Little League - Isn't It About the Kids?

Image courtesy of LittleLeague.org

For every great story, there is one not so great. The Little League World Series is no different.

For the first time in the history of the LLWS, an African team made the trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The team from Lugazi, Uganda, was certainly the fan favorite. The team had always played with minimal equipment and in bare feet before making the World Series. None of the players' parents could afford the trip to the United States.


But that doesn't mean they didn't have support. The town of Williamsport adopted the Uganda team as their own. Other Little Leaguers, too, took in the kids from Lugazi. One player from New Castle, Indiana, looked unhappy when talking to his mother one day. "Mom, they (the Uganda players) have nothing!" Well, they made sure that changed. Three truck loads of clothes and other items made the trip a couple of days later from New Castle to Williamsport, all for the team from Africa.

Lugazi Little League, Lugazi, Uganda
(Image courtesy of LittleLeague.org)

Their story is much more important than the outcome of their games. Uganda lost their two games, 9-3 to Panama (who is 2-0 and facing Japan in the battle of the last unbeaten teams in the International Pool) and 12-0 to Mexico (who is now 3-1 after defeating Curacao in the next-to-last elimination game in the International Pool, and will play the Japan/Panama loser).

Sadly, those two opponents (Panama and Mexico) are making headlines for something other than the results of the kids on the field.  They are in trouble for not following the Mandatory Play Rule.



Mexico did not play one of their players for the mandatory 3 outs (would have been 6 outs if the team had 12 or fewer players) in the field and have at least one at bat. This rule is only in affect if the game is not shortened (by the ten run rule). As a result, by rule of Little League Baseball, a protest was brought to the Tournament Committee.

Mexican reserve Juan Rodriguez entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the 5th inning in their elimination game against Chinese Taipei. He played for six consecutive outs in the field and was due up in the bottom of the 6th inning. However, the Mexican team did not have to bat in the bottom of the 6th, as they won 4-3.

By rule, Mexico's manager was suspended for the next two tournament games (against Curacao and against the loser of the Panama/Japan game). However, according to the Little League Baseball Tournament Rules and Guidelines, the penalties can be more egregious, "up to and including forfeiture of a game and/or disqualification of the team, managers or coaches..." if the Tournament Committee believes any of the following have occurred:


(from the 2012 Little League Baseball Tournament Rules and Guidelines)

1. a manager or coach takes any action that results in making a travesty of the game, causing players to intentionally perform poorly for the purpose of extending or shortening a game, or;
2. a team fails to meet the requirements of this rule more than once during the International Tournament, which begins with District play and ends at the World Series level ... or;
3. a manager willfully and knowingly disregards the requirements of this rule.

So the question is, why did Mexico not have to forfeit the game when they violated the rules regarding the play of the game?

Well, first off, the current rules do not require forfeiture, even when an obvious advantage was gained by the Mexican team. All players have to hit once, and Mexico did not meet that requirement.

Second of all, the way the rules are written, nothing severely egregious occurred. The manager (including the Chinese Taipei manager) did not make a travesty of the game. Mexico didn't let the Asia-Pacific team score to extend the game so all players could hit. Similarly, the Chinese Taipei team did not intentionally get out in the 6th to ensure that the player in question did not bat. This was a first time offense, and it by no means was willfully and knowingly disregarding the rule.

Is it a bad rule?

I'm not sure. My immediate reaction is to say that this should be an automatic forfeiture. I want to say that you MUST get everybody in the game no matter what. That way, any non-shortened game (and as the rule book says, "A game is not considered shortened if the home team does not complete the offensive half of the sixth or seventh inning (or any extra inning) due to winning the game.") will see all players get an at-bat and get their time in the field, as it should be.

In my opinion, Mexico did not have to forfeit the game because the player in question was in fact due to hit in the 6th inning. Maybe that's a good thing? And let's dive deeper into this situation. Young Juan Rodriguez was due up fourth in the 5th inning. Mexico was however retired in order, leaving Rodriguez on deck. Further, all three who batted in the 5th were offensive substitutions making their required at bats. This was FAR from an intentional side-stepping of the rules.

So what do we do?

Personally, I think the rule needs to be re-written so that there is not any room for interpretation of whether or not a foul was intentional. Option 1: Make it an automatic forfeiture, that way coaches will make sure their substitutes are in the field and at the plate in plenty of time. Option 2: Make it a legal substitution if a player does not get their at bat (or their 3 consecutive outs in the field) due to the game ending after the top of the 6th inning. In this option, the batter in question MUST however be due up in the 6th inning, guaranteeing that he really WOULD have hit if the bottom half of the inning were necessary.

What's Wrong With Sports?

We have to debate rules like this...rules that are created for sportsmanship and for kid participation in a great sport. That's what's wrong. Make it so there NEVER is any question about this again. Panama's coach was suspended for his team's first two games in Williamsport for violating the Mandatory Play Rule in the Latin America Championship Game, a 6-5 victory over Venezuela. (Details of this foul are not known by our staff...if you have more details we would be delighted to hear them. More than likely, Panama did not bat in the last inning, or hit a walk-off before somebody got his at bat)

Panama and Mexico are advancing far into the tournament...but is it at the expense of the fair play and "everybody plays" ideal that has made Little League Baseball so great. What are we teaching our kids? The players from New Castle had it right for sure. Let's make sure EVERYBODY does.

NOTE: Uganda won 3-2 in their consolation game today against Gresham, Oregon. CONGRATULATIONS to the first ever African team to compete in the LLWS and for the first ever win by an African team in Williamsport!