Chatter or no chatter

[MisterE]

On last night's Sportscenter they had a report by Outside the Lines on Little League chatter being pushed out of the game. They compared teams that use chatter frequently in Tennessee to teams that can't use it at all in Cincinnati.

The video can be seen here: http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/...videoId=2962025

My question is whether or not you think chatter belongs in Little League or not. The anchors last night on the Sportscenter broadcast commented after the report that the "PC police are everywhere now" and both anchors felt it should belong. I played baseball in a "no chatter league" although up until seeing this video I had no idea the extent of chatter at all in other parts around the country. I knew when I started playing Little League that the coaches told you not to do it and that was the end of it. There was only one time we had a problem with noise like that and that was coming from the parents in the bleachers. Now playing with these conditions I am against this type of thing. My dad has said before when he played, you would get in trouble if you didn't try to distract the batter. I don't agree with a portion of the clip saying that a rule in Cincinnati is, you can't call someone "batter" as they say it is similar to name calling. I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about ten year old kids' concentration playing a game for fun and ice cream and not for contracts and cars. My stance on this is that it's similar to the rules of golf. If Tiger Woods gets pissed if a little camera flash goes off or if somebody starts talking, and he is an adult professional at the game trying to hit a ball at a fixed point, how is that any different than a ten year old trying to hit a ball in motion at a sport he plays for fun in the summer? So if I can heckle kids playing baseball at my leisure, can't I go to high school golf tournaments and yell "Holy Cow!" on my opponent's back swing without being chastised?

Sorry about my little rant and now I just want to hear anybody's opinions or experiences with this matter.

[nwtrailtrekker]

hmm..i think its absolutely rediculous that the kids cant chatter. I mean. I remember when I played on my tournament team when I was younger we would go to lots of different places around seattle, and we were the loudest team of all. we kicked ass. and it was fun. it brought the team together. we were all best friends.

theyre kids, come on.

[NJTank]

Another brick in the wall of the PC Police destroying America

[RyanMcD29]

That's retarded to not have the kids "chatter" and help support the kids at the plate and whatnot

I hope to god they never see a baseball game at my high school, thats all I gotta say

[Jigga]

There go those damn libruhls ruining America again. You know the Democrats were behind this! Or the terrorists. Maybe the Democrats ARE all terrorists!

[illwauk]

There go those damn libruhls ruining America again. You know the Democrats were behind this! Or the terrorists. Maybe the Democrats ARE all terrorists!

It's all part of the consipiracy to turn today's little leaguers into tomorrow's homosexual muslim communazis!!!

[Mac the Knife]

Sorry. While my LL experience is now over a quarter century ago, I can't remember ever hearing chatter while in the batter's box, while on the mound or while playing another defensive position. It's easy to shut out if you're focused on what's going on on the field.

[slapshot]

Let's remember that these are kids. Kids trying to have fun while learning the fundamentals of the game.

Why would you want to distract a 10, 11 or 12-year old kid who's trying to swing at a fastball or catch a popup?

First as a coach, and now as an umpire, I make the point that the players can cheer for their teammate, not against their opponent.

When these kids make it past Little League and onto high school ball or whatever, where it's more cutthroat, they've developed a better ability to tune things out. Until then, let them focus on the play and game itself, and it's much easier to learn and have fun when they're not getting distracted by unnecessary comments.

[CC97]

Another brick in the wall of the PC Police destroying America

[Roger Clemente]

When you say "chatter", do you mean anything other than just regular conversation within the dugout? I can justify having no trash-talking or heckling from players, but do they actually outlaw regular talking within the dugout? That's crazy.

[NJTank]

Stuff like Hey Batter Batter

and We want a pitcher not a bely itcher

Stuff thas been part of little league for 100 years

[slapshot]

When you say "chatter", do you mean anything other than just regular conversation within the dugout? I can justify having no trash-talking or heckling from players, but do they actually outlaw regular talking within the dugout? That's crazy.

Kids can cheer on their teammates. I'm talking about stuff that's totally intended to distract a better or fielder. Stuff like screaming right when the pitch reaches the batter, or yelling "drop it" or "miss it" really loud during a pop fly.

