the clock (basketball), in a game that they led throughout and they ended up big fat losers.

In a game that means something, I will run the clock. In a friendly, I start girls that need innings.

[jefff]

I appreciate the posts and comments on this topic as well as the respected philosophies of other coaches - ranges from extreme to the other - but the insight is appreciated as I am always looking to become a better coach while keeping it in perspective. Thank you

[blogndogn]

if people dont like stalling ,then score some more runs , and it wont even matter if they pick there butt to stall.

[wadeintothem]

Any major sport would frown on it and make the games decided on the field, but here, we have 4-5 conferences, pitching changes, catcher changes, timeouts - all happening in the last 5 min so scores revert back! Saw it happen all weekend long in Chino. Is so blatant its comical.

No they wouldnt frown on it, and in fact, exactly the opposite is true.

Within rules, stalling is a part of every game with a clock. At top levels, if you didnt stall in a sport with a clock when you were supposed to you would be out of a job. It is only because we are talking about a "sport for the girls" that we would even entertain such a discussion. As was pointed out, in football, taking a knee is completely expected and accepted. If someone didnt take a knee and threw it deep and scored, they would be berated for running up the score, and if they lost, they would be berated.

Softball is a sport with a clock in most instances, even in a lot of national play and time management is a tool. If you as a team manager decide not to use that tool, then you have set aside a tool which could help your team, presumably who works hard, to win.

Often, I will bear the brunt of the pressure because of this stalling. The crowd will be pissed, the coaches will be pissed. They will be demanding I do something about it. Obviously, I know the team is stalling. As long as they are within the rules, that is cannot be my concern. Hell I might even appreciate a good legal stalling depending on the situation

On the other hand, I have been a part of games where the match is not even, and the coach works it exactly the opposite way: he does not stall, walks the run rule line, and works the clock to get more playing time to get more at bats and to practice strategies. Parents of the team who is getting beaten in this manner, almost humiliated, do not demonstrate that they appreciate this type of non stalling.