PC Football . . . the Anti-Blowout Rule

[caphorns]

I always knew the East coast is full of p*ssies. This takes the cake.


Coaches face suspension for wins of 50-plus points.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- High school football coaches in Connecticut will have to be good sports this fall -- or risk a suspension.

The football committee of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference, which governs high school sports, is adopting a "score management" policy that will suspend coaches whose teams win by more than 50 points.

A rout is considered an unsportsmanlike infraction and the coach of the offending team will be disqualified from coaching the next game, said Tony Mosa, assistant executive director of the Cheshire, Conn.-based conference.

"We were concerned with any coach running up the game. There's no need for it," Mosa said. "This is something that we really have been discussing for the last couple of years. There were a number of games that were played where the difference of scores were 60 points or more. It's not focused on any one particular person."

Some have dubbed it the "Jack Cochran rule," after the New London High football coach, who logged four wins of more than 50 points last year. In New London's 60-0 rout of Tourtelotte/Ellis Tech, Cochran enraged the Tourtelotte bench by calling a timeout just before halftime. Tourtelotte's coach was arrested on breach of peace charges after police say he struck a security guard and an assistant New London coach.

Leo Facchini, New London's athletic director, called it unfair to single out his coach.

Facchini said he and Cochran tried to pull in the reins during New London's 90-0 drubbing of Griswold last season by trying to get both sides and the timekeeper to agree to run a continuous clock.

Some states, including Iowa, continuously run the game clock in the second half if a team has a 35-point lead. The Connecticut committee rejected a similar proposal because members thought it would unfairly cut into backups' playing time.


Good god. Unfair to cut into backups playing time in a FAKE game?

[Flagstaffsooner]

You guys better hope the Big XII whaps that rule in before next October.:D

[boomersooner28]

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. Now, you are going to have kids falling down on purpose and embarrassing the living hell out of the opposing team.

[Flagstaffsooner]

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. Now, you are going to have kids falling down on purpose and embarrassing the living hell out of the opposing team.Didn't seem to bother the Franags.

[snp]

I can't wait to see a defender pick up a fumble and start to rumble for the endzone when his team is winning 49-0...Only to get leveled by his own coach to protect getting suspended.

[SoonerDood]

gayest. rule. evar.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Now looky heeyeah...I agree with some of this and disagree with some of this. Pays attention fo' the subtle diff'rences:

(1) It's only high school. So, 95% of the players suited up don't care a hill of beans about football per se, but just want to get a better shot at some of the finer tail roaming the high school hallways. Thus, a coach 50 points up calling a time out is a little ridiculous. What's he thinking about?

(2) There's nothing wrong with the continual running of the clock. When we drubbed A&M 77-0 Fran and Bob agreed to do it. I can easily see a crappy high school game that no one in their right mind cares anything about being that right place for an automatic clock running rule.

(3) I once attended a soccer tournament one of my nephews was playing in. There was a team there whose roster the soccer "association" obviously did not check (I know because I later contacted the soccer association of the city this team supposedly came from).

Anyway, this was the bracket for 10-year old recreation league. The team with the unchecked roster was winning games 18-0, 22-0, etc. All other games were your normal 3-0, 2-1, 5-3 types that you expect from your run of the mill 10-year olds.

Well, my nephews' team went to the semi-final of the bracket and had to play this team. By halftime, they were down 12-0. Early in the second half, the coach of the unchecked roster team began screaming at the referee about some ticky-tacky offsides call that took away a goal that would have put his team ahead about 15-0.

So, this idiot coach goes onto the field and the referee runs him. I couldn't take it anymore, a walked around the field and met this jerk halfway to his car and began reading him the riot act. The ref saw me up in this guys grill and ran over there and broke it up (and tossed me as well).

It turns out that team was filled with various players from competitive league teams...where the loser parents pay hundreds if not thousands to "coaches" to grind their 10 year old kids into the ground in the name of a "possible soccer scholarships" for college...some eight years away - fags.

There's a time and place for everything. If USC gets by on us to the tune of 55-19 in the national title game, that's one thing (or, if Texas falls behind OU 63-14 or, say, 65-13...). If a high school coach of a local powerhouse is whipping the local doormat and calling timeouts and such, it's a different story.

