etignor11

I agree with MrBlue2U. If the runner is gullible enough to fall for it, then he should be out. I'm 38 and still play in 2 wooden bat leagues and I would never jump off the base without knowing where the freaking ball is. I don't give a crap what everyone else is yelling, ultimately it's my ass that is gonna look silly out there so I pay attention. Plus when you dive back into 2nd, you should be looking away from the incoming throw and you would see if it gets away or not (and keeps you from getting hit in the face).

Wow, I thought this kind of ignorance was only at my Little League. I had runners on 1st and 2nd stealing on the pitch. The batter foul tipped it into the catcher's mitt and I gave the correct foul tip signal. As I look up the runners are going back to 1st and 2nd. The head coach in the 3rd base box told them that since it was a foul they had to go back........ and the defense let them! Didn't even make an attempt to tag them?!?!? Larry will like this one!

This just drives me nuts because I'm with you guys in the fact that I do think he intends to come set at the chest and he does it every time so there's no deception meant on the runner but dog gone it if he doesn't pause slightly at the waist from time to time. Enough that I know some high school coach would be yelling his lungs out for a balk.

Here's the link to the video on my Youtube page. It's about 5 min long and gives several examples (when the camera angle is right).

I watched the first outing for M. Tanaka of the Yankees on Saturday. I'm a big Yankees fan so I was very excited to see what he's got against MLB hitters. BUT my initial take away was that it looks like he comes close to balking when he's in the stretch. He appears to come set twice. Once at his belt and then again at his chest. If I was doing a high school game and had a kid do this, I would probably be inclined to want to call it. You guys think he gets away with it because his name is Tanaka? I've got it on video and will try to post Ina few minutes. I was surprised no one else has caught this yet.

I'm sure a lot of you watched this game. 1st inning Dempster throws one behind the back of ARod, then throws 2 more inside and with the count 3-0 goes ahead and puts one off of his elbow. Home plate ump immediately warns both benches and then tossed Girardi for probably saying some magic words. So now the Yanks can't retaliate, lost their manager, and Dempster is still in the game. Fast forward to about the 7th or 8th inning. Yanks C Stewart totally whiffs on an inside pitch to the batter and it nails home plate ump right in the throat guard. No runners on so no harm done to the Yanks. Retaliation on the ump??

I found one! Today only 20% off! ADWPROD10

I'm about to order but no codes?? Any help?

Besides what was already posted, I would only add the following in reference to your labeling runners. They are labeled by the base they are on. R1 is always on 1st Base R2 is always on 2nd Base R3 is always on 3rd Base This is regardless of any runner not being on any of the bases. I believe the way you are labeling them is a old Fed way and always caused confusion. So in your sit; Scored R3 and advanced R1 to 2nd Base. He now becomes R2. Yes, I was using the old way. Thanks for the update because I didn't realize it had changed.

Thanks MW94. It would be helpful if the league would have supplied me with the 2013 edition. I still have the 2011....... I know, I know, I'm a big boy and should have already ordered it myself....... I just got on LL.org and bought one.

Thanks for all of the replies. Remember I'm just looking for the LL answer. If this wasn't my home league I would leave the coaching to the coaches, however none of the coaches know the rules very well as about 4/6 didn't even start learning the game until their kid started playing. I had one coach make his 2 base runners go back after executing a double steal just because I signaled tip (catcher caught ball) on strike 2....... And the other team just let let them! Another coach didn't know that you can't run on dropped 3rd strike with 1st occupied and less than 2 outs. Anyway, so if I'm understanding the consensus correctly: I don't say anything until after the pitch is thrown and then I go correct the player? Pitch counts and no runners advance due to penalty? No penalty for multiple occurrences? Just seems odd at this age level?

So I'm in the field umpiring a 13-15 (Jr league) year old All-Star game. We are sanctioned under LL rules. First baseman decides he wants to be lazy and stands behind first toward the coaches box with both feet in foul territory at time of the pitch. I call illegal pitch and advance R1 from 3rd and R2 from 1st. After double checking the rule book this morning, I'm wondering whether I'm right or not. It says "at start of game and when ball is put into play" 4:03. I would normally have missed this but I was already upset at the lack of effort shown by the team in the field so I was also trying to get their attention. Never mind that my partner never properly puts the ball in play after stoppages, was I right to call this? I always thought it was time of pitch and only catcher can be in foul territory.

Had this happen to me tonight. I'm behind the plate. 1 out. R1 at 2nd R2 at 1st. Ground ball to F6, he bobbles the ball so badly that his throw to 2nd is too late to get the force on R2. R2 slides so hard that he overslides the base and into the fielder who is hurt and does not tag him. He quickly crawls back to the bag before he is tagged. What would you call?