Of course players, coaches and fans can support their teams. This isn't about that. That's great for the game, and males it more fun. I love seeing players support their opponents when they make great plays against their teammates, like a huge homerun or a good catch.

My point is about comments that go beyond the heart of sportsmanship. Like I said...root for your team, not against the other one.

If kids want to play on their own with trash-talking and whatnot, go ahead. But it's just not allowed when it falls under the official confines of Little League rules.

[MisterE]

Thank you JP, those are my points exactly. I wasn't talking about positive chatter as being the problem, I was speaking of an A-Rod type of situation where you are purposely trying to make an opponent screw up by yelling during the exact moment of the pitch/play in the field. It's especially disturbing when I see parents do it.

[CC97]

Stuff like Hey Batter Batter

and We want a pitcher not a bely itcher

Stuff thas been part of little league for 100 years

The terrorists have finally won... we all know how much Osama hates those chants

[BB61]

I played, coached, and umpired in the same league for almost twenty years, and while there was chatter and praise going on, it usually stopped when the pitcher went into his windup. Anything else, and the coaches and parents would usually request (and by request, it was usually in whining form) that it would stop.

Honestly, I think there is a line. I'm all for praise chatter, but I don't think that all of the negative chatter is bad. Taunting and personal attacks shouldn't be allowed, definitely, and I've seen kids warned and thrown out for that. I also don't like the mollycoddling of ten and eleven year old kids -- they need to develop a little bit a skin for these things. When I played, I had kids try to distract me all the time and take advantage of the fact that I wasn't a good player. I was able to block it out.

Bottom line... It's a part of the game. Restrict it if you must, but don't ban it.

[zer0dotcom]

As was said, if someone is making a sudden noise with the intent of distracting another player

MINE!

that's low, there are ways to cheer and talk that are acceptable (You got this guys Mitch, he's swinging at flys today) If you really want to be an ass, you can always look forwards to a fastball high and in...

[oakland ehs]

well chatter isn't really meant to "taunt" the batter or anything like that, it's meant to support the batter from the dugout or support your pitcher from the field behind him, just stuff like "here you go 4-4" and garbage like that.

thats the way we were always taught to do it, so it never became a problem and i don't see how anyone else has managed to screw that up.

[NJTank]

As was said, if someone is making a sudden noise with the intent of distracting another player

MINE!

that's low, there are ways to cheer and talk that are acceptable (You got this guys Mitch, he's swinging at flys today) If you really want to be an ass, you can always look forwards to a fastball high and in...

Well what Arod did is different what Im talking about is dugout chatter which is as much as part of baseball as peanuts and cracker jacks.

[MisterE]

I wasn't speaking of dugout chatter meant to support a player, I was refering to ESPN's definition of trying to distract a batter in an effort to make him mess up, which ESPN called "chatter". So basically ESPN and I should have called it "trash talking" or something more specific.

[VitaminD]

I wasn't speaking of dugout chatter meant to support a player, I was refering to ESPN's definition of trying to distract a batter in an effort to make him mess up, which ESPN called "chatter". So basically ESPN and I should have called it "trash talking" or something more specific.

I may be splitting hairs, but what I grew up with as "chatter" was meant to be distracting to the hitter. To step into the box and try to focus on the ball being pitched when all around you is the buzzing drone of normal ballpark chatter was distracting. It's also part of the game, be it Little League or the pros. Nothing was said to make it personal; it was just chatter. There is a difference. For God's sake, when I was 12, we were in our local Little League Division tournament and the catcher literally screamed on every pitch throughout the game, crouching right behind our hitters. I can still hear that fat bastard today - and we won the game!

Some of the funniest stuff I heard on the mound was from other teams in our conference in high school. Largely, I blocked it out and did my job - but hell, some of it was funny. It simply ratcheted up the tension in a close game between rival schools. I got to know some of the guys on those other teams through Babe Ruth or other sports, and it's not like it was personal - we were wearing different uniforms. So be it.

Trash talk and intentionally distracting players is bush league, but it's a part of the game. Most rational people know whereabout the line rests, and know enough to stay on the right side of it. If you can't do that, or you're not sure where the line is, keep your mouth shut and leave the chatter to someone else.