At OU (or Texas), there are big time coaches making millions of dollars and roster full of blue chip players. If they get blown out, it's their own fault and deserve to have it run up on them. But, true high school and lower level amateur stuff is different.

To me, teaching sportsmanship is the most improtant thing at the young ages. The cream of the crop are going to star and get their stats and scholarships no matter what happens. But, there's no needs rub everyone else's nose in it.

[MiccoMacey]

I think Franchione has his hand in this one... :D

[SkipTracer]

Reminds me of the Wimpodites.

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/1783/wimpodites0ph.jpg

[snp]

It turns out that team was filled with various players from competitive league teams...where the loser parents pay hundreds if not thousands to "coaches" to grind their 10 year old kids into the ground in the name of a "possible soccer scholarships" for college...some eight years away - fags.

:rolleyes: I played competitive soccer my whole life and it wasn't because my "loser" parents wanted me to get a scholly. It was because the rec league sucked and was boring. Nice sweeping generalizations.

And it's not like parents don't pay money for their kids to play any other sport.

[Tear Down This Wall]

:rolleyes: I played competitive soccer my whole life and it wasn't because my "loser" parents wanted me to get a scholly. It was because the rec league sucked and was boring. Nice sweeping generalizations.

And it's not like parents don't pay money for their kids to play any other sport.

Yes, but the difference is your coach and parents probably put you in tournaments with other competitive league teams where they belonged, not rec teams full of kids who just wanted to kick the ball around. There's huge difference. This guy and the parents laughing about their kids pushing around rec league teams were losers.

[snp]

Yea, definately. But you still stereotyped a gigantic portion of soccer players based on a group of *******s.

[Tear Down This Wall]

No. I stereotyped their parents and coaches. Kids do what they're told. Especially with pushy parents and coaches. After all was said and done, it was discovered that they put their competitive team in the rec bracket instead of in the competitive bracket.

Then, instead of just fessing up, the association sponsoring the tournmant mealy-mouthed around until I called the city where the team was from. It was sad to see adults act that way with 10-year old kids involved. The association should have done something about it when the first two coaches complained, but they didn't. They let the whole thing play out all day.

To their coach's and parents' shame, the team that should have been in the comptitive bracket acted like nothing was wrong. They laughed at the other teams, they yelled at the refs for making offsides call. They even yelled at their own kids when they were well ahead in the games.

Bottom line, it was too much. You want to be involved in competitive league, go play in the competitive league. Don't ruin everyone else's weekend by putting a team in a tournament that doesn't belong there.

Not just the kids, but the parents of the rec teams spent money and time, driving in from cities as far as 200 miles away, spending money on hotels rooms, meals, etc. It was just wrong. A very sorry scene all the way around.

[TheGodfather889]

That's pretty stupid. If the teams and coaches don't want scores being run up maybe they should play better football!!

[douxpaysan]

To me, teaching sportsmanship is the most improtant thing at the young ages. The cream of the crop are going to star and get their stats and scholarships no matter what happens. But, there's no needs rub everyone else's nose in it.Sportsmanship n., The quality of playing fair and can lose without complaint or win without gloating. There is precious little sportsmanship no matter what the sport or no matter what the level. As long as we build scoreboards there will be big winners and big losers. Trying to even the playing field in this manner is pounding sand. JMO

[Tear Down This Wall]

Sportsmanship n., The quality of playing fair and can lose without complaint or win without gloating. There is precious little sportsmanship no matter what the sport or no matter what the level. As long as we build scoreboards there will be big winners and big losers. Trying to even the playing field in this manner is pounding sand. JMO

True in some aspects, but not true in others. For example, if leveling the playing field is akin to pounding sand, why are there different divisions of competition in the NCAA (I-A, I-AA, II, III), High School (Class 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, eight man, six, man, etc.), Baseball (Major and minor leagues), hockey (major and minor leagues), basketball (major and developmental leagues), etc.

In college I-A, as I stated, if you are OU getting pounded by USC or Texas getting pounded by OU, you pretty much get what's coming to you. You have the same facilities, number in scholarships, high profile coaches, etc.

In high school, though, you have districts with schools that have the upper hand due to their tax bases. People leave areas where crime increases. As they do, the enrollment in those schools decrease, leaving less of a talent pool for the schools there.

