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This past weekend, I was acting as onsite UIC, and as I was rolling the cooler full of ice, water, and towels from one field to another, replenishing the guys between innings, one of my crews had a situation happen right in front of me which I was very proud of how they handled it... without botching it or consulting me or the TD. R1, R2, 2 outs, X-2 count (balls not relevant). Swinging strike, pitch makes contact with the bat, and ends up... in the F2's armpit, trapped there. F2 gets up, flips the ball towards the mound, and starts trotting towards his dugout while the DT fans applaud his outstanding catch... ... but was it a catch? The 3BC (OTHC) starts bellowing, "That's not a catch! That's not a catch! Get the rule right!" while the PU steps back, and instead of making an Out mechanic, motions and calls, "Time!". I refrained from saying anything, as much as my younger umpire-self would have liked to, instead leaving it to this crew to determine. The PU motioned in the BU, and they met just in front of the mound. At this point, both the OTHC and the DTHC are on the field, and the PU has to signal to both of them to back off and return to their dugout areas, before he resumes discussing with the BU. Of course, the DT parents are, to a person, clamoring, "But it didn't hit the ground! He caught it!" I'm standing right next to the Field Marshal (FM, an employee of the TD), telling him, "It has to be the glove first for a foul tip. If it hits anywhere else on the catcher's body, like his mask or CP, it's a foul ball." At that moment, the PU disengages from the BU, heads back towards the plate, and announces, "Foul ball." DTHC approaches PU while his players resume their positions, and PU gives him a brief explanation, ending with, "My UIC is standing right there (points at me), he'll tell you the same thing." "Play!" Next pitch is a line-out to F5. Oh well. Nicely handled, Blue!

Two interesting baseball events here, I'm curious what's correct. 1) Batter hits a missile line drive past the pitcher that short-hops the runner leading off second. There was no chance of the SS or 2B fielding it. What is: a) The status of the runner b) The status of the batter c) The statistic for the batter d) The official ruling of the play 2) Right-handed batter takes a pitch high and inside and dodges the pitch. The runner on second is stealing third. Because the batter dodged the pitch, he's leaning backwards; the catcher throws the ball toward third but it hits the batter's helmet. What is: a) The status of the batter b) The status of the runner c) The ruling of the play (if any)