Kevin_K

@MadMax is going to be shocked by this....... NJ requires base coaches to wear helmets as well

This. It's a judgment call. Your judgment. Like any judgment call, teams are free to disagree or agree as they see fit. If the HC comes out to talk to you about the call and you aren't certain of what you saw, you could call a crew conference to seek any additional information that might help you in your decision making on your call. Yelling across the field to your partner puts them on the spot for making a call that they should not have to make. Those calls, typically a pulled foot, belong to a base umpire. If the umpire is not sure on the call, see above.

Think of all the times you may have heard players be advised to lower their bats when ducking out of the way when a pitch is up and in. Would it be a foul/fair ball if the pitch hit their bat?

Consider the situation where PU has dropped back on 1BLX...... Fly ball is beyond 1B when F4, F3, F9 and BR are all either on the line or converging on the line. PU is potentially looking through F2 and all the above to try to determine whether or not the ball has landed fair or foul. Without moving off the extension, it is likely that his view is, at best, compromised, or, more so, blocked completely. The status of the ball is always the first priority. If PU moves up the line to a place where his view of the ball is far better, his credibility and accuracy will both be improved significantly. Our priorities, as I have been taught, are in this order: Fair/foul Catch/No catch Out/safe Everything else The tag at 3B clearly is less important than the status of the ball.

Remember the priorities we have: Fair/Foul Catch/No catch Tag/no tag PU should stay on the line and let his partner know that he has the line. While PU typically has the tag at 3B, the priority is elsewhere on a fly ball down the 1B line. If the play is up the line some, PU needs to get some distance from HP to make sure he has a good look at the play. PU can grab a peek at R3 after the ball is touched if it's possible. If there is a potential for a play at HP, PU needs to get back to the plate. BU should shift priorities when his partner is pinned on the line. Some BUs will drift (?) toward the baseline between 2B and 3B in order to get eyes on both runners when the ball is touched by a fielder. Some BUs will peek at 3B a split second after the ball is touched. Knowing the situation and communicating what you are doing is critical for not only the PU, but the BU as well. If there is an appeal play, both umpires should make eye contact with one another and if one is certain about the situation they should communicate it first by signaling their partner with something like a chest tap as if saying "This is mine!" If there is no certainty, PU has the call and if things go sideways, the crew should get together to offer whatever information they have.

R1 and R2 with F3 playing in front of R1. BR hits a fly ball hugging the 1B line beyond the grass/dirt line of the outfield. It is a blustery day with the wind blowing from left to right. As F3 turns to pursue the fly ball, he runs into R1 who was about four feet off the bag. F4 and F9 are also converging on the line. The ball lands just foul with F4 and F9 about 5 feet from the ball. As F3 cleared R1, he came within about 10 feet of where the ball landed. As the play developed, I judged that F3 would have the best chance to field the batted ball and called R1 out for interference. It was the third out of the inning and the teams switched sides. As I ran the play over in my mind, I began to question whether or not any of the players had any legitimate chance at fielding what ended up as a foul ball. Then I began to think that perhaps I may have made the wrong call. How much does the real ability of the protected player making the play on this fly ball affect the interference call that we might make a such a play?

The NCAA rule also says that anyone leaving their position to potentially (emphasis added) participate in a verbal or physical confrontation shall be ejected. Seems like more than 11 did

You already explained it.

Trying is not always doing. At least not successfully. As @Richvee was suggesting, if the D1 pitchers on ESPN, and the SEC and ACC networks are continually permitted this bastardization of pitching regulations, Randy should start with having those leagues policed with much further scrutiny since you, me, and every pitching coach in Nowheresville can watch these funky windups and then think they are OK. Then, the rank and file who enforce the pitching regulations have "Don't make the game about you!" shoved down our throats when the rules are enforced as directed from on high.

A much more appropriate image. This may be an ancestor of our beloved @MadMax

This conversation reminds me of the sage advice @JonnyCat offered many moons ago. Use the rule book to solve problems rather than to create problems. Unless a HC brings it to my attention, I am going to have selective blindness to the feet and first step forward that seems to be problematic to the rules interpreter for the NCAA, especially in @Richvees Nowheresville.

Contact is not illegal. Illegal contact is illegal. A runner can make contact with a fielder at a base as long as the slide is legal. If the slide is directly between the bases and the runner's feet are below the knee of the fielder when contact is made, there is no interference on the runner. If any aspects of 2-32-2 are present, however, the slide is illegal and the contact cis illegal.

So playing devil's advocate.... A runner feigns a steal. F2 attempts to retire the runner at their last legally occupied base but BR interferes with the throw. Are we grabbing an out on the runner? The throw behind the runner is an attempted play, isn't it?

Respectfully, I disagree. As enforced in the OP, I see no violation of any rule. R1 was not obstructed as he had access to the base. Add to it that F6 was already in possession of the ball prior to R1 sliding into the bag and I am SMH trying to figure out what Mr. Manfred is trying to accomplish.

Rule 2-22-3: The fielder without possession of the ball denies access to the base the runner is attempting to achieve. 2008 Interpretations: SITUATION 12: As the pitcher moves to attempt a pickoff at first base, the first baseman drops his knee and entirely blocks the runner from getting back to first base. RULING: This is obstruction. A fielder who is not in possession of the ball must provide the runner access to the base he is attempting to reach. The runner will be awarded second base for the obstruction. (2-22-3, 8-3-2) 2024 Casebook 8.3.2 G is the same play as in 2008 Interpretation

So for all the FED haters, they actually have this right.

The play isn't coming straight at you. The throw is. Think of it like a play at the plate. That's where you are on the hip of F2 and allow his movement(s) to take you into the wedge. Same thing at 1B. You want to be in the spot where you have a great view of R1 coming toward you and a view of where the tag is going to happen. F3 will guide you to the optimal position based on his movements. There is no requirement that you cement your feet into the ground. As long as the movements are purposeful, quiet, and move you into the best position, get accustomed to having to move on occasion wherever you may be making a call.

NCAA 8-5-d Note 3. If in the judgment of an umpire, a runner is pushed or forced off a base by a fielder, intentionally or unintentionally, at which the runner would otherwise have been called safe, the umpire has the authority and discretion under the circumstances to return the runner to the base they were forced off following the conclusion of the play.

In general, if a rule cannot be found preventing specific actions, said actions are legal.

You're right. We can.

And you should see his grass....... just don't step on it!

Arbiter is generations ahead of the dog 💩 assigning interface of Zebraweb. If Arbiter vexes you, Zebra-dung would send you over the edge. Thanks NJSIAA!

This is accurate in FED but not in NCAA or OBR.

This approach also emphasizes the proper use of your eyes before making a call. As @JSam21 mentioned, our focus is on the bag and the fielder's feet rather than tracking the ball across the diamond. The pop of the ball in the glove is the signal to find the ball before making any call. That process slows everything down after several reps and takes almost all the guess work out of any whacker. With time, the proper use of eyes becomes routine and easily transferrable to all aspects of umpiring. The 2SF mechanic has been taught in camps in this area for a while and I find it helps keep me in better positions for out of the ordinary plays, slows my calls down, and puts the focus on the play rather than selling a call.

2024 varsity game fee is $105. No travel pay. That's a $15 bump from last year.