Leaderboard

Well the doc says I am still cancer free and he gave me the green light to umpire again this year. So begins my 57th year. Had a couple of High school game and a U14 softball tournament last weekend. Two college Softball coaches asked me if I am available to do their games. So I am back for another year!!

deception is legal............illegal deception is not......... Think of all the things that can be done to legally deceive a runner...........speed up motion, slide step, arm position, pitch outs, varying pitch velocity, throwing over..........all legal...... then the things that cause balks............illegal deception.....

My thoughts: it's a truism, in the same vein as tie goes to the runner, the hands are part of the bat, etc. In other words, it's a myth. Deception is perfectly fine, deception while violating a set of specific pitching rules is a balk. Then again, so is non-deception while violating a set of specific pitching rules.

I can put up with coaches, players and parents. They usually are either stupid or don’t know the rules. The one thing that will set me off is seeing red is a partner that throws me under the bus or tries to show me up. It is usually either young kids who have talent but are cocky or older guys who say they use to ump college or whatever. I am a white hat/TD and had a guy a few years ago that liked to throw his partners under the bus. I talked to him about it and he says if my partner screws up I should be able to fix it, I shake my head and say you have been warned. Week later he has 3 games and after the first game his partner is red hot because he did it yet again. I go to the guy and say WTF! Did I not make it clear to you before? He gets mouthy and says it’s his job to get it right and his partner should get it right. I said go home you are done for the season. He says good luck finding someone to come fill in, I said your replacement is here already. I put my plate gear on and asked other ump if he was ready to go.

Unless it is FED... then who knows!

Maybe the concept of a "tie" only exists in the metric system and not in the English system?

255/385/429 - Todd Frazier has got to get better.

The trick to one man games is to just hustle, and be sure to follow the ball. There will be times when because you have to focus on the ball you will miss touches at 3rd, or tag ups with multiple runners. It can't be helped. Also, don't take one bit of crap from anyone about a judgement call.

And just teach your catchers to jump up an tag the Batter on anything close to an uncaught third strike. That will save all of us a lot of grief[emoji16] Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk

Tell them that the purpose of the rule is to prevent a catcher from getting an easy extra out on a strikeout by simply failing to catch the ball, then throwing to a base for a force out, then to first for the putout of the batter-runner who just struck out. The rule is always in effect except when a cheap double play is possible. Similar reason for the infield fly rule. Both rules protect the offense.

I did read it incorrectly. I was going at No, it's not a force (as indicated in the op). Nice catch! (pun intended)

I'm contemplating the same thing lol

And I don't even feel well-protected or comfortable! I spent the whole night shimmying it around my torso trying in vain to find a position where I got both comfort and protection. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez talk about capitalism. I'm not about to buy it for $165USD when it's ~$80 brand new. I'll wait.

I used to, but then I was asked to keep the sleeves on because none of the moms (youth games), older sisters (HS games), girlfriends (college games) could concentrate on the game.

Lol... I did the same a while back. Along with wearing my old pair of WV Pro shins. HOLY GOD ARE THOSE THINGS HEAVY AND BULKY!

One -- this was a step with a throw -- not a disengagement followed by a throw. Since the step was with the pivot foot, it's a balk. Even without this, it's a balk. You need to extend some case plays / interps, I suppose, but there are some where a LH pitcher can't take the mound as a RH pitcher and where an ambidextrous pitcher switches the glove hand on the sly (and I recognize that some of the specific wording in this interp is tortuous -- relating to facing a batter only as a LH or RH pitcher): SITUATION 20: F1 is an ambidextrous pitcher with an ambidextrous glove. After a runner reaches first base, the field umpire moves to the B position. The pitcher standing just behind the pitcher's plate, assumes a windup position and with his hands up and in front of his body. He then slides his left hand into the glove while bringing his right hand into the glove to grip the ball completing the switch from a left-handed thrower to right-handed thrower to face a right-handed batter. The pitcher then engages the pitcher's plate. The umpire in the B position did not see the pitcher switch throwing hands. The pitcher, in the wind-up position as a right-handed pitcher, steps off the pitcher's plate with the pivot (right) foot first and then throws to first base in an attempt to pick off a runner. The umpire in B calls a balk because he thought the pitcher was left-handed. Is this a balk? How obvious does the pitcher have to be in making the switch from left to right? RULING: This is a balk. An ambidextrous pitcher must face a batter either as a left-handed or right-handed pitcher but not both. He may change to the other hand to pitch on the next batter, but he must begin and complete his pitching responsibility to an individual batter with the same hand through his turn at bat. This is deceptive and not in the spirit of fair play. (2-28-3, 3-3-1g, 6-1-1 note, 6-2-5) And, somewhere, it might define the "pivot foot" as being the non-glove hand (or something along those lines). That's clearly being violated in the example.

https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/05/01/trevor-bauer-twitter-astros-pitchers-cheating

If we saw that on a rules test, the correct response would be: "FALSE"

Quite honestly, ...I think it's pretty cool that he had a meeting w/ an umpire/s and talked about it .... kudos to that umpire and .... Frazier wasn't a total idiot when discussing it. He's probably wrong, but ... he didn't go crazy

Since this is a wish list at the moment, you can say however many you want. You can even go all Dr Evil and say you want one million of them!