All they are asking the high school coaches to do is think about what they are doing. Believe me, I went to a high school whose football team was awful. However, no opposing coach ever attempted to run the score up on us when they already had us beaten.

You seriously have to look at the situations differently with prep/amateur athletics than with major college/pro.

[caphorns]

I can't believe a republican would be arguing for this. Seriously, its called competition. Maybe we should limit how badly Dell can whip up on its competitors like Compaq. Can't have a market share gain of more than 10% in a year. Jesus. And don't say -- it's just kids. Last thing I want is for my kids or their contemporaries to be 100% pussified.

[caphorns]

All they are asking the high school coaches to do is think about what they are doing.

No they are not. They are baning them for games for "running up the score" even if they put their 3rd team scout unit and the waterboy in the game. It's absurd.

[fadada1]

That's pretty stupid. If the teams and coaches don't want scores being run up maybe they should play better football!!
EXACTLY!!!!!!!!
can you imagine them "run ruling" the 2000 game against the whorns?????? while we would've LOVED it, texas players/fans/coaches would never show their faces again. OH THE HUMANITY!!!

[Sooner_Bob]

They are worrying about limiting the playing time of back-ups, while at the same time telling them that they can't try their hardest to score if they are already up by 50?

Stupid, stupid, stupid . . .

[Scott D]

High School (Class 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, eight man, six, man, etc.)

be fair on this...that's more population related than anything.

[Tear Down This Wall]

I can't believe a republican would be arguing for this. Seriously, its called competition. Maybe we should limit how badly Dell can whip up on its competitors like Compaq. Can't have a market share gain of more than 10% in a year. Jesus. And don't say -- it's just kids. Last thing I want is for my kids or their contemporaries to be 100% pussified.

Tending to vote Republican has nothing to do with it. It was GOP presidents who signed the original legislation for things such as the Clean Water Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. You confuse the tendency to vote Republican with the tendency to want anarchy and chaos - every man and woman for themselves. That's Libertarians, not Republicans.

Back to the real subject. In the earlier example, my nephew's team didn't sign up to play in a competitive league. Nor did any other teams in the recreational bracket. However, the association let a competition league team in and spoiled everything.

In high school, you simply have unbalanced assets going to different schools. There are several sociological factors for that. The kids don't have any control over their parents' lives and where their parents' circumstances might lead them to live. So, why should coaches from better parts of the city get to kick them around just for the sake of kicking them around?

Take my parents' old high schools for example. Both in Tulsa. My dad went to Webster, my mom went to what used to be McClain. Both are in extremely poor areas of Tulsa. So, if Webster squares off against Jenks or Union and falls behind 56-0 in the third quarter, is it right for the coaches of Jenks or Union to continue to run up the score, play a strategy that involves calling timeouts to get the right personel in, etc.

What's the point? The idea of an athletic competition is to see who's better. When you're up 56-0, the point has been made. Kids aren't pros. And kids from areas that feed schools like Webster and McClain don't choose to have less resources than those who attend Union or Jenks.

The bottom line is that a coach either has class or her doesn't. Parents either have class or they don't. As adults they pass their attitudes about winning and losing onto their kids. Hopefully, you strive to teach your kids humility in victory and defeat.

Unfortunately, some adults don't feel that way, so you get rules like they have in Iowa and Connecticut. We do the same in America at large. In fact, a trial just ended today in the conviction of the dirtbags who brought down Enron. Businesses are subject to rules of fair trade. We have the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission, and bodies like the Securities Exchange Commission to ensure fairness in business.

Therefore, in a like manner, what the athletic associations in Iowa and Connecticut are really doing is showing kids that the classless will be reined in just as they are in the big boy world of business.

You may be a Libertarian and not like fairness. Too bad. If people were as crass and self-serving as Libertarians, we'd have had more Libertarian leaders elected. Americans by and large are not crass and self-serving, so they protect the underdog. And, that, I like...and so did our main man, Ronald Reagan, brothuh.

[tulsaoilerfan]

Now looky heeyeah...I agree with some of this and disagree with some of this. Pays attention fo' the subtle diff'rences:

(1) It's only high school. So, 95% of the players suited up don't care a hill of beans about football per se, but just want to get a better shot at some of the finer tail roaming the high school hallways. Thus, a coach 50 points up calling a time out is a little ridiculous. What's he thinking about?

