[Ed Dantes]

I haven't really been a fan of Rick Reilly, ever since he left SI... But this is an awesome, awesome column. Quoted in its entirety.

Some things are so small, so miniscule, so atomically insignificant, they can be seen only from three feet away using the Hubble telescope. The heart of Jean Musgjerd is one of these things.

She's the women's softball coach for Rochester (Minn.) Community and Technical College. Here's what Coach Musgjerd did -- and try to keep your lunch from rising up as you read:

It's this past May's Minnesota College Athletic Conference state tourney, and Central Lakes College is tied with Rochester, 0-0, bottom of the seventh and final inning. Central Lakes pitcher Olivia Graham has her first no-hitter going. Now, with Central Lakes at bat, she just has to hope her team can score a run to lock it up.

Sure enough, Central's freshman first baseman, Ashly Erickson, rips one over the fence. Game over. Madness erupts. As Erickson and her cantaloupe smile round third, some teammates high-five her. It's the greatest moment in her short softball life.

But when she touches the plate, the Rochester players begin shouting, "That's an out! She's out!" Then Musgjerd helpfully tells the ump that Erickson should be out since, according to the rules, teammates aren't allowed to "touch a batter or baserunner legally running the bases."

Central Lakes' interim coach, Heidi Rogge, was flabbergasted. She'd taken over only two weeks before, when the head coach suddenly quit. "I can't imagine a coach thinking that way," says Rogge, 28. "I couldn't be that petty. How can someone feel good calling that?"

The head ump for the tournament listened, shrugged and said, "Batter's out."

It was a walk-off-walk-back-on homer -- the first game ever lost by congratulations.

Erickson was crushed. "I thought, How can that not count? I hit it over the fence!"

So you can guess the rest. Graham lost her no-no in the ninth and Rochester won, 4-0. Musgjerd's integrity was in the dumpster, but hey, her record improved. She didn't return my calls but did tell the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "You don't want to win in that way, but you have to play by the rules."

No. You do not want to win that way. Period. It's lower than mole excrement.

Worse, the Rochester players yelling "That's an out!" as soon as Erickson crossed the plate suggests the move was a stink bomb Musgjerd had been saving in her purse, ready to throw in the middle of somebody's parade. Who thinks that small?

I hate this kind of crap. There's nothing cheaper than using some tiny, unconnected technicality to rob somebody of her rightful moment of glory, won fair and square. It's the cheapest thing in sports: an adult pencil-whipping some kid just because she can. And my e-mail box fills up with these kinds of stories all the time.

I lost the pine box derby because a den master said I didn't fill out the form right.

They DQ'd our team because the coach found out I failed math class two years ago.

They said the goal didn't count because my jersey was out.

Makes me want to chew a hole through my desk.

For another thing, that's not even the rule! The rule states that the first infraction calls for a warning. Erickson should've just been warned, not called out. Would love to know what the umps were thinking on this. But they won't call back either.

It just didn't have to happen.

Remember what transpired just over a year ago in women's softball? A Western Oregon player hit a home run but, in her jubilation, ripped her knee touching first. Nobody knew what to do. Because of this stupid rule, her teammates and coaches couldn't help her round the bases. And that's when two kids on the other team -- Central Washington -- decided to carry her around the bases. Imagine that: sportsmanship.

The whole thing still leaves the 18-year-old Erickson wondering what the adult world is coming to. If she ever becomes a coach, will she make the same call to save a win? "No. No way. They would have earned that home run. That should be their glory. I'd let it go. 'Cuz that's not right."

No, it isn't. And if Coach Musgjerd has a thimbleful of self-respect left, she should call up Rogge today and forfeit the win, because both she and the umps had it wrong. She should say, "Turns out it should've been a warning, not an out. You win. Congrats."

Because, after all, you have to play by the rules.

[JK37]

IF it had been the rule that the runner is out on the first offense, I would have no problem with the coach calling it out, or the ump making the call.

But, IF the rulebook reads to issue a warning on the first infraction, then of course it was handled incorrectly.

My problem with Reilly is that he's letting the emotion of it fill the first half or more of his story. If the coach chose not to call it out, and her team subsequently lost, her AD would have evry right to hold it against her for not doing everything she can - WITHIN THE RULES - for her team and to win.

