MCump

http://m.mlb.com/video/v33628841 After the 2-1 pitch to Ethier, you can clearly hear Kemp in the on-field audio. Kemp: "That's f***ing down man, that s*** was not a strike!" (Buckminster looks over) "F***" (pause while Either steps in - where the video cuts in) "Stop f***ing us" Buckminster: "Time! Get out of here!" Kemp then continues on a very profane rant. My question for everyone is at what point do you toss a player in your main level of play. Youth, Sub-Varsity, Varsity, College, or Men's Leagues. I have done mostly Sub-Varsity this season and would say as long as what he said wasn't profane when he turned around after striking out, the first comment from the dugout would have warranted an ejection.

I had a solo Sophomore game this afternoon with an interesting situation in the Top of the 7th. The ground rules were explained by the head coach and there was an interesting area beyond the 1st base dugout (VT.) The fence behind the dugout continued to the outfield fence, but the fence in front of the dugout ended just before first base, and picked up about 90 feet later, beyond first base. The home coach explained that they played that area green post to green post, which I took to mean play the front fence extended. He even clarified by saying this was because it was just some gravel over concrete in this area. The visiting coach had the same understanding as I did. Good defense all around going into the top of the 7th, HT up 2-0. B1 hits a grounder to short, he bobbles and throws it away, going all the way to the back fence. I immediately called time and awarded B1 second base. The visiting coach was echoing my call right away, but the home coach said No! That's in play! I said my understanding was it was the front fence line extended. There was no more argument from him. They got the next 3 outs quickly and the game ended without it impacting the outcome. What would you do in this situation? I think I handled it as best I could, obviously asking for a clarification at the plate meeting would have been helpful. If this happens earlier in the game, would you continue to enforce the ground rule at your understanding or would you change it to match the Home Coach's?

Being a skeptic I crunched some numbers for the "smallest" and "largest" zone numbers. My critical assumption being that the zone is perfectly square which it of course isn't. Smallest: 2.85 sq ft = 410.4 sq inches 410.4 sq inches if perfectly square would have 4 sides 20.2 inches long Largest: 3.65 sq ft = 525.6 sq inches 525.6 sq inches if perfectly square would have 4 sides 22.9 inches long Diameter of a baseball: ~ 2.87 inches Edge of largest zone - edge of smallest zone : 22.9-20.2 = 2.7 inches What the data is really saying is that the largest average difference in strike zones is approximately the width of a baseball.

On the isolated park audio from MLB.TV Joyce verbalizes "Foul Tip" and you can hear the dugout yelling at him about that after the play. Not that it should have affected Cabrera who would have been out by a mile no matter what.

3-man crew, R1R3. 18-25 league championship, mostly old high school players who wanted something to do during the summer, not the highest quality baseball. I'm U3 in standard C, R1 stealing on the pitch throw comes all the way through to SS but well to the first base side of the bag. R1 didn't slide and SS gave a half hearted swipe tag and R1's reaction when he got to the base made it look like he thought he hadn't been tagged. I called him safe but didn't sell it well enough. I was completely straightlined on the tag attempt, stuck trying to look through the SS's right shoulder. I haven't done much 3 man so I rarely take a steal from C, but I was wondering what I can do/ where I can go to get a better look at that. I rotated with the ball and took a step or 2 closer to the line to get a good angle on the slide which never happened. P.S. thanks to everyone for all the 3 man advice over the years, being able to go through some of the detailed posts before the game as a crew really helped us with our rotations and we all ended up where we were supposed to even if it didn't look as crisp as the pros.

Old on the left, new on the right. I noticed last night in my first game with the Diamond/TW that I could not hear myself. I felt like I was in a sound proof room. Has anyone else had that? I also saw the ball hit my mask off the dirt and had to consciously think if I felt it or not. Thanks to everyone here for pushing the TW pads!

http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=28601071 http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=28601135 Welke with great positioning and his head on a swivel on a couple of great calls back to back. Not getting that insurance run proved very costly in the bottom of 13.