(2) There's nothing wrong with the continual running of the clock. When we drubbed A&M 77-0 Fran and Bob agreed to do it. I can easily see a crappy high school game that no one in their right mind cares anything about being that right place for an automatic clock running rule.

(3) I once attended a soccer tournament one of my nephews was playing in. There was a team there whose roster the soccer "association" obviously did not check (I know because I later contacted the soccer association of the city this team supposedly came from).

Anyway, this was the bracket for 10-year old recreation league. The team with the unchecked roster was winning games 18-0, 22-0, etc. All other games were your normal 3-0, 2-1, 5-3 types that you expect from your run of the mill 10-year olds.

Well, my nephews' team went to the semi-final of the bracket and had to play this team. By halftime, they were down 12-0. Early in the second half, the coach of the unchecked roster team began screaming at the referee about some ticky-tacky offsides call that took away a goal that would have put his team ahead about 15-0.

So, this idiot coach goes onto the field and the referee runs him. I couldn't take it anymore, a walked around the field and met this jerk halfway to his car and began reading him the riot act. The ref saw me up in this guys grill and ran over there and broke it up (and tossed me as well).

It turns out that team was filled with various players from competitive league teams...where the loser parents pay hundreds if not thousands to "coaches" to grind their 10 year old kids into the ground in the name of a "possible soccer scholarships" for college...some eight years away - fags.

There's a time and place for everything. If USC gets by on us to the tune of 55-19 in the national title game, that's one thing (or, if Texas falls behind OU 63-14 or, say, 65-13...). If a high school coach of a local powerhouse is whipping the local doormat and calling timeouts and such, it's a different story.

At OU (or Texas), there are big time coaches making millions of dollars and roster full of blue chip players. If they get blown out, it's their own fault and deserve to have it run up on them. But, true high school and lower level amateur stuff is different.

To me, teaching sportsmanship is the most improtant thing at the young ages. The cream of the crop are going to star and get their stats and scholarships no matter what happens. But, there's no needs rub everyone else's nose in it.

That my friend would be what i call a trophy grab; i have occasionally seen it in youth baseball where a competitive team enters into a rec league tournament, and IMO, this is poor sportmanship on the coach's part. If you have a competitive team, stick to playing competitive tourneys and let the rec kids have their fun.

[Tear Down This Wall]

be fair on this...that's more population related than anything.


That's right, because population has alot to do with it. The less population you have, the less base for talent. Why do you think Oklahoma politicians struggle with "brain drain" - their college educated students leaving for other states for the best opportunities?

Can OU, a school in a low populace state, compete with the Texas, USC, Florida State, Penn State, and Michigans of the world by recruiting only Oklahoma players? Of course not.

Undoubtedly, OU could give 85 scholarships to the best 85 Oklahoma gridders over four years. However, that talent pool is going to be smaller than those of Texas, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, so their best 85 are not going to be up to par with the best 85 those states have to offer. Sure the top half dozen or so might be as good, but not as you go down the line.

Look at other schools from small population states that do not have success recruiting outside of their state. How about Idaho? Divison I-A, but not competitive at all. The reason schools like Oklahoma and Nebraska have been successful throughout the years is because they have been able to go out and get non-state player with excellent regularity.

High school coaches can't do that. The coach of Webster can't go recruit players living in Jenks. His only option is the pool of players living in his set area. That pool is filled with kids that have many other things on their minds. Eating is one. Real street violence and violence at home is another. The pull of gang and drug life is another.

Those kids who do show up and take the time to give the Websters of the world the ability to even field a team deserve better than to have some classless coaches from a richer school run their noses into the ground.

Think about it. A powerhouse high school is in a much different position than a powerhouse Divison I-A or professional team. Because some coaches won't handle the consequences of the societal unbalance in an correct, gentlemanly manner, athletic associations will do it for them. I wholeheartedly applaud it.

[fadada1]

stop bringing logic into this discussion.
















f-ing hillbillies.

[Scott D]

That's right, because population has alot to do with it. The less population you have, the less base for talent. Why do you think Oklahoma politicians struggle with "brain drain" - their college educated students leaving for other states for the best opportunities?

