Junior League Softball

Question
It is my understanding every player on the team has to play. This did not happen in the title game and the ending results were allowed to stand.. Is there no penalty for ignoring this rule?  As it turns out from the recent ruling, evidently not so the rule should be removed.

Answer
Jack,

I am not sure if there was or was not a player who did not receive mandatory play (I was not in town and did not see the game on ESPN2).  What I can tell you is if this was the case, the results would probably stand. Here's why:

A few years ago Little League changed the penalty phase in regards to mandatory play. It used to be that if you didn't play a child their mandatory play and it was caught, that game was disqualified. Little League didn't want to penalize the players because the manager can't follow the rules, so now, instead of a disqualification, the team wins, but the manager receives a two-game suspension.

Also, it is up to the opposing manager to catch the fact.  If the opposing manager did not catch it and did not protest, then the results would stand.

I hope this has helped.

-Martin Hoover