Man, that's a tough one but I'd have to call him out just for the fact that he went around his teammate in the batter's box. I think if he would have taken a sec to process the info he would have seen that the batter had moved to the back of the box during the action and the kid went around him so it would seem he would have had to have gone out of the base path to take that line to the plate. At least I think that would have been a good argument to make to the opposing side.

I may be totally off but I thought the whole purpose for the new age necklaces and bracelets were to help older, injured, golfers with aches and pains? Something to do with magnetic properties in the jewelry. Now I see teens and LL kids wearing them? Makes no sense to me.

Mike- those words went thru my head as I squatted down to call the next pitch..... As for being on the knee, no clue. Just read and reacted to where I thought the play was going to happen. The ball kicked almost straight back and I was on the 3rd base side of the plate where I could see the leading edge of the plate. I guess I figured no one could say my head was "moving" and didn't get a good look at the play if I was on a knee. Don't really know.....

I have to disagree with not trying to help kids that are obviously in need of help and coaching. If a kid is standing 4 feet behind home plate or his feet are touching home plate, his coach is letting him down. I didn't have just one kid do this, I had several who were clueless about where they should be. These two teams are inner city metro schools. They have no money for grounds crew and do well to have funds for Tshirt style uniforms with the team name silkscreened on it. These two teams' combined record for the year was 2-18 according to one of our prep school web sites. So yes, I am going to try and help them at least understand the rules of the game. I feel like it would be unsportsmanlike of me to sit back and wait for the outs to roll in via the unlined box. That's just crappy.

UPDATE!! Got a phone call from NB just now and they are going to ship me a new pair and then I can send these back to them in the same prepaid packaging. WOW! That's good customer service!

Passed ball in my HS game yesterday runner on 3rd headed to the plate. I set up about 12 feet away on one knee with a great vantage point on the tag....... WHAM! I get hit in the right side in the ribs with the ball! I'm thinking WTF? Look up and the catcher says "Aw man, sorry blue". I'm okay and wipe the plate off. I look up and the offensive coach has walked all the way from the 3rd base coaches box to hand me a foul ball. He says "I could've thrown this down here but I had to come and tell you- that was the funniest sh*! I've ever seen!".... Thanks! LOL

Egg Sackly!

I bought the 460 in March and while they are very comfortable I question the durability. I only do about 2-3 games behind the plate a week in HS, JV, or LL. So it's not like I'm over using them. I keep them wiped down good after every game and I'm noticing a LOT of issues. The stitching is already starting to come loose around the main protector on the foot and the steel plate is starting to wear thru the toe of the other shoe. I contacted NB and they said to send them in and they would inspect to see if I needed a replacement.... right and then I sit here and umpire in flip flops? Nope. I have their field shoe too. Got them last Fall and the tongue is already coming unstitched in the left shoe. These are my first ever pair of field or plate shoes so maybe this is the norm with all brands but I hope not.

So I'm doing a HS game the other day between two teams that have won a collective 4 games in the last 4 years..... We have foul lines but no batter's box lines so throughout the first couple of innings I find myself calling time to draw the back and inside (closest to the plate) lines. One kid was about half an inch from the plate so I drew him a line. Next at bat he asks "hey blue, can you draw me another one of those lines? But this time give me some more room that one was too close to the plate" First of all the kid was actually closer to the plate than when I drew the line, secondly the kid thought he had to keep his toes on the line! High School! No BS!

I got a good tip at a clinic on this and that was to try to look at how the batter is gripping the bat as he steps in initially-before a pitch is thrown. Does he have a finger hanging off the bottom or is there a good inch or so between the pinky and the knob. This also helps you in "selling" the call. I used this in a LL game the other day and found it useful. ME:"Coach there's no way it hit his hand, (I noted other evidence) also I noticed that he chokes up a good inch from the bottom of the bat. COACH: "Really? (Johnny) grab the bat and get ready to hit.......(he sees I'm right after the kid grabs the bat). Wow, man you're good! ME: "Just remember that the next time I miss one..... (big grin)." ......... add this to the million things to check as you go thru the game, right? LOL

Man, this forum is great. I thought I was the only one that watched and cared about this stuff. I was watching this play live when it happened via MLB.tv. Sdix00- where is the illustration from? I have never seen that but it seems like it would be very useful in backing up calls to coaches and helping teach kids. I do a ton of LL and love mentoring/teaching the kids.

Wow, you had a coach acknowledge that it was HIS fault? You got a good one there. I'd ask to do all his games..... LOL