[blwall1416]

Officials have to deal with stuff like this all the time. So many people shout, "call it by the book"....then when we do, they say, "ah, just let them play"........which is why we really don't give a crap about the fans.

I guess Rick would have a problem with this, too:

Merkle Bonehead Play

On the day in question, September 23, 1908, that exact situation happened in New York. Moose McCormick was the runner on third base, and when pitcher Jack Pfiester's offering was hit into the outfield by batter Al Bridwell, McCormick ran home, scoring what he thought was the winning run, and ran into the clubhouse.

Fred Merkle was on first base, and he ran toward second base. Whether he actually reached second base has been disputed over the decades. At some point, he veered off as if to run off the field.

Johnny Evers yelled at the umpire Hank O'Day, who was the same man that he had warned a few days earlier. Christy Mathewson, the famous Giants pitcher and eventual Hall of Famer, very quickly saw what was happening, and ran onto the field to stop Merkle from leaving.

Meanwhile, the ball had been hit into the outfield, and was picked up by outfielder Solly Hofman. Hofman at first didn't think there was any rush to return the ball to the infield, but Evers screamed at him to throw it to second base to get a force out on Merkle.

Another famous Giant and eventual Hall of Famer, Ironman Joe McGinnity was coaching at third base that day and saw what was happening. He ran over to second base. As that was happening, the Giant fans in the stands, thinking the game was over, were streaming onto the field. At least one of them was near second base, and as the ball came from the outfield toward second base, he and McGinnity and Evers engaged in a struggle to catch and control the ball, at the same time as Mathewson was maneuvering Merkle. The fan ended up getting control of the ball, and heaved it into the stands, where it disappeared. An alternate version claims that Rube Kroh, a Chicago pitcher, wrestled the ball from the fan and gave it to Evers, who touched second base.

First baseman and eventual Hall of Famer Frank Chance was the player/manager, and he came out of the dugout to argue his team's case with the umpire, who had not given any ruling as to whether the winning run had scored. This was somewhat dangerous, as the Giants fans were all over the field, and while Chance argued, many of the fans got quite angry with him.

Not to be outdone, the Giant manager, eventual Hall of Famer John McGraw, came out to argue the Giant side of the story. The umpire listened to both sides, gathered the other umpires (including Bob Emslie), and went into the umpires' room (which was merely a "cage" of metal bars under the stands), where they tried to discuss the problem amidst the raucous yelling of Giant fans trying to influence the decision.

The police were called as a result of the pandemonium, and the Cubs team had to be escorted by the police from the stadium in front of thousands of angry Giant fans.

The umpires ruled the next day that Merkle had not touched second base, and therefore that the Giants had not won the game. The league president eventually ruled that the game had to be re--played. When it was re-played, the Cubs won. At the end of the season, the Cubs finished one game ahead of the Giants for the pennant. Johnny Evers' smart move had won the pennant for the Cubs against the Giants.

[ALUmnus]

Rick Reilly is outraged about nothing. He really doesn't have anything creative to say, does he? They're playing in the state tournament, and if it's a rule, then the coach did the right thing. The players were shouting because (gasp!) they actually knew the rules, unlike the other team. Suck it up, learn your life lesson, and move on. Splashing this all over espn is just pathetic. Maybe I'm just a crank, but this is so whiny.

[ToTheLeft]

WAHHHHH FOLLOWING THE RULES WAHHHH!


I mean seriously, I haven't enjoyed a single thing Rick has done in years. I used to read his SI articles, but they eventually got old. He cries and whines about stupid random things and uses terrible logic and arguments, but he's Rick Reilly so his opinion matters, no matter how terribly worded it is.

[ToTheLeft]

Also, if you lost on a walk-off homerun and had a way to have it overturned, wouldn't you do it? I mean, rules are there for a reason. Do what everyone else does, gather around home and as soon as she touches, then have a party. It's not that tough to wait like 5 seconds.

[4everfsu]

If the rules call for the first infraction the player is to be warned, then Rick is right. Winning coach is wrong.

[BJWilliams]

Straight out of the 2009 NCAA rulebook (which according to another article I read on this story does have jurisdiction over JC softball as well):

12.3 Base Awards
In general, an offensive player who is entitled to advance because of a base
award is not in jeopardy of being put out. However, upon proper appeal by the
defense, she may be called out for a base-running violation.
12.3.1 Offensive team personnel, other than base coaches and runners, shall not
touch a batter or base runner(s) legally running the bases on a dead-ball base
award until the player(s) contacts home plate.
EFFECT—For a first offense in a game, the umpire shall issue a warning
to the offending team. For a second offense, the ball is dead,
and the runner is out and credited with the last base legally
touched at the time of the interference. Each other base
runner must return to the last base legally touched at the
time of the interference.


