Game Cancelled

A lot of great softball has been going on lately, with the re-emergence of some past powers, a few new faces and a lot of good games the season is coming to full bloom. It's also been nice to see some responses on some of my posts, I am always glad to get some outside input. 

The message boards have been working overtime lately, and one of the hotter topics revolves around the ever controversial issue of game cancelation. More and more it seems that teams have been bagging games with later notice and with weaker reasons. At well past the midway point in the season, it's shocking that some teams have only played two or three games. Granted, this season has been different than most with heavy rain throughout the first 5 weeks of the season, it's not difficult to understand how some teams made it through that span without playing a single game. That said, when at least one team in the league sits at 14 games played to date, it demonstrates that if teams really wanted to play they could find an opponent.

The issue of cancelled games raises multiple levels of controversy. To begin with, who is doing the canceling, and why? Is it a team that has played only one game all year, and cancels regularly due to lack of players? If this is the case, it would seem prudent for the coach of that team to take a deep look at his team and make some decisions moving forward. In an effort to make things better for their team, the manager should look into recruiting more regular players to stem the issue of forfeiting for lack of manpower. Taking this step solves two problems, it lets the players already on the team who are committed get to play, and it keeps opposing teams from having to deal with a cancelation. That said, if you are a manager of a team that is facing a squad that hasn't played many games, get in constant contact with the manager of that team. Talk to them the week before and get them to confirm they'll for sure have the numbers. In most cases, this will help save a lot of heartache over last minute cancelations. The other solution for managers whose teams regularly have to cancel because of lack of players is for those managers to let opponents know well ahead of time if they honestly don't think they'll have enough players. This is responsible management.

The other issue, and a much larger problem, is teams who cancel because they don't think they'll have the "right" players, or because playing a game could hurt their RPI. Let's be frank, this sort of thing is bush league management. If you schedule a game, and you have 10 players, you play the game. If your team is good enough, you'll win enough games to make the playoffs, if you are canceling games because you think the team you have might lose, there should be some form of penalty imposed. 

The whole issue of canceling games leads to a broader point that should be made. In Washington, DC, for most of the players on these teams, softball is a chance to go out with friends, it's a chance to enjoy being outside during the summer, it's a chance to drink some beer and kick back, and, for some, it's an avenue of escape from the constant grind of life. This is softball, it's the cherished past time of the of the average American Joe. To all of the managers in the league, be aware that while you may take softball lightly, and you may not care if you play or not, many in the league look forward to getting out on the diamond and having some summer fun. Don't be the one to get in the way of that.