Umpire reprimanded by Little League (Update)

Reuters ^ | 8-1-2005

[kharaku]

If you don't think there's a difference between hand signals and being able to talk in full sentances with no one knowing what you're saying I'd be glad to see that tested in the field, one team with hand signals, one with exclusive knowledge of a full language the other team knows nothing of.

[Jimbaugh]

Here's some Spanish for them "La Migra" . Then wait and see if anyone is still on the field.

[airborne]

Question - Are these Dominican kids ringers?

[tx_eggman]

being dual lingual myself I'd say giving instructions no one else understands could provide a huge advantage over the other team, it makes it an unfair playing field!

"Dual lingual" ? Would they happen to be English and Stupidity?

[kharaku]

Na hui tebya, tx_eggman.

[tx_eggman]

If these Spanish kids are playing here then it is incumbent upon them to learn the language.

You seem to be even more adept at speaking kharaku's second language than he is ... is it dark where your head is planted?

[Rebelbase]

True, but to be completely fair the hand signals should have been in English.

[MEGoody]

The incident occurred when a bilingual assistant coach shouted out instructions in Spanish to the team's 14-year-old pitcher and catcher, who are immigrants from the Dominican Republic and speak little English, the Eagle-Tribune newspaper reported.

Sure. That will help them learn English.

[Modernman]

Coaching can vary by the coach and his methods but what is available to one team must be available to the other.

Speaking Spanish on the field isn't really an advantage. All the opposing team needs to do is have one player or coach who speaks Spanish, and the Spanish-speaking team is screwed. That's why a system of hand signals works better, since it is much harder to break.

[Eagles Talon IV]

I suppose I'm old fashioned in that I like the way IT USED TO BE. To become a citizen you HAD to be able to speak the language. But I suppose according to you it would be ok for everybody to speak just their native tongues and the hell with assimilating into our culture. No more melting pot but instead 150 separate smaller "countries" within our borders, each with there own rules.

[Prodigal Son]

Plenty of international baseball played. The Yankees played in Japan last season. Olympics have baseball. Little League World Series etc etc. I don't recall it ever being a problem that the teams spoke different languages. Now that I think about it, I don't recall the language thing being a problem in any international sport.

Football (soccer) routinely pits teams from different nations against each other. In the Champions league, for example, you have teams from Spain, Italy, UK, Germany etc playing. Language is never a problem.

I think the umpire was a jackass, personally.

[Eagles Talon IV]

Both teams can use non verbal signing and no one is saying the mangaer of the team can't speak Spanish to his players as long as he doesn't use the language as an advantage to circumvent the rules. He can walk out on the field whenever and speak to any of his players in Spanish. If this team cannot understand English then the other teams mgr should also be forbidden to issue instructions in english to his players unless he also approaches them in order to speak.

[Eagles Talon IV]

Fine but suppose the team doesn't have the one player that speaks spanish?

[Modernman]

Fine but suppose the team doesn't have the one player that speaks spanish?

Them's the breaks. The Spanish-speaking team is taking a risk which, AFAIK, doesn't violate any rules of baseball. I say, good for them. I would imagine that their regular opponents would quickly wise up and get a translator.

[tx_eggman]

Na hui tebya, tx_eggman.

Damn, kharaku, I'm honored, no one has ever told me to STFU in russian before

That being said, you're opinion on this topic is idiotic ... russin must be the native tongue because you know baseball.

Do you think the players on Latin American teams or Far East teams at the Little League World Series are prohibited from speaking in their native tongues?

[tx_eggman]

russin must be the native tongue because you know baseball = russian must be the native tongue because you don't know baseball

damn, I hate trying to be witty and then typing like a third grader ...

[kharaku]

It doesn't seem to me to be in the spirit of the game, at least at that level, that said if the coaches and players agree, wtf, why not.

[tx_eggman]

I suppose I'm old fashioned in that I like the way IT USED TO BE. To become a citizen you HAD to be able to speak the language. But I suppose according to you it would be ok for everybody to speak just their native tongues and the hell with assimilating into our culture. No more melting pot but instead 150 separate smaller "countries" within our borders, each with there own rules.

From an umpire making a foolish decision during a kids baseball game to this ... thereby confirming your mastery of kharaku's second language ..

[So Cal Rocket]

Question - Are these Dominican kids ringers?

The maximum age for a Little League player is 12, and the article refers to them as 14 year-olds. You make the call.

[dmz]

I agree with your first point (with a few reservations given we don't really have too much info about what the ump and the sup said to each other). I wonder what other rules the ump did not know about (and I'd be very surprised if the Spanish speaking coach violated any written regulation).

Your last point (about Spanish speaking players playing here need to learn the language) makes me wonder if your issue really has anything to do with baseball, or whether this is about something else.