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How to Know What Rules to Follow And Which to Ignore?


Guest Rock Bottom Mike
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Guest Rock Bottom Mike

How should one know which baseball rules we should enforce, and which we should ignore?  For example, obviously the 12 seconds to pitch rule is completely ignored, as is the rule the catcher must have both feet in the catcher's box before the ball leaves the pitchers hand.  Others, like balk rules, are enforced meticulously, where even the slightest improper twitch is called a balk were there is little way such a minor movement would have deceived anyone.  

I've read some comment on here (sorry I don't have the thread to reference, it was awhile ago) not to enforce rules that are ignored, as all it does is look like you're trying to prove you know the rulebook. I agree with that overall, but where does one find out which rules are the ones that are okay to ignore?

Thanks all!

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15 minutes ago, Guest Rock Bottom Mike said:

How should one know which baseball rules we should enforce, and which we should ignore?  For example, obviously the 12 seconds to pitch rule is completely ignored, as is the rule the catcher must have both feet in the catcher's box before the ball leaves the pitchers hand.  Others, like balk rules, are enforced meticulously, where even the slightest improper twitch is called a balk were there is little way such a minor movement would have deceived anyone.  

I've read some comment on here (sorry I don't have the thread to reference, it was awhile ago) not to enforce rules that are ignored, as all it does is look like you're trying to prove you know the rulebook. I agree with that overall, but where does one find out which rules are the ones that are okay to ignore?

Thanks all!

The catcher one only applies when an intentional walk is being given.

The seconds rule reads:

When the bases are unoccupied . . . 

plus

The 12-second timing starts when the pitcher is in possession of the ball and the batter is
in the box, alert to the pitcher.

So it's hard to break the rule. It also doesn't jive with the MiLB time rule.  

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There are many factors:

  • Your experience
  • Is it "really" an infraction
  • Does it effect the game/ did someone gain an advantage
  • How does the league/ umpire association dictate you handle
  • The age levels involved

As umpires we hold our role as keeping the integrity of the game very seriously as part of our job, but an overly officious official can ruin a game for everyone. 

I had a similar discussion with a newer umpire once after working a Bronco game. He asked why I did and didn't call certain things and my response was, "I'm not out there looking for each and every infraction. If I were it would be an awful game for everybody because every play I'd be calling something. But if I see an infraction, I'll determine what I'm going to do at that time. 

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6 hours ago, Guest Rock Bottom Mike said:

How should one know which baseball rules we should enforce, and which we should ignore?  For example, obviously the 12 seconds to pitch rule is completely ignored, as is the rule the catcher must have both feet in the catcher's box before the ball leaves the pitchers hand.  Others, like balk rules, are enforced meticulously, where even the slightest improper twitch is called a balk were there is little way such a minor movement would have deceived anyone.  

I've read some comment on here (sorry I don't have the thread to reference, it was awhile ago) not to enforce rules that are ignored, as all it does is look like you're trying to prove you know the rulebook. I agree with that overall, but where does one find out which rules are the ones that are okay to ignore?

Thanks all!

I use fair play and common sense. Also I saw someone here state and I've passed it along to my counterparts; Use the rules to solve problems, not create them.

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So if you ignore a violation of a rule in the first inning do you feel obligated to continue to ignore it for the remainder of the game? Sometimes if you give an inch, they take a mile. Recently saw what I believed the coach called bench jockeying or something like that ( I call it unsportsmanlike) that was allowed early on and then after about 30 derogatory comments from dugout it escalated to a threat to inflict harm after the game, this was the straw for one coach who asked for time and asked umpire to please address the situation (not his first request) as it was now a safety issue. Umpire kicked player out of dugout which brought out the other manager saying you should have issued a warning first. After the umpires conferred the players was returned to dugout and warning was issued. After the post game fight, I am left wondering who is at fault here? How should this have been handled?

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1 hour ago, Guest Eddie said:

So if you ignore a violation of a rule in the first inning do you feel obligated to continue to ignore it for the remainder of the game?

(redacted)

How should this have been handled?

1) No necessarily.

 

2)  Not  nearly enough information to answer, except that a warning is NOT needed.

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7 hours ago, Guest Eddie said:

So if you ignore a violation of a rule in the first inning do you feel obligated to continue to ignore it for the remainder of the game? Sometimes if you give an inch, they take a mile. Recently saw what I believed the coach called bench jockeying or something like that ( I call it unsportsmanlike) that was allowed early on and then after about 30 derogatory comments from dugout it escalated to a threat to inflict harm after the game, this was the straw for one coach who asked for time and asked umpire to please address the situation (not his first request) as it was now a safety issue. Umpire kicked player out of dugout which brought out the other manager saying you should have issued a warning first. After the umpires conferred the players was returned to dugout and warning was issued. After the post game fight, I am left wondering who is at fault here? How should this have been handled?

If this all escalated into a fight after the game, it was mishandled from the get-go. If the umpire kicked the player out of the dugout, assuming this was a high school game, that was a misapplication of the ejection rule, since any ejected player must remain in the dugout.

If what you're conveying is accurate, there is so much wrong with how this was handled it can't be adequately addressed on this forum. Suffice to say that it seems the umpire has a lot to learn about game management and rules application. Problems like this must be dealt with early on so they don't escalate, and it needs umpires who are adept at seeing it for what it is so they can put a stop to it before it gets out of hand.

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13 hours ago, Guest Eddie said:

So if you ignore a violation of a rule in the first inning do you feel obligated to continue to ignore it for the remainder of the game? Sometimes if you give an inch, they take a mile. Recently saw what I believed the coach called bench jockeying or something like that ( I call it unsportsmanlike) that was allowed early on and then after about 30 derogatory comments from dugout it escalated to a threat to inflict harm after the game, this was the straw for one coach who asked for time and asked umpire to please address the situation (not his first request) as it was now a safety issue. Umpire kicked player out of dugout which brought out the other manager saying you should have issued a warning first. After the umpires conferred the players was returned to dugout and warning was issued. After the post game fight, I am left wondering who is at fault here? How should this have been handled?

Game management, game management, game management.

This should have been stomped from the start.  It is a situation that will NOT self-correct.  It will ONLY get worse.

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