In a textbook example of poetic justice, the Snohomish, Washington, softball team that’s been accused of cheating has received its comeuppance. Forced into a playoff against the Central Iowa team they tried to avoid by throwing their game against North Carolina on Monday, Snohomish lost, 3-2, on Tuesday afternoon.
Central Iowa filed an official complaint with the Little League review board after the Washington team, assured of a spot in the next round of the World Series, rested its best players and intentionally failed to record a hit (by bunting with two strikes and only swinging at pitches in the dirt) because if it lost poorly enough, it would eliminate Central Iowa (who was reportedly more threatening than North Carolina) on tiebreakers. The review board upheld the complaint and scheduled the playoff to settle matters.
Chris Chadd, the president of the Central Iowa Softball Little League, filed the protest initially, but he never wanted the rematch — he said it was the coaches who were at fault for directing their players to throw the game, so it was the coaches that should have been punished. After the playoff, he had this to say (via ESPN):
“I wouldn’t say [we feel] vindicated. I would say that the two teams [that] should have been playing for this spot played, and the better team won,” Chadd said. “It’s just an ecstatic feeling.
“You look at the poor girls from Washington. They’re suffering now because of a decision made by their coach,” Chadd said. “I just feel for those girls. It makes me sad to know that those girls’ hearts are breaking because of this.”
As always, when adults behave badly around children’s sports, it’s the children who suffer the most for it. Chadd had the right idea in thinking of the players on the Snohomish team, who deserved to have better examples set for them.
(Via ESPN)
