cbiesecker

UIC, excellent video. If the count had been say 3-0 on this play, then it would have just been a strike, correct? Ball remains alive, runners can advance at their own risk, and the count is now 3-1.

Thanks for the feedback. I need to work on my mechanic, but its good to know that I at least got the call correct.

Made an obstruction call last night in a 12U game that my UIC says I should have let go. OBR, 2 outs, R3, 12U game. BR hits a towering pop-up towards the front of the mound. F2 moves out to field the ball, F1 calls him off. As F2 is backing up towards the first base line he collides with the BR who has started running towards 1B. The collision occurred about 10' up the line. R3 is heading home and scores just as F1 drops the pop-up. F1 collects the ball and fires to F3 who gets the BR by about 2 steps. I judge that the BR would have been safe if he hadn't collided with F2. So I call time, award BR 1B, and count the run. I screwed up my mechanics as I should have called OBS when I saw it, but at least I got the call right in the end, or so I think. After talking the call over with my UIC he asked me if the BR could have gotten around F2 when running up the line. From what I could tell (I was mostly looking at F1 as he prepared to catch the ball), both the BR and F2 had their heads up looking at the pop-up and never saw each other. F2 was not making a play on the ball, so I had judged that he shouldn't have been in the base path. Did I kick this one?

F2 reached out over the plate as the batter was beginning his swing. Catchers Interference and a balk. R3 to home, R2 to 3B, R1 to 2B, BR to 1B.

Put the Team Wendy pads in my mask on Friday. Took my first mask shot on Sat morning. Sounded worse than it felt. Now I'm curious as to how it would have felt if I had left the Diamond 50/50 pads in the mask. I'm not planning to switch them back to find out.

Welcome. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

I agree about the rule. I'm not thrilled about it either. I handle it by saying something simple like "He can't do that. He has to bring his hands together before pitching." In most case I talk to the coach between innings. In this case, I told the coach after the batter had gotten a base hit. There is an instructional additude at these 40/60 games. Since my kid came up through these games and benefitted from them, I don't mind helping out. But back to my original OP. Is this move a balk if it can be argued that F1 is pitching from the wind-up. When pitching from the set, yes, its a balk.

I never saw this before. Wasn't sure how to handle it. 12U 46/60 (no leads and local rules are to inform coach of balks, but no penalties) OBR. F1 has been a bit wild, runner is now on base, coach tells F1 to slow down. F1 is off the rubber, takes throw back from the catcher and puts the ball in his throwing hand. While engaging the rubber he puts his throwing hand out behind him as if in mid-throw. He stands still like this for a second, then lifts his free foot, and pitches. I tell the coach that F1 can't do that and he needs to bring his hands together before starting his pitching motion. After the game I check 8.01. When pitching from the set position F1 is required to bring his hands together. When pitching from the wind-up there doesn't appear to be that same requirement. Now I'm not so sure about what I told the coach.

I just not temperature that makes me want to wear a jacket, its rainy days too. On days where there is a light intermittent rain, I prefer a jacket that sheds some of the water instead of a wet long sleeve shirt. Since I work mostly 1-man, I tuck too. Otherwise the jacket gets in the way of the ball bags.

Thanks for the feedback. You read about these situations and then when the occur, they happen so fast. Trying to sort out all the information without giving the impression that you don't know what you're doing is nerve racking. So its good to know that I got my first OBS call correct. Thanks.

12U game, playing OBR. No runners, 0 outs. BR hits up the left field line for what looks like an easy double. On his way into 2nd, the BR and F4 bump into each other. It wasn't really much of a collision as the BR was already pulling up for the stand up double. The throw from F6 on the relay was off target and caused F4 to move a few steps off 2nd base towards 1st base. The ball was only halfway to F4 when the bump occurred. BR easily steps onto 2nd, and F4 knocks down the throw. At the bump I pointed towards F4 and called OBS. I left the BR on 2nd as I didn't judge that he would have been able to obtain 3rd and his last legal base was first. Did I get this right, or should I have awarded the BR third?

Congrats. Its always rewarding to learn that your hard work is paying off.

I agree with boyinr. Take the time to heal. Instead of working games this weekend, maybe just go and watch a few. Hope you feel better soon.

I too decided to purchase a set of Team Wendy pads. Semper's post convinced me to replace the 50/50 pads on my Diamond mask. I ordered them this afternoon. Hopefully they'll be here in time for Saturday's games.

+1 Like Thunder saw, I thought the hitch was F1 moving towards home and then changing it to a move towards first.

Welcome to U-E. Don't be afraid to ask questions. That's what I did and I haven't been beaten up too badly. Though before asking a very general question, be sure to search through past topics first.

