JAG

Those "certain circumstances" mean that a local Board member has to approach a parent and basically tell them that their son/daughter "isnt a very good player" and ask them to sign a waiver allowing them to play in the Minors, where they would probably have more fun. Awkward at the very least. 30 years ago my oldest son just didn't make the Majors. He still had a great time playing in the Minors and actually got to play catcher. (Something that would not have happened if he played in the Majors)

I am a coach that has been involved with Little League for 30 years. What you laid out is a perfect example of how to beat the system, that I hope no coach uses. But its almost certain that someone will. I started this thread on here just to open some discussion, in the hopes that Little League might take notice of some issues. If there is a blog/thread that Little League endorses or uses, I would love to open up some discussion there.

Who needs a third coach. There is nothing to strategize. No need to strategically pull a kid after 2 innings, and then reinsert him in the last inning, so that you start and finish a game with the best defender in the field. He can stay in the field the whole game now. Cant get a player, who's best contribution to the game is his speed, into a game, by inserting him as a special pinch runner, because they got rid of that rule too.

So now they create a rule that almost guarantees teams will only carry 12 players. But if someone does carry a 13th or 14th player, they may get an extra at bat, but are now not guaranteed to get any playing time in the field. Keep the 9 best defensive players in the field and water down the offense. Little League has lost its mind.

If a team shows up with 13 players and another shows up with 10 and both have to use a continuous batting order, who gets to the top of their lineup faster? Not an advantage? There are no rules addressing replacing tournament team players on rosters that I am aware of. The concern with all 12 year olds making the Majors is that it is basically affirmative action. I currently have 12 year olds, that probably would contribute more to a Minor League team, taking the spot of more talented 10 or 11 year olds, on my regular season team. Why is that good for the game, or the kid, who is playing at a level over his head?

Does anyone else think the new Continuous Batting Order Rule has a lot of holes in it? What happens if a player on a 12 man roster sustains a season ending injury? Do they gain a competitive advantage by only having to bat 11 players? What if another player has a conflict with a wedding or something else they have to attend? Do they then get to play with only a 10 man batting order? What if a manager isn’t deterred by the “making a travesty of the game” rule and asks a player not to show up? The answer those questions from The Eastern Regional Office was "A game will be played regardless of whether all of the players are available at the time of the game." When I asked about whether it would create a competitive advantage for one team, they replied "These topics and questions were discussed when writing the new rule change and on a yearly basis will be reviewed to create the best experience for our players and volunteers. " I have been involved in Little League for 30 years. I didn't think they could make a rule worse than the "All 12 year olds must make the Majors" rule. They just proved me wrong.