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Monday, March 07, 2011
Throwing a game
A high school coach ordered his goalie off the ice so that they could lose a game, allowing their opponent to move ahead in the playoffs and bumping out a rival. Had they won the game instead, the rival would have proceeded into the playoffs too. The coach didn’t want that. The coach was made aware of the circumstances at the moment he made his decision because of texting: there were several games being played that afternoon, and his game was still ongoing, so he knew the lay of the land.
So, his team lost, and his rival wasn’t in the playoffs. But, the kids didn’t like it, not one bit. No one liked it. And so, the kids agreed and the league ruled that the team that threw the game would do a sudden death against the rival. They lost the game, but, really, they won where it counts:
Wake also praised Westwood’s players, who told him they were unhappy to see the game thrown and were keen to play the Friday afternoon game.
“These kids are winners already because they’ve stepped up and, as a principal, I’m very proud of them,” he said. “Unfortunately some adults got in the way of the kids.”
If the kids were in charge, things would have worked out better. Lord of the Flies be damned.
***
The closest I’ve seen in terms of throwing a game was when the Expos and Blue Jays played an exhibition game in 1979. Because it was an in-season game, there was a time limit to the game. The game was tied heading into the bottom of the 11th, in Toronto. The Expos manager (Dick Williams) stalled. And after he was ordered to get back to the dugout, the warm up tosses were completed, and on the last pitch the catcher threw the ball past second base and into the outfield. Time limit reached.
An exhibition game, with proceeds for charity.
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