I know. Stealing third on a passed ball is a very easy thing to do. Most of the time the catcher can't even get his throw off due to backstop interference. :smachhead:

This should always read: ... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves." Should read... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the on-deck hitter hand you the ball he retrieves." Yup. Unless it is LL where there is no on-deck batter then. I understand what you're saying, but the fields where I work have enclosed backstops that are tight to the plate. I'm guessing there is less than 20' from the plate to the back of backstop. The tight quarters make it very difficult to get out of the way of the catcher on passed balls. Every so often the ball will bounce around and still end up under my feet. I've learned to always go to my left on a passed ball. Even if the catcher gets the ball quickly, he won't be able to make a throw to third as the backstop is blocking his throwing lane.

Was it a balk because F5 wasn't near the base to take the throw, or was it because F1's step was more towards home than third base? I thought with the exception of first, F1 could throw to F4, F5, or F6 from the rubber, even if the fielder isn't near the bag to make a play. BTW, I'm assuming that there is runner at the base towards which F1 is throwing. The announcer said it was because F5 wasn't at the bag to take the throw, but I don't trust them to know the rules.

I thought first base and third base were the back corners of the bags along the foul line. At least that's how I interpret Rule 1.04. Rule 1.06 then defines the location of the bags, not the bases. So when the rules for fair or foul reference the base, I was assuming the point on the ground (back corner of the bag on the foul line), and not the bag itself. Granted the term bag and base are used as synonyms in the rest of the rules, but when identifying points and lines on the field, I look to Rule 1. 1.04 THE PLAYING FIELD. ... When location of home base is determined, with a steel tape measure 127 feet, 3⅜ inches in desired direction to establish second base. From home base, measure 90 feet toward first base; from second base, measure 90 feet toward first base; the intersection of these lines establishes first base. From home base, measure 90 feet toward third base; from second base, measure 90 feet toward third base; the intersection of these lines establishes third base. The distance between first base and third base is 127 feet, 3⅜ inches. All measurements from home base shall be taken from the point where the first and third base lines intersect. ... 1.06 First, second and third bases shall be marked by white canvas or rubber-covered bags, securely attached to the ground as indicated in Diagram 2. The first and third base bags shall be entirely within the infield. The second base bag shall be centered on second base. The bags shall be 15 inches square, not less than three nor more than five inches thick, and filled with soft material. I agree with the pane of glass theory for determining a foul ball. I just think it should be along the back of the bag, not the front.

You hit the nail on the head. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one dealing with this challenge. And thanks for the advice on how to try and make it better.

One thing I read about and experienced first hand last night is how far the young catchers setup behind the plate. If I asked the catcher to move up once, I asked a dozen times. I understand what you're saying and will work on that. Fortunately, with a game tonight, I'll get to practice it right away.

I tried. I walked back to my truck with the BU and UIC, and I said "That was fun, what do I need to work on?" They both just said that I did well, and then the UIC asked if I was available to work the game tonight. That was about it. I wanted more, so I brought up a couple situations that I thought I could have done better, and I asked them for input, but again all I got was that I did fine. Based on what I've been reading on U-E, I don't think I got much of a post game. I didn't get much of a pregame either. The BU didn't show up until 5 minutes before game time. I tried to do a pregame with him, but he didn't seem too interested. Since it doesn't appear that I'm going to get much feedback from the local group, I'm going to bring my questions here instead.

Had my first game last night, and I learned a lot. It was a 12u Cal Ripken game. I worked the plate with a BU, and the UIC was there to watch. After the game, both said that I did an excellent job and in fact I'm working my first solo game tonight. There were a couple things that I focused on and I think I did pretty well at them. There were also many things that I need to work on. Things to work on - My zone was a little low, I need to bring it up. - Forgot to take my mask off for about a quarter of the plays, though after a few steps I did remember to remove it. - While I did move out into the grass after a hit ball, I'm going to need to hustle a bit more when working solo. - Pregame meeting, I had the whole thing worked out in my head before the game, but when the time came I couldn't remember any of it, though somehow I managed to stumble my way through it. Things I did well - Never lost the count - Heard a parent say "he's been calling that (low pitch) a strike, but at least he's been consistent". That made me smile. - A parent mentioned that it was the first time she could hear the count from the bleachers. - A few people remarked that I looked the part. - My timing was good. - I didn't make any glaring mistakes or booted calls. I do have one question about passed balls, and there were a lot of them being that it was 12u ball. I would wait until the ball was in the mitt before making my call, but on a passed ball the catcher was usually moving before I could verbalize or signal the call. How do you handle that? Do you make your call and then move and risk being in the way, or do you move and then verbalize the call once you're out of the way? Oh, one last thing, I did take a foul ball straight back to my mask. I never moved and no one said a thing. The catcher just picked up the ball and threw it back to the pitcher. I was proud of that.

My first game (ever) is tonight. I know I'll be fine once I get to the fields, but the ride home from work should be fun. I just keep reviewing rules, rotations, and responses in my head. It helps me to stay focused and not think too much about the upcoming game.