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Making Danny Almonte proud ...

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Gator, Aug 18, 2015.

  1. Gator

    Gator Well-Known Member

    Team in Little League Softball World Series purposely loses game to eliminate a tougher team. Coach of the team eliminated could tell right away that the team was trying to lose, and calls them on it. So LLWS officials call for a one-game playoff between the teams. Oh, the drama!

    Little League World Series Scandal: Softball Team Throws Game
     
  2. TheSportsPredictor

    TheSportsPredictor Well-Known Member

    Winners lose!
     
  3. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    I am going to go against the grain here, maybe, and say Washington was well within the established rules and the makeup game is complete bullshit.

    Without having researched the format, I'd bet money that this is a tournament that uses runs allowed and run differential as tiebreakers. And whenever you do that instead of just playing a true double-elimination tournament, you are messing around with the meaning of "win the game" (TM Herm) and asking for this kind of trouble.

    I am guessing that North Carolina had to allow zero runs and Washington had to allow nine or fewer to advance, hence the pre-ordained 8-0 final. It's bullshit, but it's on the organizers for creating that monster.
     
    doctorquant likes this.
  4. justgladtobehere

    justgladtobehere Well-Known Member

    A commenter on the Deadspin piece posted the rule that forbids purposefully losing to gain an edge in pool play.
     
  5. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    It's a pretty vaguely worded rule. When a manager or coach instructs his/her players to play poorly for any reason, such
    as, but not limited to the following, such action may result in the manager’s removal by the Umpire-in-Chief, and/or removal of the manager, coach(es) and/or team from
    further tournament play. 1. losing a game to efect a particular outcome in a Pool Play Format tournament;


    It also says it "may result in" the manager and/or team being ejected from the tournament. It doesn't say anything about a hastily arranged makeup game.

    But whatever, if you have to put in a rule that says "don't take advantage of our other rules," then you have a problem with the structure.

    This is like the situation at the Olympics when the badminton teams were both trying to lose so they could face the easier opponent in the next round. It's the organizers' fault.

    --And as a further note, I will say that my son's team is fully capable of playing poorly without any managerial instructions. :)
     
    doctorquant likes this.
  6. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

  7. MisterCreosote

    MisterCreosote Well-Known Member

    "Tournaments" in which losing teams advance are already inherently stupid.
     
  8. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    As long as they all get participation trophies, nothing can be truly wrong.
     
  9. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    This is one of your best posts.
     
  10. qtlaw24

    qtlaw24 Active Member

    How clueless are the coaches that they think this will even pass muster? How do idiots like this even get this far?
     
  11. jr/shotglass

    jr/shotglass Well-Known Member

    I'd love to hear how he sold his team on the idea. Would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that pep talk.
     
  12. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    What selling? He's the coach.

    Fact of the matter is his team stood a much better chance of winning the tournament this way.

    This is not a lot different than an NFL team resting starters in Week 17.
     
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