Can OU, a school in a low populace state, compete with the Texas, USC, Florida State, Penn State, and Michigans of the world by recruiting only Oklahoma players? Of course not.

Undoubtedly, OU could give 85 scholarships to the best 85 Oklahoma gridders over four years. However, that talent pool is going to be smaller than those of Texas, Florida, California, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, so their best 85 are not going to be up to par with the best 85 those states have to offer. Sure the top half dozen or so might be as good, but not as you go down the line.

Look at other schools from small population states that do not have success recruiting outside of their state. How about Idaho? Divison I-A, but not competitive at all. The reason schools like Oklahoma and Nebraska have been successful throughout the years is because they have been able to go out and get non-state player with excellent regularity.

High school coaches can't do that. The coach of Webster can't go recruit players living in Jenks. His only option is the pool of players living in his set area. That pool is filled with kids that have many other things on their minds. Eating is one. Real street violence and violence at home is another. The pull of gang and drug life is another.

Those kids who do show up and take the time to give the Websters of the world the ability to even field a team deserve better than to have some classless coaches from a richer school run their noses into the ground.

Think about it. A powerhouse high school is in a much different position than a powerhouse Divison I-A or professional team. Because some coaches won't handle the consequences of the societal unbalance in an correct, gentlemanly manner, athletic associations will do it for them. I wholeheartedly applaud it.

my point was more along the lines of you can't compare a team that has enough of a population to field an 11 man per side team against an area that only has enough for 8 on 8 or 6 on 6. That's pretty much why there are different class ratings for high school sports..due to student population. That's also why it's rare for a team in say 3-A to face a team in 5-A for a State Championship, and why they have a championship for each class level. Can't really compare it to a situation where all the teams are in the same league and one team is beating the crap out of the rest.

[snp]

Damn TDTW, you're pretty passionate about this subject eh? 1800 words passionate. Did your HS get beat up a lot? ;)

I see what you're saying and understand it. I disagree with some of your views but one thing you're glancing over is your assumption that the richer, bigger schools are at an automatic advantage. Which is definately not true.

Otherwise, you summed up my views with this


You may be a Libertarian and not like fairness.

Yup.

[goingoneight]

I always knew the East coast is full of p*ssies. This takes the cake.




Good god. Unfair to cut into backups playing time in a FAKE game?

***dammit, how much is enough? We can't just let these aggies hang around, some of them are actually good. They just couldn't stay eligible at better programs...

[melbitoast]

I thought this post was supposed to be about HS football??

Anyway, though I agree with trying to maintain some sportsmanship, I completely disagree with the penalties. If I put in my 3rd teamers in against your starters and they're still kicking your butt, suck it up. Your team sucks. You can't penalize a bunch of kids (i.e. 3rd or 4th teamers) for finally taking advantedge of getting the opportunity to play the game they love.

You can't just baby and pity a group of maturing kids like that. It's almost offensive. "Hey, since you suck so bad, we're just going to call the game." Bullsh*t in my opinion. It will toughen the kids up a little. Take one on the chin, get up, and try to return the favor next week.

[PAW]

What until a team that's down 49-0 with under a minute to go has the QB run back and take a safety.

[rainiersooner]

I can't believe a republican would be arguing for this. Seriously, its called competition. Maybe we should limit how badly Dell can whip up on its competitors like Compaq. Can't have a market share gain of more than 10% in a year. Jesus. And don't say -- it's just kids. Last thing I want is for my kids or their contemporaries to be 100% pussified.

Well I'd say that if you losing to your competitor with 50% market share or lossing to your competitor with 60% market share, it's pretty much the same thing. And I think a kid gets the message that he and his team suck at 50-0 as quickly as they get it at 60-0. Trust me, either way if you're on the losing end of that, you feel pretty much like a big loser. This rule isn't about pussifying the losers, it's about asking the winners to act with class, which is a lesson I'd like my kids to learn...in my humble opinion.

[soonerloyal]

I can't believe a republican would be arguing for this. Seriously, its called competition. Maybe we should limit how badly Dell can whip up on its competitors like Compaq. Can't have a market share gain of more than 10% in a year. Jesus. And don't say -- it's just kids. Last thing I want is for my kids or their contemporaries to be 100% pussified.

