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the original is a feather!!!!!!!! first time I took it off, I threw it into the home teams dugout! LMAO!

And you have, in my opinion, the strongest high school association in the country.

You and Eric Gregg.

When they're complaining about a pulled foot ? Oh - that was rhetorical, wasn't it? (But reminiscent of my games on Monday). I had to hide a laugh when Coach Whiner decided to get strategic and ended up with zero runs after having the bases jammed with nobody out. The ball never left the infield.

On the other hand, I wouldn't want to be paying their property taxes.....

Outside of line when talking about the box itself (theoretically). The box ends/begins six inches from the plate, and anything on the chalk is "inside" that batter's box.

Outermost edge. Because the lines of the batters box are considered part of the box themselves, the entirety of the line is considered in the box, and the distance from home plate to the beginning of the batter's box is 6".

Some areas in CT get even more than that. Last I heard, a varsity game brought $92 +/- per umpire.

Rudimentary, not to scale diagram.

It puts you in the unenviable position of trying to answer why an ump you don't know, in a game you didn't see, didn't eject a player on a team you've never heard of, for doing "the exact same thing" two weeks ago. That conversation rarely ends well.

With a shortage of umpires, and yet your varsity pay scale is even lower than ours is. smh

Agree on the experienced guy running a test in the middle of the game... but it worked for those guys. And you are correct that the method is run, read, react... The point being that he did read the development of U1 going out and adjusted.

If the umpire believes that runner would have made it back to second safely if not for the obstruction, then award him second base. Otherwise, the runner is out.

Those are Honigs low cut with a swoosh put on them ......

See, though @beerguy55, this is where misapplied rulings (i.e. "Outs") come from. Game participants on the "losing" side want / press for / demand for justice and satisfaction – their pound of flesh. Not only did they lose, but they lost to a guy who embarrasses them (endangers is a viable interpretation, as per @Matt). In today's culture, to wound someone's feelings is more egregious than to wound them physically. Booboos and bruises heal, but YouTube videos are forever. So in their rationale – their pissed off, emotional rationale – an Out is warranted. It doesn't matter to them if the offending player is Ejected and suspended for one game or an entire season – they want there to be a penalty, something that neutralizes and erases the embarrassment that they feel now. And they will hammer on an umpire (official) until justice is dispensed!!! Not every game can have a @maven, a @noumpere, a @Matt, or a @BrianC14 on it, but surely it would take an umpire like @maven to successfully end it and mitigate the outcry from it. The HR stands (so, sorry offended team, but the run(s) score(s)), the game is now over, and that pompous a$$ player is Ejected. News at 10. Because game management is not the forté of many umpires, and they've rarely if ever been witness to a situation like this, they seek "balance" (immediate punishment – an Out – fits the crime) instead of Rules correctness. I'm not isolating @umpstu and his opinion in any way. In fact, I favor his inaction over the typical reaction made by other amateur umpires – calling an Out on the offending player and taking run(s) off the board that would otherwise, correctly, stand. Thing is, Stu, you're seeing it as an avoidance of a sh!tstorm; the hitch is, the sh!tstorm is going to hit you regardless... it was destined to as soon as the offending player let loose the bat.

An umpire I know related a story where he was U3 working with a senior College guy as U1 in a College game... I do not know the level. Ball hit with the center fielder moving back and slightly towards left field. U3 started to go out as this should be his area of responsibility when he noticed U1 going out... of course he reacted to U1 being the QB on the play and slid into the infield and reverted to 2-man. Moral of the story was U1 wanted to see if he would pause, read and react not only to the ball and the fielders but to the partners on the field as well. Earned him a lot of respect that day by adjusting to U1 doing something he should not really be doing. He passed the test. Bottom line as U3... read your partner and fill the gaps. Unless the ball is in your area of responsibility get to the inside. Finish the play regardless if it is an easy out at 1st... makes you look good and will help build muscle memory.

My favorite was on a throw to F3 that was in the dirt that F3 backhanded before BR reached the bag. Ump says "show me the ball", so F3 turns the glove over to show the ball and umpire says "SAFE!"

When Jones pinch runs in the offensive 5th, the DH position is 'killed'. (Smith retains re-entry right as he was a starter by definition). Smith reenters for Jones in the offensive 7th to hit. (Jones retains re-entry right as this is the first time he has left the ballgame and was a starter). Jones reenters in defensive 7th to play CF. (Smith is now done as he no longer has re-entry). If Smith plays in the game again, he is considered an illegal substitute. Any questions? Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

If F2 got up and threw to 2B that would be enough for PU to see the ball. I know it's a HTBT,but I'm finding it hard to picture an F2 laying flat on his stomach, arms outstretched having any shot at getting up and getting BR @2B anyway. But I regress...F2 getting up from his dive and firing the ball to 2B would be proof enough he had the ball. Personally, I would refrain from saying "show me the ball" while other runners are advancing, however, not saying anything and waiting to see if the ball is being controlled by F2 may delay him just as long if not longer.

Just don't do this.

Just ask Kerwin Danley

We have one HS league assignor who posted our games back in April for...wait for it...2019! He's taking a heck of a chance assigning games to me at my age.

So last evening was the welcome banquet for the PA Intermediate LL state tournament. A fine chicken and burger BBQ, dump the ump dunk tank (it was tagged as such just to scare the new guys), and a bounce house for siblings was enjoyed by all. On the drive home, SWMBO tells me of a parent that approached her in light conversation. (SWMBO is a nurse & was wearing "tournament 1st aid" credentials) We had a few minutes of rain near the end, and that topic came up in discussion. The parent asked how late they could play if there was a rain delay (Now I've stated previously, that SWMBO has gone through a local LL clinic), and having recently reviewed my copy of the "Tournament Rules Summary" (cheat sheet), she indicated that no new inning could start past 12:30am for this age group. Then she was asked how they would shift games and how early they would start (current weekday schedule has games at 4 & 7 pm). Now SWMBO replied, schedule changes would be at the determination of the tournaments director. Yet, this parent asks again, worded slightly differently. But you know the staff, How early do you think they would start? SWMBO said, I would assume that 10am would be the earliest, but that's only my personal opinion. HOWEVER, what I can tell you for fact, is that I know the umpires. Most are working 1/2 if not full days, and THEN coming to the tournament. So now matter what time they "want" to start the games, if you don't have umpires, there IS NO game. The parent politely agreed and said..........you're right, I guess it WOULD only be a scrimmage at that point.