stl_ump

Either that or I just have poor judgement or can't think fast enough.

Ken, I think that's a very good point you made in making sure I do the proper mechanics on a routine, easy play so when the wacker comes it will be easier. I think if I work on doing the "easy" ones correctly ( focus on F1's foot on the bag and just listen) then maybe I'll have a better chance at doing the hard ones better. Thanks

Thanks everyone for the advice. I feel good about tag play calls, my positioning any where I need to be on the field to make calls but man, it's those bangers where you have to decide was the ball there first or the foot there first that I have the hardest time with. I know I need to heed the advice of Richvee but for me that's easier said than done. I need to practice doing that and that practice, unfortunately, comes in games which thus leads to the second guessing. But I'll definitely work on the above suggestions. Thanks again for the help and encouragement.

1st game of the season and wouldn't you know it, I get 5 bangers in a 6 inning game. 1 for the home team and 4 for the visitors who ended up losing. I second guessed myself on every single one of them. As soon as I start getting complaints, especially the really "strong" ones I start to wonder maybe I didn't get it right. I do this a lot and tonight it was particularity bad as I had so many of them. I'm not sure there is really anything i can do about it because maybe that's just the way I'm wired. But man, I'd really like to make my calls and just KNOW that I got it right no matter what any one says. Either that or just do the plate all the time. Any of you guys ever find yourself doing that? Suggestions? Thanks

I'll let the video tell the story... https://youtu.be/I6rhb0Ua46E

Two. I tried one but kept falling over.

Thanks for the info!

And easy one but I can never remember... Routine fly ball on the infield. Who signals out? Thanks.

That will work. Thanks

Rule book says " An appeal should be clearly intended as an appeal, either by a verbal request by the player or an act that unmistakably indicates an appeal to the umpire. A player, inadvertently stepping on the base with a ball in his hand, would not constitute an appeal." I'm not sure a DC saying he missed the bag is an "unmistakable appeal."

BR beats the throw by half a step or so but REALLY misses the bag by a lot. I call safe. DC coach asks "How can he be safe when he missed the bag?" I just say he beat the throw. "But he missed the bag." Not wanting to tell him to appeal, what would you suggest as a way to end this conversation? Thanks

And that's what I have always gone by but it seems to contradict (b) (7.11) Fielder Right of Way.

So if a base coach or whoever is attempting to clear the area and they still get in the way is it INT? I see this happen occasionally in youth ball where it's a pop up by either the 1st or 3rd base coach and they are trying to get out of the way but don't do a very good job of it. Still INT?

Very interesting... So I guess it comes down to who's defining "hesitates, interrupts, suspends or unmoving" Thanks.

Excellent!

Calm down now... If you don't want to continue this discussion that's fine. No worries. I'm just trying understand this. He comes set. He starts his delivery, he pauses at the top of his leg lift, but he hasn't really stopped (or interrupted anything) since some part of his body is still slightly moving, and then he continues on with his pitch. No balk. Good thing I'm not out there. Thanks for tolerating my questions. ;-)

So... getting back to the video. When he lifts that leg and "pauses / hesitates / whatever it's called", why wouldn't this constitute and "interruption"? To my obviously untrained eye, it just looks like he starts, then "pauses", then continues. Thanks

OK... let's just say for arguments sake that a pitcher actually came to a complete stop while lifting his leg with a runner on. That would be a balk right? If so, what rule are we using to call the balk? The only thing that I can find that might apply would be this" 6.02 (5.07)(f ), (g), (i), ( j) Pitcher Illegal Action (a) (8.05) Balks If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when: (1) The pitcher, while touching his plate, makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such delivery; I can't find anything about not stopping once you have started. Thanks

So as long as he is "wiggling" something, no matter how small of a movement or how long he does it, it's not a balk? If that's the case than I could see how this could get really subjective, especially at the lower levels where a kid is coming set but he's still got something going on somewhere. Thanks

I found some video. There are 3 videos here. The first one is his normal delivery. The second one was about the amount of "stop" time I saw with the R3. The 3rd one was much longer than what I saw. Tell me what you guys think. http://bluejayhunter.com/2016/09/roberto-osuna-messing-up-hitters-timing-in-various-ways.html

This was in the game between the Jays and the Indians on Tuesday. R3 Roberto Osuna was pitching (RHP) and he was in the stretch. He was pitching "normally" with the leg lift and then going home. All of a sudden I see him lift the leg and come to a complete stop for a second or two and then continue to home. I thought maybe my DVR had hiccuped or something it was so noticeable. But I backed it up and looked at it again and sure enough he had come to a complete stop. Even the announcers mentioned that he "hesitated" in order to throw off the timing of the batter. I was under the assumption that once a pitcher started his delivery to home that he couldn't stop... that it had to be one continuous motion. If a pitcher CAN pause, then a LHP with an R1 could just lift his leg and pause / hold it there to make sure the runner wasn't stealing. Thanks (looked for video but couldn't find any)

So then where does this leave the discussion? Does the limit on the batter switching boxes apply to only ambidextrous pitchers or in all situations?

And if the coach protests because of a wrong rule interp? Then what?

Thanks for that info. I did some more research last night and I believe this (switching sides) is discussed in the PBUC. I don't have a copy so I can't verify that or not. That being said, if it's not in the MLB rule book, how do we cite it as a rule if it's not in there.