Nice generalization there, bucko. Not that it should matter, but I've been registered Independent, Democrat and Republican over the last 29 years. I'm Republican now. I still recognize ridiculousness when I see it (on more levels than just this one).

Teaching kids that sports is a level playing field and that "Everybody Wins and Let's Sing Kumbayah" is BS. Not everyone is as fast, as strong, as capable as another, and that's just LIFE, period. To encourage warm fuzzies in a child for basic self-esteem is vital, but it simply isn't realistic or fair to teach them to be PC in sports, or certain other areas. So little Johnny isn't picked for the team. Welp, that's tough. Sorry, son, but this particular area isn't your strong suit. Would I whine to the coaches to let my fella play so he feels good about himself? Not with an M16A2 at my head, I wouldn't. That would erroneously teach a kid that ability doesn't matter in life, crying foul is what gets things done. Whether it's at the elementary level, or extending up on in life makes no difference. To me, that's part of building an honorable character - knowing when to recognize your weaknesses and go on in spite of them.

As for being PC, I'm just glad at least one American icon has no patience for that. The USMC is refusing to back down from even the very start of the selection process. They look at the individual and say "We don't give a **** who you are, where you come from, or what you think you can't do - what are you willing to give, to do, to join our ranks?" That's what I call true correctness.

[OUstud]

Soccer is the only sport that the level of interest decreases as the level of play increases.

[Tear Down This Wall]

This rule isn't about pussifying the losers, it's about asking the winners to act with class, which is a lesson I'd like my kids to learn...in my humble opinion.

B-I-N-G-O

[Luthor]

What else could anyone expect from the Ted Kennedy neighborhood? Football left in the hands of effing yankees would morph into lawn darts or friick'n curling in no time.

[RedstickSooner]

I agree with TDTW -- sportsmanship is a damned important concept which often gets overlooked.

No, that doesn't mean we should give the losing team a trophy. No, that doesn't mean we should try to teach kids that the world is fair, and that every time they take the field, they'll be matched up against an identical talent level, and the "will to win" will be the sole deciding factor.

What it means is that ancient comic book mantra: With great power comes great responsibility. This is the message which I believe proper sportsmanship teaches. When you've got the talent to kick arse & take names, do you use it to win? Or do you use it to humiliate your foe?

Good guys use it to win. Punks use it to humiliate.

Do I think this rule in Connecticut is a good idea? Nope, because the score alone doesn't tell you if someone ran up the score. Just look at some of our games in 2003. We got accused of running up the score, but we know Stoops was pretty upstanding in those games.

Mike Leach, while a coach I'm a fan of, has a nasty habit of running up the score when he can. Another recent score running was Lester's LSU team running it up on Miami. I'm sure a lot of us got a kick out of it -- but if you watched the game, I'd hope you'd come away a little disgusted with the ******y way Lester did it. Nor was it surprising that fights broke out after the game, given how Lester humiliated the Cocaines.

I don't think any sort of sportsmanship rule will or can work. Frankly, the only thing that can work is for us fans to speak up when we see bad sportsmanship. If we express our displeasure, and pressure coaches to be men, we're bound to improve things. If we sit back and ignore it, or, worse yet, jeer it on -- we'll merely make things worse.

Kicking a man when he's down is dishonorable. Period. The argument that he should've put up a better fight when he was on his feet is irrelevant. Once he's down, you've won -- and it's time to show restraint.

[Luthor]

Yea, definately. But you still stereotyped a gigantic portion of soccer players based on a group of *******s.



Everyone knows that soccer players are only good for stomping down the grass on what would otherwise be perfectly good football fields.

[snp]

Soccer is the only sport that the level of interest decreases as the level of play increases.

Yea. What's that World Cup thing that everyone keeps talking about? Who the hell will watch that!

Soccer has been growing steadily in the US for the past couple decades. And it doesn't seem to be slipping.

[Tear Down This Wall]

Redstick,
My argument is for having these rules in amatuer level sports below collegiate level, not the collegiate level. If Miami, who has the same resources and opportunities as LSU to get the best players in the land, is getting pounded, it's their own fault. Ditto us against USC a couple of years ago, and Texas versus us several of the past few seasons.

