yawetag

> Two fielders must position themselves on either side of second base at time-of-pitch (penalty: ball); Is this similar to a balk in OBR? This is something that can't be called until TOP, so would essentially be a delayed-ball situation. Does this then give the batter a chance to hit the ball?

Case Play 6.2.4J: With R1 on first base and two outs, F1 attempts to pick off R1. As F1 pivots to throw, he realizes that F3 is not on the base, but is in his normal defensive position. F1 completes the throw without interruption. The coach of the offensive team wants a balk called on F1. RULING: As long as F3 is in the proximity of the base, F1 would not be guilty of a balk. Proximity is umpire judgment and is based on whether the fielder is close enough to the base to legitimately make a play on the runner. In OP's situation, I have a balk. Also in Fed, a balk is an immediate dead ball (5-1-1k, but you knew that). Edit later: NCAA and OBR go on to say you'd essentially ignore the balk if all runners advance one base and all others are at their risk.

Keep in mind they were down an umpire, too. As @Jimurray said, it was a brain fart on Cuzzi. He forgot he didn't have a U2.

"deuce inside"?

As @noumpere said, Fed requires it to be dead immediately. OBR (and probably NCAA - not sure) says to leave the ball alive on a balk pick-off that goes wild. Runners are protected to their next base, but any advance past that leaves them liable to be put out.

On top of that, nothing beats having trained individuals. Talk to your local Red Cross and see what it would take to get your umpires trained in CPR and AED use. If all your umpires are trained, then you'll always have at least one trained person on each field.

I barely remember the outs of the current half-inning. No way I'm remembering what happened a full inning before.

I do fail to see how you and your partner hearing each other matters in whether or not the coaches hear you. I'd assume you would have the exact same issue with the OP no matter the number of umpires (well, I guess at some point you'd outnumber the snot-filled flower-pickers, but that's beside the point). We have this same issue on big-boy diamonds, too. You try your hardest to make yourself heard, but the only thing you can do call it loud and obviously when it happens, then wait for the game to relax and make it obvious you had something and complete the appropriate actions for what you have. If this is truly an issue on multiple occasions, you should speak to the league about giving you a flag or something that you can use.

Some do, but not to the level you'll find at Mid-America. You'll probably get a night or two for a few hours and get a very basic overview of 2-man mechanics.

Was the throw at the base or F3? If to the base and there's no F3 there, no balk - his pick-off throw was toward the base. If to F3, then a balk.

Since @Biscuit and @Mister B gave you excellent answers to the real problem of the incident, I'd like to take a moment and talk about the batting out of order. What exactly did the umpire do when the opposing coach brought up the batting out of order?

It's possible the local organizations will let you come for free - no registration to the state or the org itself. If you're wanting extended training, you aren't too far from Springfield. Check out the Mid-American Umpire Clinic, who does a 2-man training in September. They're a sponsor here, too, but I attended in 2010 and got a lot out of it, and I can only imagine it's gotten better.

Got a rule cite or case play for that?

Isn't this true all the time, though?

Depends on what the manager wants to happen. If he notifies before the batter enters the box or before the batter puts the ball in play, then you're switching out the batter for the correct one and assuming the current count. If it's after the ball is in play, then the manager has until the next pitch to notify the umpire.

Just claim the coach's clock was wrong and you had the time past the limit. Of course, if a clock is visible to everyone, then that won't work. Why were you "livid"? Because a coach forced you to stay out there an extra inning longer than you thought? Sorry.

I was taught very early on to not tell someone you were new.

If it's hitting the screen, then it's still on the field. I'd be hard-pressed to advance anyone on that, as everyone probably thought the ball was dead. If they stop it from rolling into the dugout, give the two bases.

I don't disagree with @blue32, but I will say that I don't remove my mask around the catcher until his mask is removed and on the ground. I also tend to drop my head on a ball obviously in the dirt to lessen that gap between CP and mask. I can do that and still keep my eyes focused on the batter to see if he swings.

I agree with @JSam21. As the more-experienced umpire and knowing you have a newer umpire, your pre-games should be a lot more than "So we're going with typical 2-man mechanics today?" As the plate man, it's a lot easier to go through the mechanics, as you can make broad statements with small exceptions ("With no one on, I've got all fly balls unless I see your back; then I've got the runner wherever he goes... etc."). After that (which takes five minutes max), you can go into some situational mechanics; what to do when there's an ejection, how to handle a situation that he's unsure how to handle. He may not process it all at the time, and it may not have put him where you need him in this situation, but maybe he'll think about the situation while he's out there between innings and say to himself "oh, shoot, I should have been there to wrangle the coach after he was ejected."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Sorry. That's what I'd have been thinking while umpiring.

I'm glad you're making this a learning experience and are open to thoughts from others. I'll italicize your comments and give my thoughts below. Take it for what it's worth. 3. learn to use predetermined verbiage for warnings (i.e. "This is your verbal/written warning for ______. If you continue ______, then you will be restricted to bench/removed from this contest." I think this is far too long. A simple "This is your warning!" will suffice. If the coach is dense enough to not know why, then give a quick explanation ("arguing balls and strikes", "leaving the dugout"). I told both coaches up front I was going to call a bigger zone Nope. Never tell them what zone you're calling. If you're asked, you simply say "I call the zone by the book." If you want to call a bigger zone, call it - but be consistent. Once you tell someone you're expanding the zone, it's opening the door for snipes from the dugout. A couple batters hit and then another gets nailed, and I hear HC say "My Grandma could have got out of the way of that." I probably shouldn't have, but I quickly responded that "Well, your Grandma wasn't batting. Let's play ball." You know that's a bad comment, and you're not wrong. With a comment like that, I'd remove the mask, look at the coach, and say "That's enough!" This is especially true when he's in earshot of other participants in the game - and more when near the other team. You have to show that comments like this won't be accepted. The next comment about the box gets the "That's your warning!" and writing it down on your scorecard. I don't think it would have stopped everything else from happening, but it makes your ejection faster when it does happen. he wants to start pointing up where runners have crossed the plate in front of the box and try to say they were up there Boom. Gone. No more warnings. No more listening. I start to tell them that they can go too, when the scorekeeper reminds me to manage inside the fence. Go to the new HC and tell him to deal with them. Just like you manage inside the fence, he manages outside the fence. There's no reason for you to listen to them at all. I'm not 50 feet off the field when the HT HC comes walking back up There's one thing I say to an ejected coach that wants to talk after the game: "I'm not going to talk to you." Remember and write down everything he says and report it to the appropriate people in the league (JV game would be the state association/organization). Coaches know they aren't to approach you off the field, and this is definitely something you don't have to deal with, nevermind any explanations to him. One last comment: where's your partner in all of this? Once you eject the head coach, you shouldn't have to deal with him. Your partner should get him back to the dugout and make sure he's leaving the field. You should never have to approach him and tell him to leave.

This doesn't take into consideration all the other "perks" though. meals, league provided vehicle and lodging, and uniforms alone save thousands to each umpire over the year. Certainly not saying it's a well-paid gig, but it's not dregs either.

Did they have to put all the Ms together?