I just moved from Texas, where everything above T-ball is 2 man. I'm up here in New England and have a dozen solo games. Gonna be a little tough, and I know I'm going to be, by definition, out of position. Hey, go make the best call and you can. If they have a problem, write a check for 2-man. ...

Did you see the spooked look on Vazquez's face, though? He knows he did it, he just likely didn't realize that there is/was a rule against it! It's a shame... he's using a Force3 Defender. Right mask, wrong way to use it.

That would be 144 bases. By rule, it was a two-base award in OBR -- only by reading some of the interp manuals (and these weren't as readily available as they are now) would an umpire know to award only one base.

Be careful going out too much with R3, hard hit to SS the other day (1st solo in 2 years), I start out and he's squaring up to throw home, I took a couple quick steps to 1B line to get out of the way.

I would say you should contact your assignor and give him a heads up. Better to hear it from you than the coach first. I’m not sure (and I’d be curious) why he came to you in the first place if he wasn’t going to change the call. I probably would have asked him that when you huddled. I don’t know your experience level vs. his, but I would have a real hard time breaking that huddle without changing the call. I would tell him, “Either we’re changing this call or you’re taking the heat for this.” Finally, if the call didn’t get changed, I wouldn’t have talked to the coach. I would have directed him to go talk to the calling umpire. By simply telling him: “Nope, don’t talk to me. Go talk to the calling umpire” you’ve told the coach that you don’t agree with your partner without completely throwing him under the bus. I’ll stand with my partner every time I can, but I’m not going down with a sinking ship either. I mean, if my buddy wants to fight the cops, I’m not spending the night in jail with him. He’s on his own.

R3 can never be called out for passing BR...no runner can ever be called out for passing BR - BR is always the trailing runner, and you can only be called out for passing a lead runner (or for the lead runner retreating past the trailing runner - it's still the trailing runner who gets called out). So, the only question is whether or not BR can be called out for passing R3. The only way B/R could pass R3 would be to first pass R1 (at which point BR would be out), and then R2 (which would be moot). Even with only R3 on base BR could only pass R3 by acquiring 1st, 2nd and 3rd base before that (R3, being on third at TOP, can not legally run back to second). Even if BR opted to run towards third base, pass R3 on the way, into left field, and then make his way to first base (he gets to choose his path - as long as he's not doing it to create confusion/travesty or avoid a tag) he would still not be called out for passing R3. (he might be called out for other reasons, but not for passing R3) If you're really begging for a ridiculous out here then it would be BR for retreating past home plate (which I think is only applicable when avoiding a tag).

This is 100% nothing. I want to be in the stands with pop-corn and beverage for the $hit show that will ensue on the guy who calls this an out.

HS Varsity game. Im PU. Bot 6. Player takes a called K3 over the outside corner. Draws a line in the dirt and gets run. After the game I see a woman in a sweatshirt of that team coming over to my car. I was starting to think that id have to make a quick exit and get changed at wawa but to my surprise she said she was the players mother and asked for my email address to have him apologize for me. That night this popped into my inbox. (personal information redacted) Dear Mr. BRUMP, I apologize for losing control of my emotions during the second game today. My behavior was inappropriate. I understand that I need to handle my emotions, especially in high-intensity situations, better in the future. I meant no disrespect to you or to the game. I acknowledge that drawing a line where I thought the pitch should be called was wrong as it showed you up. My actions do not align with my values, and I regret disappointing my parents, and letting down my team. I will treat this experience as a valuable lesson going forward in this season, throughout my college career, and beyond. Sincerely, First Name Last Name Somewhere in NJ High School ‘18

Had a similar situation some years ago (2005, 2006?), except pitcher was being over dramatic on calls not going his way. I called time, informed coach (his father) that he was either going to pitch, or umpire.......not both. He came up to me after the game, apologized, and asked for an indicator. This way he could keep it in his ball bag as a reminder. When our HS won the AAA State Championship in 2011, he handed it back to me and said, "I don't think I'll be needing this anymore".

I have MC, immediate dead ball, R3 is out #3 and EJ'd, OBS superseded, no run, we move into the bottom of the 5th inning, make some notes on the card, ask VHC for the sub's name, tell F1 and the ODB, "Two more." NFHS 2-21-1, 3-3-1m Penalty, 5-1-1e, 8-2-9, 8-4-2e, 9-5-2 Exception 5

Pardon the war story: I had a runner truck a catcher (rather more obviously with intent, lining him up, etc.). After I tossed him, his coach came out to see if the opposing player was OK. The runner had gone back to the dugout, and he said to me, "I wish he'd hit people that hard on the football field. He's our starting middle linebacker!"

Should've spent some of that road time teaching base runners not to be idiots/a-holes.

Could be both, but seeing that the PU seemed confident enough in his ruling to dare the coach to talk to the UIC, I'm guessing he wanted some help on the first touch. I suppose you cover off both points if you're gonna have the conversation anyway? Would you? btw - the "get the rule right" comment from 3bC was not necessary, at all. At that point you don't know if the umpire doesn't know the rule, or thought it hit the glove first. Give the umpire three seconds to process the information for crying out loud.