My whole point is that with the high school programs there a pronounced differences between schools that are in the same districts due to factors beyond the kids' and coaches' control.

For instance, I attended a football game between Richardson High School and Plano East a few years back. Richardson High is in an old, deteriorating part of Richardson. Their enrollment has been declining for some years, but still enough to warrant the 5A divisional status down here. Plano is a city that continually gains in population, and so its tax base and school enrollments have grown as well.

On the Richardson sideline, there may have been 45 players suited up. Plano East had at least double that. Plano East had more cheerleaders and dance squad than Richardson had players!

Anyway, Plano East had the game well in hand by the end of the third period, somewhere in the neighborhood of 38-6. The Plano East coaches took the extreme high road and scored no more in the game.

Sportsmanship can be achieved. You don't have to kick kids around to prove your worth as a coach. The Plano East coaches knew it that night, but not all coaches do. As I said before, it's a question of class with the adults running the show at those levels.

[Luthor]

Yea. What's that World Cup thing that everyone keeps talking about? Who the hell will watch that!

Soccer has been growing steadily in the US for the past couple decades. And it doesn't seem to be slipping.


Oh, THE World Cup. I thought that was associated with the World Ultimate Fighting Association. I mean, what with people stomping the living guts out of one another in the stands and trampling police it only makes sense.

[Dio]

So the coach for one team assaults a security guard and an opposing coach, but he's not the one they want to penalize? Where do I get my victim card?

[RedstickSooner]

Redstick,
My argument is for having these rules in amatuer level sports below collegiate level, not the collegiate level. If Miami, who has the same resources and opportunities as LSU to get the best players in the land, is getting pounded, it's their own fault. Ditto us against USC a couple of years ago, and Texas versus us several of the past few seasons.

My whole point is that with the high school programs there a pronounced differences between schools that are in the same districts due to factors beyond the kids' and coaches' control.

For instance, I attended a football game between Richardson High School and Plano East a few years back. Richardson High is in an old, deteriorating part of Richardson. Their enrollment has been declining for some years, but still enough to warrant the 5A divisional status down here. Plano is a city that continually gains in population, and so its tax base and school enrollments have grown as well.

On the Richardson sideline, there may have been 45 players suited up. Plano East had at least double that. Plano East had more cheerleaders and dance squad than Richardson had players!

Anyway, Plano East had the game well in hand by the end of the third period, somewhere in the neighborhood of 38-6. The Plano East coaches took the extreme high road and scored no more in the game.

Sportsmanship can be achieved. You don't have to kick kids around to prove your worth as a coach. The Plano East coaches knew it that night, but not all coaches do. As I said before, it's a question of class with the adults running the show at those levels.

Guess I'm just too much of an idealist -- I hate the idea that it'd take rules to achieve good sportsmanship. Wish the fans would nut up 'n do the right thing more often, so this sort of thing wouldn't be necessary. If it's the fourth quarter, and you're up by more than 4 touchdowns and your team is still throwing it for the endzone -- boo.

'Course, lots of other issues come into play -- like kids trying to pad their stats to attract the attention of colleges & whatnot. Anyone want to weigh in with the upside to running up the score at the high school level? Maybe there's some aspect to it we haven't considered?

[CrimsonChampion]

FOOTBALL + LIBERALS = The end of sports as we know it. It's almost as if the ACLU had something to do with this new blowout rule!

Please God, don't let them take college football from me!!! Pro sports has gone to hell.

I miss REAL baseball

If NCAA football falls to the level of pro sports I will have nothing left to get hype for.

[East Coast Bias]

Go easy on the east coasters Caphorn, we all know the biggest pussies reside in Texas. Thats common knowledge, even up here..........

[TheUnnamedSooner]

I think it is worse than running the score up. If you can't stop them and they start laying down, that will be far more humiliating than a blow out.

