In baseball, as in many other sports, teams are eager to reach the end-of-season playoffs. The West Island Midget A Royals, however, will be deprived of them due to administrative oversight from their coaches. Much to your despair.
Each year, coaches of minor baseball teams must comply with a certain number of rules dictated by the provincial federation, Baseball Québec.
In the category we are interested in, one of these rules requires that at least one coach from each team takes annual training before June 15th, otherwise the team will be deprived of any participation in a provincial tournament, playoffs or regional or provincial championship.
Alain Cloutier is the head coach of the West Island Royals. He has been a volunteer minor baseball coach for six years. Last year, he completed annual training on time, allowing his team to participate in the playoffs. This year, however, it escaped him, as did his three assistants.
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“We knew we had to do this; I can’t complain that they changed the rule, that it wasn’t clear,” she admits from the start.
Every year, trainers receive emails reminding them that they haven’t completed the training. Except the Royals’ coach claims the emails never reached him. Even in early July, he was discussing with his assistants which one of them would do the training… even though the deadline had passed a few weeks ago.
In other words, the lack of communication might have something to do with it. But the four men don’t stick their heads in the sand: they recognize their mistake.
As we’ve been training for six years, we know the rule. We were careless, we were slow. This is our fault. I recognize him first.
Alain Cloutier, West Island Royals head coach
Just here: In mid-July, they were warned that the deadline had expired and that their team would not be able to participate in the tournament scheduled for July 18, nor the playoffs.
Possible solutions that lead nowhere
The four carriages dropped a little from the clouds when they noticed their carelessness. At that time, his team had 12 wins and 2 losses. For six weeks, they have been trying to “find a way to get along” with the Lac Saint-Louis organization.
They claim to have proposed several possible solutions, in particular finding replacement coaches or simply adding training to the schedule for which they would bear the costs. Their goal is simple: get their players into the playoffs, with or without them on the bench.
“We are like a fish at the bottom of the boat, laments Cloutier. It’s too late, and we’re fighting. »
“Quebec baseball has a good reputation, I can understand why. They are the only ones that require ongoing training; I’m a teacher, I can’t be against it, it’s a good idea.
I say, “I punished myself.” Tell me that I’m suspended, that I’m not the one going coach my team in the playoffs and find a coach who has this year’s certification. But let the boys play…
Alain Cloutier
The series should start in a few days, August 25, but there’s nothing to do, he regrets.
“We are the biggest culprits, but we still can’t get used to the idea that it’s the players who are paying the price for it”, he says.
Baseball Quebec defends
In a telephone conversation with The pressBaseball Québec’s general manager, Maxime Lamarche, recalls that the aforementioned rule was introduced a few years ago and voted on by the members of Baseball Québec.
He insists that several reminders were sent to teams ahead of the deadline, and mentions in passing that Mr. Cloutier received one on June 17, when the deadline was pushed back to June 25.
PHOTO ROBERT SKINNER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES Maxime Lamarche, General Manager of Baseball Quebec
We become, at a certain point, insensitive to situations like the one described by West Island.
Maxime Lamarche, General Manager of Baseball Quebec
“Training is so simple, mainly for recreational purposes, that we no longer accept [de se faire dire] : “I’m just a volunteer, I don’t have time to do this training”, he adds. If you don’t have the time to do it, let your association know and they’ll put another trainer in, who will. It is non-negotiable for us at this level. »
According to Mr. Lamarche, such situations happen “everywhere in Quebec”. Of the 2,098 teams across the province, “178 did not respect the rule, so about 8%.” He does, however, reiterate that he understands that “everyone makes mistakes”, specifying that there is some justice in all of this for all those who took the time to complete the training, perhaps reluctantly.
There comes a time when you don’t know the difference between the one who made a mistake in good faith, the one who made a mistake in bad faith, the other who tried to cheat.
Maxime Lamarche
“We can’t say, let’s take them all one by one and try to see in their faces whether they’re honest or not. That’s why we have rules, so we don’t have to decide whether it’s right for such a person or not for such a person. »
The Director-General insists on the importance of holding the culprits accountable. “If there are always exits, solutions, we retreat to continue this circle of people who tell themselves that they don’t need to be in your business, do their things in advance, prepare because it doesn’t matter, [se disent que les organisations] will let it go, [qu’ils sont] just one exception.
“We want so badly not to come to a pocket-sized conclusion that we send too many reminders, chances. Is it when you say: I give up and they deal with the consequences? »
Maxime Lamarche also recalls that the Royals’ coaches have been members of the federation for years and, therefore, “they already know how it works”.
A solution
On the solution proposed by the Royals to change the entire coaching staff to allow young people to participate in the playoffs, Lamarche indicates that “it totally goes against the principle of: you run a team from start to finish”.
The only solution, he says, is to accept his mistake and propose a rule change when it comes time for the Quebec Baseball Rules Review in September.
“These people have to take responsibility and say: I quit, but we are going to work hard so that the rule is different and that no one is penalized next year. But it’s not up to us to change that during the season, it doesn’t make sense. Otherwise, what’s the point of setting rules? »
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