How often would they be in the windup with runners on? I had this in my colt game on Sunday and called a balk. R1 outs don't matter. Pitcher is on rubber in wind up position, takes sign and legally steps off with the correct foot. He then lifts his hands together above his head as if beginning to pitch. It looked like he was starting his wind up with the wrong foot basically. He said he has gotten away with it in Varsity ball games and it was the first time anyone ever called a balk on him for that move.

http://wapc.mlb.com/play?content_id=27999539 I love Bucknor's timing and positioning on this play. As he sees the collision coming he takes a few steps right and ends up 1BLX.

Life magazine has a nice photo gallery up from the 2011 class of JEA. http://www.life.com/gallery/58331/inside-an-umpire-school#index/0

Maybe 8.05 (g)? "The pitcher makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch while he is not touching the pitcher’s plate" That could have been used in calling a balk in this situation. I didn't see any comments from him after the game but it could have been a 9.01 © situation where the ball was declared dead early and because of the wild throw they assumed the runner would have easily reached second. Either way I think the end result of the play is correct.

Agreed on 7.09(e) for OBR, can anyone help me out on the FED rule citation?

You made a correct call. I don't have the LL Rules book, but I know for sure in FED and I think in OBR, you also have the option to call a double play on this if in your opinion R1 would have clearly been out at 2B without the interference. Sorry for not showing my work. OBR 6.06(c ) is the rule, but I think the 2 outs situation is in a case play somewhere

HS Level and above means this is a competitive game and the results matter. I have to go with C. A is giving him a distinct advantage, B is a lie, and D going to happen no matter what. Great post.

One thing that I don't take from players is talking back to me. Once I tell you to stop talking you should stop talking. When in a conversation I tell someone to stop talking varies greatly depending on tone and content obviously. Great thread so far lets keep it going.

U14 baseball, slightly modified Fed Rules, just about continuous batting order really. Quarterfinal of the tournament, one coach makes his third visit to the mound without removing a pitcher and I make sure to tell him coach thats your third and last visit, and he tries to tell me its his first with that pitcher. I said that didn't matter at all. Next half inning other coach comes out, I inform him that was his second visit and he says the same thing, but it was my first with this pitcher. I re-read the rulebook to make sure I was right, and I was, any visit after the third in the first seven innings requires the pitcher to be removed. Where is this idea that a new pitcher starts the count over coming from? I'm not all that familiar with OBR, but I didn't think there was anything like that in there either. I thought that was just one per inning instead? Any help?

I'm in Southeastern Wisconsin. As a follow-up the commish of the league contacted me today and asked me to clarify a few things about after he had been ejected, trying to stay and watch and afterwards, what he had yelled after he got tossed, and told me he was recommending to the board a 2 game suspension for this coach instead of the normal one game. Thanks for the comments everyone, I've really enjoyed reading much of this forum and I'm glad I finally got to post something.

Now I will admit, I tend to have a short leash and that leash gets shorter when it is an assistant coach. U13 select ball tonight, bottom of the second inning HT down 4-1. Catcher sets up inside pitch is on the outside corner but he is reaching, I hear the 3rd base Asst Coach yell, "Blue the plate is only 17" wide he reached 2 feet" I immediately throw up the stop sign. Next pitch, batter dives out of the way as a curveball catches the inside corner. Again I hear griping but he doesn't address me so I leave it alone. After the inning (only the second of course) as he is walking back to his dugout he says to me "you have to stay consistent with your strike zone" (I'm still thinking to myself I haven't seen two pitches in the same location all night) and so I tell him I don't talk about balls and strikes with assistant coaches. He takes a few more steps then turns and says something more about how he just wants the calls to be the same and I give him the heave ho. He then of course goes on a tirade of how hes been playing baseball longer than I've been alive and tells his head coach that he has already been tossed so he is going to get his two cents in. When I ejected him I held my ground and then just started walking toward center field when he started yelling. My partner and the HC walked him off finally, but turns out he tried to sit right behind me in the bleachers, and then when I tell him to leave the premises he thought I meant go to the concessions stand. My partner and the HC finally got him to the parking lot and out of sight. This is my first time posting on here so go easy on me. Just wanted to pass this one along