[stoopified]

That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. Now, you are going to have kids falling down on purpose and embarrassing the living hell out of the opposing team.Kinda like the 4th quarter of 77-0 huh ******?Oh that IS right you didn't SEE the game.BTW does ****** leave in CONN.?:)

[royalfan5]

First of all, The Connecticut rule is dumb. That being said, Nebraska has had the 45 point rule for 6 and 8 man ball since the mid 80's(For the next year they are adopting the Iowa rule for all classes). My High School was the reason the 45 point rule was adopted as we were getting teed off on alot in the mid 80's. Anyway, the mercy rule was nice at the small school level because there were great disparties of talent, and it became an issue of safety when one school is trotting out 100lb freshmen against 200lb seniors. When I was in high school, I was on both sides of blow-outs, and I hated playing in blowouts, because hammering an outclassed team isn't alot of fun unless you know the other team to be loaded with pricks, and getting to play when your getting pounded isn't alot of fun either. The mercy rule allowed the other team to get out of their safely, and with some diginty intact. Of course at the small school level, the distortions in talent are more apparent.

[RedstickSooner]

First of all, The Connecticut rule is dumb. That being said, Nebraska has had the 45 point rule for 6 and 8 man ball since the mid 80's(For the next year they are adopting the Iowa rule for all classes). My High School was the reason the 45 point rule was adopted as we were getting teed off on alot in the mid 80's. Anyway, the mercy rule was nice at the small school level because there were great disparties of talent, and it became an issue of safety when one school is trotting out 100lb freshmen against 200lb seniors. When I was in high school, I was on both sides of blow-outs, and I hated playing in blowouts, because hammering an outclassed team isn't alot of fun unless you know the other team to be loaded with pricks, and getting to play when your getting pounded isn't alot of fun either. The mercy rule allowed the other team to get out of their safely, and with some diginty intact. Of course at the small school level, the distortions in talent are more apparent.

How's the 45 point rule work?

[King Crimson]

OU just run-ruled OSU, does that make us liberal pussies and enemies of free enterprise?

[royalfan5]

How's the 45 point rule work?
When one team is up by 45 after halftime, the game is over.

[noleamite]

that is embarassing.

[caphorns]

When one team is up by 45 after halftime, the game is over.

Therein lies your difference with the Connecticut rule btw. In Connecticut, they wouldn't end the game, but continue a fake pussified simulated game to make the losing team feel better and give time to back up players (so they can run out of bounds 4 times in the red zone to avoid scoring).

Tear Down goes through some irrelevant diatribe about fairness. If Connecticut had passed a rule ending the game when one team gets up by 50, then I'd maybe have agreed with this stuff (assuming Connecticut didn't have other ways to achieve this sort of fairness - something I would not presume given that most states have). But, the Connecticut rule is completely retarded. It has nothing to do with fairness. All of you should read the article. They are planning to continue the game through the 4th quarter but the winning coach automatically gets a 1-game suspension if his backups (or third string) score. Reason: we don't want a bunch of 3rd stringers not to get game action. WTF kind of game action are we talking about here? Certainly, the meanspirited coach could make it obvious he was allowing the losing team to score points so that he could get his backup offensive unit some meaningful (not really) reps.

Lets also not lose sight of the fact that the coach who is being treated poorly here is in trouble for calling a time out IN THE FIRST HALF. Not many games can be said to be out of reach in the first half. There was no indication that he continued to run up the route in the 2nd half.

[OU4LIFE]

I just don't know what to say to this thread. Having played a little football and been on both sides of a beating, I just can't see how this "rule" is going to work.

As a player, you are expected to go out and play at 100% on EVERY PLAY, take a guess what happens to the players that don't. So now as a coach, you have to tell your players to NOT give 100% because the game is already in hand? As a 3rd stringer you are told, if you want more playing time, then show it in practice and when you get the chance on the field. Now here is your chance, you are being put in in a blowout....do you think going half speed is going to get you more playing time?

I'm just floored that some people think this rule is a good idea.

Next time your kid is making straight A's in school because he's giving it 100%, tell him to take it easy, throw up a B so the kids that are flunking out can feel better.

[caphorns]

OU just run-ruled OSU, does that make us liberal pussies and enemies of free enterprise?

Having coached a team back from a 9 run deficit in the bottom of the 9th, I can tell you that there is no real justification for the run rule in college baseball. HS baseball maybe. Kid baseball - absolutely - although I believe the last inning should be unlimited (Pony League rules).

What would be bad is if OU had no run rule per se, but the rule stated that your coach would be suspended for the next game if you won by more than 10 runs. So, having gone up 10-0, you then had to instruct your batters to intentionally strike out.