Dropped 3rd Controversy

[Brunsy41]

Ok, this is a bit complicated.  But, two 10u teams were playing in a knockout tournament and went to extra innings.  Away team scored one in their half of the inning.  Home team scored one right away and then got two outs.  There was a kid on 3rd and 1st base was UNoccupied.  We found out later that the coaches for the home team told the kid batting that if he swings on strike 2 and misses that he should drop his bat and run to first (as if it was a 3rd strike drop).  The dugout (coaches and players) started yelling for the kid to run.  This was all a ploy for the catcher to get confused and throw the ball to 1st and then the kid on 3rd basically strolls home with all the confusion and the game is over.  It worked incredibly well and they walked it off with this play.  Umpire said it's legal and that was it.  I believe it's legal but pretty bush.  I'm just wondering if anyone has ever heard of this being employed and if there is some off chance the umpire should have called a dead ball.

[beerguy55]

13 hours ago, Replacematt said:

Why?

It's not interference in MLB, and it's not in tee ball.

This is covered.

We aren't the morality police. 

No, maybe we/you should be.

You're at least an unbiased party to what was witnessed, so won't be dismissed as the whiny one who was victimized.

You'll at least have a credible voice that may have some ability to influence change...if you want to try.

You truly might be the only one on the field that is actually interested in what is best for the game and the kids.

[Velho]

37 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

You truly might be the only one on the field that is actually interested in what is best for the game and the kids.

I completely agree.

I wonder if we're getting wrapped around the axle because this is level specific.

The proponents of intervening (mostly myself and @The Man in Blue) aren't arguing for it at higher levels such as college and beyond (incl Men's league).

The unequivocal applicable level, imo, is 10U and below (levels that shouldn't use U3K in the first place). It's a combined situation dependent / level of play sliding scale from there, getting rare and rarer as you go to 12U regular season to 12U post season to HS with desperately mismatched teams and non-existent during HS post season.

Further, there is a wide spectrum of how an umpire can deal with it.

This coaching scheme goes hand in hand with the corrosive environment umpires complain about and is driving our advocation/avocation into nothingness.