What a terribly written and completely loaded article. I recommend clicking the link provided within the piece to the actual newspaper publication that covered the story. 

In short- I probably would've been extremely upset. But you can't appeal a rule. Case closed.

Agreed. I would have been incredibly upset, but the fact is, the rule is the rule.

We can all acknowledge the rule, but the anger here is driven by the fact that the host team did not attempt to prep the field after the rain. Then, they allegedly lied about their ability to do so.

Yes, that is exactly what I meant by asking the question on appealing.  Would you appeal about the no prepping/lying? That is what is interesting about this situation.  

In some areas of the country, play off games are simply suspended and continued later. If that were the case here, there would be no reason to do anything except get the field ready.  If that were impossible, finish the game later.

How long before the rain stopped and the decision was made? 

The reverse happened to us last summer. In a WWBA Championship game the lightening siren went off.  This system was suppose to give the OK signal once the detector reached a certain point and stayed there for 10 minutes.  For some reason the OK signal didn't come on despite the detector reading a safe level. So we decided to play while we manually watched the detector readings.  We played another inni8ng and a half and the sky fell in on us.  This time it was definitely over and after a short while the game was called.

Here is the kicker, had the game been called rather than resumed, it would have reverted back and the team that ended up losing would have won the championship. We took a lot of heat over the whole thing.  Even though safety was our number one concern, both with the lightening and the later rain, it wasn't going to cool down the team that ended up losing. Sometimes you do everything possible and it still turns out bad.  It's hard to listen to accusations that you are playing favorites, when you really don't care who wins. 

Now in this case in Florida, it's very obvious someone involved cared very much which team moved on in the play offs.  I can understand why this got hot!

Here is where the coach that lost erred.  Once the game starts all of the decisions on play is left up to the umpires.  He should have immediately pointed out that they did have diamond dry and tarps to take care of the field when the rain began to fall.  Now obviously I wasn't there but if you can take pictures of the items on the way out then they were there on the way in, IMO.  As coaches we know that you have to appeal a game before the umpires leave the field.  It is horrible that this happened and you can expect to see a rule change somewhere down the line. 

I don't see a rule change in the future. The rule is the way it is precisely to ensure that gamesmanship between the sides don't determine the endpoint of a game.

Anyone know why these weren't used? Did anyone even try to come up with an excuse?

Bizarre ending has Plant City-George Jenkins back at it on Saturday

What compounds the concerns was that the same decision had been made in the game I attached, but the FHSAA made the decision later that evening (when the kids got home0 that the game could not revert back and would have to pick up on Saturday.  When Jenkins left the field they had reportedly lost the game, yet within hours they found out that FHSAA determined game would have to be resumed.  Why didn't they make the same decision in the other game??  This is a hot topic right now.

No, this is a different decision. By rule, if the home team ties the game in its half of the inning, it becomes a suspended game.

In both games, the rule was applied by the book.

You know -- I can't believe I failed to see that.  Thanks.  You are absolutely right. 

Here's my question to all of you HS coaches: If you'd been the home field coach and knew you had  the CHANCE to get the field ready ... would you have tried, or would you have done what this coach did?? 

While I understand the temptation, I'm praying and expecting 2709, Coach May and the rest of you would've at least TRIED. It's just the right thing to do.

Reminds me of when my son was younger ... and coaches would occasionally run the clock out in bush-league ways. Not cool.

You have to try and get the field ready.  Maybe you do or maybe you don't but at least try.  Hard to tell these kids to do the right thing and don't act bushleague when you pull something like this.  Hard to tell them to display character when they are used to grabbing rakes and working hard to prep a field and then when they are ready to start work tell them not to when the stuff is sitting right there. Yes it may bite you in the butt and you lose the game but you're doing what sports are all about - competing.  I'm going to pitch to the future draft pick when it's early in the game and not walk him intentionally four times just to keep him from hurting us.  It's about competing. 

I don't see the point of this rule because it does create this situation.  Show up the next day and continue on from where you stopped at.  If the sky opens up in the bottom of the 7th with bases loaded 2 outs and full count then come back the next day and throw one pitch then so be it.  It's the playoffs you have to finish the game.  I could see the regular season needing the end after 5 complete but playoffs - finish the game.