Leaderboard

What happened with the riddell I bought from you? Never heard back from you

Our HS association requires U3 to be in C when he's inside. CCA allows B or C and I would say 80% of the umpires that I know prefer B. It's just a better look at the most likely tag on a steal of second base.

Over at Uni-Watch, Paul Lukas has unearthed some ejection reports from the 1952 AA season. A fascinating historical look (full of profanities, of course.)

I'm really glad you asked this question. In USSSA and USA Softball Fastpitch, always TOT. (I did not realize this was true.) In USSSA Slow Pitch, same as OBR, including the "first play" language. It's always good to have a reason to stick your nose back into a rule book.

@Kevin_K is spot on. I'll add... simplify each pitch and make everything slow down! Make sure you're ON TIME getting set to see the pitch, make sure you're focused on tracking the ball with your eyes all the way to the catcher's mitt, and do your very best to see the threads on the ball. When I kick a pitch, my first instruction to myself is 'forget it', next, 'be on time for THIS pitch, find the ball, track the ball, read the threads, see it hit the catcher's mitt, decide the call, make the call'. And indeed, everybody has those games, it's part of the deal. Don't let it mean more than it really does. It's a baseball game, and quite likely nobody died, lost their job, or even one penny because you had a rough game. So don't sweat it too much. If you do, umpiring will cease to be fun for you, and you'll be worse than ever. I'm speaking from experience.

Thanks Steve, CONGRATS TO YOU AS WELL!!!! Nice job!

That's awesome Jeff. I know you worked really hard to get there and so glad it was the experience you were hoping for. I was also selected to work a final this year, and I had a great time and worked with 3 really good umpires.

I like deep B in 3 or 4 man with only R1. It's usuallly the best look at the tag of a stealing R1 and it is the look you have been getting throughout your regular season in 2 man, especially if you are nimble enough to drift back with the throw.

Congratulations!

Know where this comes from? When the kids play stickball / wiffle-ball. Batter just catches the lobbed-in “pitch”, tosses it back, and says, “C’mon Joey! Gimme something to hit!” Go to any tournament or baseball event, you’re sure to find the little brothers and sisters, or, if the event involves 12U’s the players themselves when they’re in idle time, engrossed in a game of stickball / wiffle-ball. They’re happy as can be! Most of these kids all know each other anyway. We adults ruin everything with formal rules, keeping score, and pitch counts. Huh. From my experience, I now always assume “Little League” to be 12-or-less in age, especially when I see it on my potential game postings. Sure, there’s LL-Juniors and Seniors, but even that’s not real baseball. Most of the older kid baseball is under different “titles” like Babe Ruth and Connie Mack.

Something to keep in mind in the OP. I did not see this play and it sounds like F6 made no attempt to retire R1 at second. However, for the benefit of those learning. A play or attempted play is defined as a legitimate effort by a defensive player to retire a runner. This may include an actual attempt to tag a runner, a fielder running toward a base with the ball in an attempt to force or tag a runner, or throwing to another fielder in an attempt to retire a runner. Let's say F6 fields the ball, and starts to run towards 2B in an attempt to retire R1. F6 gets to the bag late, R1 is safe at 2B. Now F6 throws wild to 1B to get BR who has not yet reached 1B and throws the ball away. Ruling: F6's attempt to retire R1 is the first play by an infielder. The correct award would be R1awarded home, BR awarded 2B. (2 bases from where the runners were at the Time Of Throw. )

Enjoy a little of Dutches first ever World Series plate job. Look at that classic mask.

FIFY.

And this is where your feelings don’t matter. I’m saying this kindly and civilly, but bluntly and impersonal... feelings are not a part of baseball or its rules. By your expressed sentiments, you’re either a coach or a parent, probably with the opposing team. As umpires, we have to know the rules, the situations that they govern and apply to, and what impartial judgement we have to wield and implement within those rules. There is no “well, he oughta be out!” for doing “this” or “that”. Either the rules outline that he is, or isn’t, out. In this case, he isn’t, or wouldn’t be, out. Understand, too, the context of the game. It’s Little League. From my 26 years of baseball experience, Little League equates to little more than instructional ball (sectional / regional / national championship ball notwithstanding). If the Batter actually reached behind him to catch a pitch – in flight – then I can derive two things: A) the pitch wasn’t thrown that fast, hard, or accurately, and B) they’re of an age where runners on base, and advancing them with basestealing and errant pitches, really isn’t a priority. In fact, by omitting any baserunners aboard in the OP, the Batter may have done this with no runners on... in which case, it further strains the claim that “he should be out!... for something!” Now, granted, by how the situation and the context is described, the umpire should not have awarded 1B. But, on that same vein, any time a batter is hit by a pitched ball, the ball is immediately dead, and any baserunners return to base occupied at TOP. In this case, it should have been called dead (“Time”), the Batter should be directed to stay (“Stay here”), a Ball added to the count (“Add a ball to the count”. If that’s Ball 4, then award a Walk), and the Batter admonished for pulling that stunt (“You can’t do that.”).

That's the one thing it can never be when runner and fielder collide, when the fielder is fielding a batted ball. Also: there is no such thing as rights.

Find somebody to catch for you and go see some pitches in a cage. Ask a local team if you can work a scrimmage or if you can visit a practice and see pitches during side work or a simulated game. Look up a local pitching coach and ask if you can see some pitches during lessons. Whatever you do, though, SEE SOME PITCHES. It's fantastic for your confidence to see pitches in a low-stress environment. Then go to your next game, relax, trust yourself, and do a great job.

Last summer I had perhaps the worst game I have had in years, ain't that right @Richvee? Since that game, as @Stan W. has mentioned, I take every pitch on its own. Pre-pitch, I make sure my feet are right, my gig line is properly aligned, my eyes are focused on the pitcher, and I adjust my breathing so that I can exhale on the release of the ball. Every pitch I find the pitcher's release point, track the ball the whole way, and allow my brain to process whatever may come before I say or do anything. If I miss a pitch, I don't let it bother me. I go get the next one. I realize that I am an amateur umpire just like the players are amateur athletes. Every one involved in every game will make a mistake now and again. Its part of the human condition. I also have cut back on the number of games I work. No longer am I on the field 10 of 11 days. Its down to maybe 6 out of 11. In fact, today is the first game I am working since May 31. I am really enjoying my games and it makes things so much better.