stevis

double post sorry

I fear you're right...but the other day, LL shared on Facebook a video of one of the kids hitting a HR, stopping three feet from the plate, turning his back on his gathered teammates (behind the plate), and miming taking a selfie. (Then proceeding to complete his award, natch.) Hoping someone at least sees that fun and sportsmanship don't have to be at cross-purposes all the time; at least someone on the social media team does.

LL has taught that HR mechanic yes. I don't love it either, but when I'm doing a tournament game where somebody whose opinion of me means something for me is watching...

No such specific rule. Now that it made notice I'll bet there's an extra-unworkable, stick-up-rear-end rule for us to deal with next year. That's my district--not sure I worked a game with that team though. I don't recall seeing it then.

I do occasionally to get the pellets off our plate on our one turf field, but yeah, it's more a bit of habit than anything else. Especially in the top of the 1st, it's just part of what I'm expecting to do to get going and it would "feel" wrong not to.

Was at U1 yesterday the VA LL Intermediate States...kid was going for a triple and I'm rotating, while in my mind thinking "sendhimsendhimSENDHIM." It was not to be.

"But I didn't now you were called Dennis until just now."

Getting to be the U1 in this, for a meaningful call (i.e., a close play, not a home run trot), is my bucket list call.

I'm not loving including the heckles on the back. Not that the particular ones you've chosen are bad, I think I'd just love the mask logo and TWWU on the front. Maybe the last line attributed to "You" on the back as a quote. I'd order one either way, but my $0.03. (two cents plus inflation.)

Funny, I faced this last night! Little League, 9-10-11 tournament pool game, nothing on the line though. We do the plate conference rigamarole and I ask the coaches when I'm done if they have any question, and then to bring something to the kid "captains," I ask them if they have anything. One of them pipes up to ask where my strike zone is. With a smile on my face and in my voice, I replied (pointing), "Right there, over the plate, and don't ever ask an umpire that." Smiles all around, so I guess that was an OK tactic.

I feel like if we made pins or wicking shirts, there's a merchandising opportunity here.

I can picture the following sequence: 1. Pitcher alerts to R3 stealing 2. Pitcher jab-steps their pivot foot backward to disengage (properly) 3. Pitcher whips a throw home to make a play on R3 4. Batter fails to register the pitcher's actions and believes it's a pitch 5. Call 9-1-1. That seems like a plausible sequence where the batter might swing at what is not a pitch (plus of course there are the just plain malicious scenarios.)

Yep. Rule 1.17, all levles.

Nailed 'em both.

Also, what do you mean no LL umpire wants that scenario? I'm still mad I didn't get to check it off my scavenger hunt list at a state tournament some years ago, when I dropped the flag on four straight pitches on R2, and on the 5th one he figured it out--that, of course, being the one we had the ground ball to third that would have ended up a poof play. And yes, within in the infield--single to the outfield, everyone's getting one base and a run would score, absent the out which gives us room to return runners.

The play before he had R3 only. It's possible he spaced and was still thinking of that mechanic/situation, I suppose?

Super-Talented, Fabulous Umpire

The Toronto broadcast on MLB Network later said that the catcher stepped on the umpires foot, which was the basis for the call. I grew up in Michigan so I was watching with my heart as much as my eyes--but I can't see how you award him home there. The ball stayed in the infield, it's extremely unlikely anyone beats that play home, and I don't think the obstruction hindered him that much. He doesn't even look halfway home before he stops to me. But like I said--heart as much as eyes here, don't take my opinion too seriously.

On-deck batters are allowed at Intermediate and above. Reg. XIV b. 1.08 Note 2 allows for the first batter of each inning to be outside the dugout between half-innings in Majors and below. Since it's explicit about that, it implies that at Intermediate and up, you can have a handful out of the dugout. I'd watch that for safety, but I do allow it. I think you are being too impermissive on the swings; since the Rules Instruction Manual itself since batters should be allowed a few swings while stepping to the plate, I see no problem with that lone out of the dugout batter swinging, either.

Look, if a parrot lands on your shoulder, start talking like a pirate. C'mon, are we amateurs out here?

Truth is it's less the game time than the pace. I watched the Tom Seaver no-hitter on MLB Network over the winter, and pitchers got the ball back and threw. That was a game! Playing baseball without incentivizing the glance at the phone between every pitch will help. To each their own on what they're willing to put up with for that.

If it happens occasionally to get the typical game closer to 2:40...yeah, yeah I do.

Every LL clinic I've been too has stressed the difference between the bat hitting the ball in fair territory (e.g., you tossed your bat towards the ball), that's an out. If the ball hits the bat (e.g., you drop your bat and backspin causes the ball to come back to it), that's play on. In the OP, I would have it the latter (ball hit the bat).

What are signs, really, but an attempt to communicate without the other team knowing? To answer your last question, it can't.