tldavis19

All of the above along with it gives me a chance to talk umpiring/baseball with someone that understands what I'm saying and I don't get a "huh?" every time I try to explain something. I can come here with a rule issue or misunderstanding or situation and get advice from guys who have been there done that. It's a tight group of friends mostly. A few nuts thrown in here and there, but its very easy to discuss what we need to discuss.

The catcher set up high and had his glove blocking my view of the pitcher's feet when it happened. From what I saw it was a pickoff with no step of any kind. I balked him for that. according to 6-2-4b he has to make a step toward the base when attempting to put out or drive back a runner. My partner corrected me and said he stepped off with his non-pivot foot. I said "non-pivot? then we still have a balk." He said no that's what he's supposed to do. I asked if he stepped straight back and my partner said yes. I wasn't sure of the exact rule wording and wasn't going to debate my partner on the field so we went with what he knew. Upon further review, 6-2-4f says that if he fails to pitch to the batter when the entire non pivot foot passes behind the perpendicular plane of the back edge of the pitcher's plate, except to feint or throw to second base in an attempt to put out a runner it's a balk. So looking back, I now feel as though the balk call was correct and now will not let myself be talked out of that one. Am I applying the rule correctly? I'm basing this off of what my partner said he saw.

Let me start off by saying that I now know after a talk with my assignor all the correct rules and ways to handle this should it happen again. I'm aware I kicked it and am ready for the firing squad. Score is 2-1 in favor of the VT. Bottom 3rd 1 out runner on 3rd. Pitcher is in the windup and picks off to third which starts a rundown between 3rd and home. I immediately called balk and awarded home. At that point the pitcher comes to me and says "Blue, I stepped off!" The DC walks over and is animated, but not bad also saying he stepped off. I confer with my partner who corrects me saying he had the step off and there was no balk. I then attempt to put the runner back at 3rd to correct the mistake balk. Then the OC comes out to argue. At that point my partner pulls me aside and says "you can't correct the balk call." For the record, I thought you could correct balk calls, but I let my partner talk me out of what I thought was right. We confer with the coaches and let them know that the balk call stands and cannot be corrected (I know I said it) and that we will resume play with the score 2-2 and the batter has a 2-1 count. Neither coach says anything and we split. I look up to the scorekeeper to make sure he heard that the run stands while everyone is getting back to position. I turn around to take my position behind the plate when the DC starts yelling "you said the runner goes back to third! You need to put the runner back!" To that I say "no coach, we've already said...." and he cuts me off and fires into a rant about how I never said anything about not correcting the call to him. and he pokes me in the chest. Strike 1. I let him chew for a minute because at the time I knew I kicked it and he deserved his say. He said "You never once told me that you couldn't correct the balk!" When i tried to respond he cut me off again. Strike 2. I said "If you cut me off again I'm going to toss you." At that point he poked me again in and chest and BOOM strike 3 sir you are outta here! He ranted and raved as he walked out and once he was gone we resumed play and the HT won 3-2 in 5 innings (we had a 1:45 time limit). Thoughts? If you want to ream my stupidity, have at it I know i deserve it.

The rules are in place for a reason. Our job is to enforce them to the best of our ability, not to pick and choose what we do and don't like. That's dirty officiating and WILL get you in deep doo-doo. I've got obstruction, score the run. Put the kid back in the box after the balk. Play ball.

If PU hasn't announced that he's there yet, he needs to keep his mouth shut on the call. It's BU all the way and his call until PU has announced his coverage of 3rd. Having said that if you have a double call, get together and talk to see who had the better angle. If PU does, then get the out and be prepared to have a talk with whichever coach gets the bad end of that deal. It's ugly, but the call's right and in postgame you need to discuss this with your PU.

they've got good deals on zigs

I think he said he was 27. I'll never forget it. They're married now though.

If you listen closely, Madden calls him on it too. Had it not been for the swiping the hand across the plate gesture, he probably would've stayed in the game. Having said that, I'm getting 3BXL.

