Handshake

I'm interested in the opinion of more experienced baseball folks. Is it acceptable for the losing team to leave the field without shaking hands at the end of a game? Is it the coach's responsibility/decision?

I witnessed this recently and it just seemed like a poor reflection on the coach and ultimately the whole team. The winning team ran to congratulate the players who scored the winning runs, but they did line up to shake hands, only there was no one there.

I didn't have a player on either team, but I considered it bad manners to say the least.

 

Shake Hands win or lose, unless some action during the game dictates not to do it to avoid some altercation...

I think it is poor sportsmanship not to shake hands, players and coaches... PERIOD!

 

Amen, from the choir!!! Only acceptable, as you stated to avoid the uglier

 

You should shake at the end of the game, win or lose, regardless of whether the other team showe.d class or not. Coach Evans is right, though, about avoiding an altercation. In that case, th ecoaches should at least shake on behalf of the players

 

win with modesty. lose with class. shake hands!

 

Sportsmanship

A true reflection of sportsmanship is when the 2 teams shake hands and you can't tell who won or lost.

 

Great post. Very true.

 

A few details.....

I agree with all of the above comments; however, the full details were not disclosed on the original post as to why there were no handshakes. Here are a few additional details as described by the local paper and an apology from the Hopewell coach:

"a crazy celebration that put his health at risk. The Titans stormed the field even, several players crossing the third base line before Piercy crossed the plate. Their target was Peterson, who was tackled by a wave of Titans near second base".

"could not wait for Piercy to score before congratulating Peterson with a tackle"

"I just hope Coach King will forgive us for our crazy celebration. We meant no disrespect.” said Hopewell Coach David Brown.


The original intent was to shake hands; however, the "dogpile" celebration lasted the entire length of time it took our players to pack their equipment and head for the bus. No disrespect or bad sportsmanship meant on North Meck's part!

 

Does it really matter?

I understand the situation and frankly, I still think you should shake hands. Sure if you want to pack your equipment first then do so, but after it's all said and done, both teams should meet at home plate. It's an important part of the game and it teaches our kids that there will be greater losses in life.

 

Definitely shake hands. If winning team celebrates forever, it only makes the losing team look that much better if they wait to shake.