charliej47

The last class I went to discussed the defense that does something to change interfer with a runner without having the ball would be construde as obstruction. Using this as a judgement call, I have obstruction on this play.

U12 top of 1st inning, using FED rules. I am U1. 1st batter comes to the plate and I get ready and as always, I look down both lines before I call "PLAY BALL!". I notice that there are 3 or 4 "coaches" outside of the dugout. I tell the VHC that there can only be one coach for each box and everyone else MUST stay in the dugout. He goes over and talks to the people standing outside and the extra people goes into the dugout. After about two innings, I notice that they have come back out of the dugout during a close call at 1st by my partner. I again tell the VHC to move his people. About that time one of his people make some loud comments about the level of umpiring by me and my partner. I tell the VHC to go calm them down and get them back into the dugout. We start the 4th inning and they start chirping about my strike zone. I call time and tell the VHC to calm his people down again. About that time I hear a loud "you suck as an umpire" come out of the dugout. I look at the VHC and I say "Choose one and tell him to go to the parking lot." The VHC looks at me and says "seriously?" I tell the VHC that the game is suspended until someone leaves. I call my partner to me and we move to the mound to await the removal. The VHC gets into an argument with his people. After about 3 minutes, I walk over and ask him to make his choice. He tells me that the person will not leave. I inform the VHC that if he is unable to control his people then the game must be forfeited. The VHC starts to argue about how I have to choose who to eject. I eject the VHC and walked over to the 1st adult standing outside of the dugout and inform him that he is now the VHC and he has 1 minute to choose who is going to the parking lot or the game is over. The new VHC turns and points to the next guy and said "leave or we all go home". The guy left and the games restarted. They ended up winning the game. As my partner and I were leaving, the ejected coach came up and started yelling at us. I got out my cell and called 911, he left.

In 50+ years, I have called BI maybe 6 or 7 times. The one that sticks out is: Runner on 1st and runner on 3rd, F2 starts to throw to F5 but B3 steps and blocks the throw. Runner on 1st is trying to steal and F2 throws him out. I kill the play on BI but no one heard me. After everything calmed down, I ruled BI, B3 is out and the runner goes back to 1st. The DC comes out and wanted three outs. I explained that once I have BI, the ball is dead. The coach had a really hard time accepting the fact that he could not have 3 outs. I explained again tht the attempt on the runner at 3rd base was unsuccessful therefore the ball became dead and the batter was out.

In 52 years of umpiring, I KNOW I have done ALL of these more than once! Some I have done so many times that now if I do it such as calling the batter out, I just laugh and correct myself.

I worked the league in Ohio for a few years until my job requirements took me away. I enjoyed it . I worked in Cincinnati, Dayton and the surrounding areas. I remember a pitcher who had made it to the Bigs and was playing to just stay in the game. For about 2 or 3 innings he was absolutely amazing then he would have to quit. From one pitch to the next, he would loose all control.

I did a HS game where there is a power line running across the cent field and they wanted it to be a home run if the ball hit it. The line was so high that if a ball did hit it, it would have traveled at least 400 feet if the line had not been there. The HTC said that it had been hit at least once that he could remember. This is Xenia, Ohio.

I was doing a HS varsity game about 15 yr ago and the PU was getting a lot of flack form a parent behind the backstop. PU called time, took off his mask, walked behind the backstop and sat down by the patent. Yell out "play ball". At this point when F1 threw a pitch, PU looked at the dad and asked was it a strike or a ball? Nobody said anything so he got back up and got back in position and the games resumed.

IF you look at the OBS rule where B1 who is leading off 1st and is obstructed on a pick-off is awarded 2nd base, then you would send the runner to 3rd base on this if you ruled OBS.

I don't talk to idiots that are screaming at me. IF it is during a game I stop the game and tell the HC that they have a problem and THEY MUST deal with it. The game will not continue until they do. If there is a time limit, then the clock is running. If it is after a game and I am being followed, I will call 911 as I ALWAYS carry a cell phone at tournament games. I have called 911 several times and I am emphatic on my call as to needing help. Once after a call, three cars rolled up with lights flashing and six cops popped out. the guy took off running and they all took off chasing him!

The way I look at it is they take themselves out of the game and I'm the gate. I was doing a varsity baseball game and had to toss F1 after giving him a warning about arguing balls and strikes. The HC decided that he had to go also.