1. It is perfectly acceptable to throw your mask down in the grass between the mound and HP. 2. Furthermore, it is acceptable to pick it up with your foot like most guys do when picking up their underwear from the bathroom floor. 3. Hat annoys you? Never wear one. Ever. 4. When corrected, wear the aforementioned hat backwards. Always. 5. Its perfectly acceptable to call the previous runner back because you "made a bad call and should've been safe." 6. Apologize to the team and player profusely for the rest of the game 7. A foul is only a strike if it tips back through the strike zone. 8. Make out with your girlfriend between innings through the netting behind HP. In broad daylight. With tongue. 9. Participate in the "Gangnam Style" dance while it plays over the loudspeaker and laugh with the players and say "it's a great song!" 10. Finally, any fly ball that passes over the outfield fence is a homerun regardless of the fact it was foul.

usually on a double play when the transfer comes along, the base touch has already happened and the out is recorded. Plus, you're standing right there on it, its not 90-100 ft away in left field. Easier to see, easier to call.

It's definitely borderline. I see the glove close on the ball, but when he opens it to retrieve it, it falls out. Falling out is not voluntary. Voluntary in my book is ball in throwing hand ready to throw. He dropped it from the glove to the ground. Never controlled it completely. While I agree with the call, I would've gotten an out here most likely.

How is the media coverage of Collins "coming out" any different to that of Tiger Woods having multiple affairs while married ? Its not different. I felt the same way about that.

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I told him of he really wanted to know to ask his catcher. I wasn't going to give him my zone. His pitcher was horrible and his team lost 14-2 so he wasn't a happy camper and wanted something to blame it on.

Do any of you guys tell a coach where the pitch was when he asks? I had a coach asking after every other pitch and I told him I'd tell the catcher but I wasn't going to discuss it with him. He got mad and after the game til me I'd never call at that field again. Just wondering hat everyone's thoughts on this are.

+1

Wow....Just wow....unbelievable..... BigUmpire, May I join you in your heavily fortified fallout bunker? This is ridiculous and that player should be put under the jail.

ours is 105 for V/JV if you work the varsity plate. 100 even if you're the base guy in the varsity. Doubleheaders pay 135 (70 for your plate game and 65 for the base game) MS DH (which is the only way MS is done here) is 70 (35/game) JV alone is 35

yeah, my scorecards have a place for a line score and I write the score after each half inning. My scorecard actually corrected the scorekeeper once lol And I Don't keep count, there's enough going on in my head without doing someone else's job. I stay in tune by staying in communication with my partner and running over possible scenarios and what I should do when each one happens.

This is hilarious. You literally stand there until both teams line up and start shaking hands? The teams line up to shake hands. Seriously, you know whether it's close or not and you can tell by the strategy and the comments which run is the winning run. Or, you know, you can look at the scoreboard. Knowing what the score is any point in a game is just as critical as knowing how many outs there are or what the count is. To ignore such a critical aspect of the game situation is borderline negligence in terms of doing your job. I find it hard to see when my back is to it calling from behind the mound

I don't even think if a batter freezes he is exempt from being liable. I mean let's say we have R2 and F2 has the ball pop out of his mitt and it falls right at the feet of the batter in the box. R2 breaks for third and F2 goes to pick up the ball and attempt a throw but batter does his best freeze tag imitation which prevents F2 from making the play. I think we have something, thoughts? Of course we have something. What we have is nothing. The coaches will want everything, but you shouldn't look to call anything here Exactly. I'm not banging a kid for an out when he did exactly what we was supposed to do in a situation.

i'd have to see a synced side by side of both angles. He gets the helmet, but i think its after the hand crosses the plate. Tough to call though from video. Its literally simultaneous.....

I apologize for using the term "dummies", btw. Just because I don't understand someone's motivation doesn't make them a "dummy". It's all good. I was just merely pointing out that the reason I have the app isn't because I'm too lazy to pick up a book, I just like having it on me whenever I need/want it.

Depends. If they come out swinging, I'll call it stricter. If they come out watching, I'll call it to get them swinging. Don't take that to mean I change my zone. I'll just call the borderline pitches more one way or another depending on how the game's going.

The box is in now way a safe haven. The only thing that keeps a batter from being liable for BI is to FREEZE in his stance. By freeze I mean NO movement whatsoever. NONE! If he moves and interferes, box or no box, he can still be called for interference. Having said that, The only way I see a lean getting in the catcher's way here is if he only leaned a little or did a half a$$ed attempt at a Keanu Reeves imitation. If he leaned backwards, there could be something there, If he leaned forward it could still be something, but like someone said earlier catchers are taught to move behind the batter so I don't see a forward lean interfering unless the catcher had a brain fart. Definitely HTBT Edit: After rereading the OP, it says the batter ducked. I'm not seeing BI here unless the catcher was just really sell it.