Looks like the coach had it wrong and so did the ump. Could Reilly have toned down the language...yeah certainly he could have...

[ALUmnus]

Okay, say the ump got it wrong and a warning should have been issued. That's on the umpire, not the coach. And what Reilly did is basically attack this coach's integrity and personality on his national soapbox. And it was written with the quality of a local blog post. What coach wouldn't argue when the other team breaks a rule, especially in baseball?

[4everfsu]

Ok then with that viewpoint since the winning coach who says play by the rule, then forfeit the win? Me I would forfeit the win.

[ATrain]

*conspiracy theorist mode*I say the winning coach knew what the rule was, and the lack of a warning by the umpire showed her that he didn't know what it was, so she deliberately lied to steal the win. *end conspiracy theorist mode*

Or the winning coach is guilty of a Lane Kiffin.

[JK37]

Okay, say the ump got it wrong and a warning should have been issued. That's on the umpire, not the coach. And what Reilly did is basically attack this coach's integrity and personality on his national soapbox. And it was written with the quality of a local blog post. What coach wouldn't argue when the other team breaks a rule, especially in baseball?

Its not the coach's responsibility to enforce the rules. That's the ump's job. What RR did to this coach may very well end her career by way of tarnishing her ability to recruit. I feel for the coach, but I guess that makes sense!

Also, the coach only makes things worse by forfeiting. The league should step in and issue a statement regarding the mistake. The umpire, sadly, is to blame. (I've been in those shoes - its lonely and it feels awful.)

[Ed Dantes]

Okay, say the ump got it wrong and a warning should have been issued. That's on the umpire, not the coach. And what Reilly did is basically attack this coach's integrity and personality on his national soapbox. And it was written with the quality of a local blog post. What coach wouldn't argue when the other team breaks a rule, especially in baseball?

Its not the coach's responsibility to enforce the rules. That's the ump's job. What RR did to this coach may very well end her career by way of tarnishing her ability to recruit. I feel for the coach, but I guess that makes sense!

Also, the coach only makes things worse by forfeiting. The league should step in and issue a statement regarding the mistake. The umpire, sadly, is to blame. (I've been in those shoes - its lonely and it feels awful.)

Tarnishing her ability to recruit?

Yeah, you're right... recruiting across the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is pretty cutthroat. All of the quality recruits will probably choose Rochester Community Tech's arch rivals... Madison Area Technical College. Karma certainly gets the last laugh.

[JK37]

Okay, say the ump got it wrong and a warning should have been issued. That's on the umpire, not the coach. And what Reilly did is basically attack this coach's integrity and personality on his national soapbox. And it was written with the quality of a local blog post. What coach wouldn't argue when the other team breaks a rule, especially in baseball?

Its not the coach's responsibility to enforce the rules. That's the ump's job. What RR did to this coach may very well end her career by way of tarnishing her ability to recruit. I feel for the coach, but I guess that makes sense!

Also, the coach only makes things worse by forfeiting. The league should step in and issue a statement regarding the mistake. The umpire, sadly, is to blame. (I've been in those shoes - its lonely and it feels awful.)

Tarnishing her ability to recruit?

Yeah, you're right... recruiting across the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is pretty cutthroat. All of the quality recruits will probably choose Rochester Community Tech's arch rivals... Madison Area Technical College. Karma certainly gets the last laugh.

Ok, ok, maybe I was thinking too much like a coach. Well-played, my friend. Haha!

But seriously, the recruits to a school like that likely are mostly local. Just saying RR's story was unnecessary and could have an effect on this coach's livelihood - undeservedly so.

[RagingTireFire]

It's juco women's softball.

I know it's summer but that's no excuse to give a frap.

[Rocketfan]

It's juco women's softball.

I know it's summer but that's no excuse to give a frap.

How else are we supposed to get you to post....??

[RagingTireFire]

It's juco women's softball.

I know it's summer but that's no excuse to give a frap.

How else are we supposed to get you to post....??

Nudity. Nudity would be a good start.