IF you did not move, you have nothing. If you moved and caused the bad throw, then you have UI. You cannot make yourself disappear.

If you have him again, start fresh. Inform the HC that he needs to control his team when it gets annoying. Start tossing people until the game is over.

After doing HS SP for 30 years, last week I'm the PU and after the plate meeting, I told my partner that I forgot my brush. He kindly let me use his spare for the game so that I wouldn't have to go back and get mine.

If the coach brings it up again or brings up a prior incident, then he gets dumped!! I will not go out of my way to "miss him" just so he can't say anything. IF the coach intend to say something, then he'll say it and if warranted, he gets dumped!

We were taught that anything below 15yr to talk to the coach about it between innings if possible. This is for the "technical" balks and then to start to call them. So in most of my games if it is Freshman or JH, I will give a warning then call them. I don't talk to the coach or F1 on balks at the Varsity level and above, I just call them.

In the clinic I attended we discussed these types of calls. I was told that if the runer reacts to the loose ball ha has made the attempt. A couple of years later when I was umping a slow-pitch men's tourney, I used that rule interp and called the out when the batter leaned toward 2nd on the over-run. Both F3 and I thought the same thing and F3 tagged him and I called him out. The 1st base coach went ballistic and argued that the runner had to take a step and I stood by my call. I ended up tossing the coach because he would not stop arguing the judgement call.

"Broke his shoulders"

I had this happen in a 14U team in the 1st inning. I went to the dugout and talked to the HC informing him that the AC was restricted to the dugout and not to com on the field again or the HC could take him to the parking lot and they could watch the game from there. The HC got upset over it and I told him that was the was it was going to be that day.

Eight years ago I did a u12 competitive (traveling team) in West Chester, Ohio. The VHC started complaining about my strike zone in the 2nd inning and I told him to stop. In the 3rd inning he started up again and I called "Time!". I asked the coach how he got to the game, he said "I drove.". I asked him if he had his keys and he said yes. I said "go find your car". This was the 1st game of a double. After the game, I sent the AC to find him and tell him he could come back for the 2nd game if he could behave. He came back and apologized. The funny thing was some of the fans heard me tell him to go find his car. I ran into one of the parents a couple of weeks ago and he said that they still laugh about the time the coach got tossed.

I was doing a HS softball game, runner on 3rd and batter has a 2-2 count. The next pitch I called a ball. The batter takes off for 1st base and the runner from 3rd comes sliding in as everyone watched the batter. I look at the batter standing on 1st and say "batter, 3 balls, 2 strikes". She get a really surprised look on her face and comes trotting back and picks up her bat. The DC wants me to put the runner back on 3rd and I just look at him and say "PLAY BALL".

When I was in my 30's, I remember doing a 14U softball touney FRI - 5PM to midnight SAT - 8AM to midnight Sun - 8AM to 6PM Do not remember how many games as each game time limit was 75 minutes and new game started every 90 minutes. four diamonds. Two-man and I had diamond #1 the whole tourney. In my 40's I remember doing the Men's Firecracker in Middletown, Ohio where I worked 12 games over the weekend.

"Time! That's a Balk!" We were taught to use the PRO calls as it is a delayed call in summer games. When you do a lot of summer ball, you don't want to make the wrong call.

I always put the ball back in play with or without runners on. I try very hard to ensure the EVERYONE knows that it is "now" back in play. I still get this at least once a year. Even at the varsity level.

Since F1 had started to play on a runner, I would call Interference, eject the coach and call the closest runner to home out. I would also be prepared to explain the call to the HC and then dump him if necessary!

In my game; top of the 1st, B2 bats and gets on 1st, B1 bats and gets a double and B2 comes home. The DHC comes out and appeals B1's at-bat. I pull out my handy-dandy linup sheet and sure enough, the DHC is correct. I put B2 back on first, declare B3 out for BOO and take B1 off the base and tell B4 to come to bat. The OHC comes out to argue. I tell him that B2 originally BOO but that as B1 batted that made B2 legal. As the DHC was appealing that B3 should have batted but didn't, that made B3 out for BOO, so I had to put everyone back to the completion of B2's bat and call B3 out for not batting. I ended up restricting the OHC to the dugout as this was a FED game.