tankmjg24

This tournament happened to be a privately ran one being hosted by a training facility in the area. The majority of non HS games we assign to in the summer is hosted by this facility. If a game is protested, there is no protest fee. The coach is responsible for citing what rule he is protesting and then the site coordinator calls the head umpire to get a ruling. Once the head umpire rules, the game continues. In this particular situation there is 3 of us that could potentially get the call. We would hear the complaint then look up the rule and determine what happens next. Coaches can only protest a rule book interpretation, as appeals and judgement calls are not protest situations. The true debate we have going on is what a coach can protest and what they cannot as described by the situation I previously mentioned.

So here is a bit more to the story. In high school ball in our state there are no protests, so up until our summer games we have not had to worry about a coach protesting a game. The start of the issue occurred in an OBR based game. Batter squares to bunt and his foot makes contact with home plate, however he is still making contact with the white line of the batters box. PU signals that the batter is out. Coach comes down and asks what happened, and PU states that the batter is out as he was on the plate when he made contact with the ball. Coach (smart if you ask me) asks if he was entirely out of the box, to which PU replies that it does not matter as he was on home plate. Coach then asks PU to talk to his partner as he feels that PU is confusing the FED rule and OBR rule. PU refuses and states that he is not going to appeal to his partner as it is his call and that he has made it. Coach then protests the game based off the fact that he feels the batter was still in the box and that PU is confusing the FED and OBR rule. PU refuses the protest as he states that this is a judgement call. PU has realized his mistake in confusing OBR and FED, so that is not what is the issue. Issue is that our group is debating whether the protest should have been granted. Half of the group feels that this is an appeal play and that the umpire was right in denying it, while the others (the side I am on) feel that this was a rule book interpretation and should have been granted. As a result, it has started a huge mess. Honestly, I think that everyone is just bored as it summer time lol.

So this is a rather dumb question, but there is currently a debate going on in my association over what the definition of an appeal is. Thoughts?

So I made a poll for this as I believe it will generate answers easier. This did not happen to me, but to a friend of mine who called asking for advice. Game is 12U travel ball tournament that was not covered by any major national group (USSSA, Nations, etc), but a local group that has a nice complex and hosts tournaments. The umpires are not the worst, but not the greatest, and a good majority have just a few years experience. My friend was on the bases, and an umpire he had just met that weekend was on the plate. During this game, the coach continues to argue balls and strikes. From what was told to me his pitcher was throwing a big loopy curve ball that kept missing high and the coach did not like when it was called a ball. In the bottom of the 4th inning, after the pitcher walked the batter after missing with the curve, the coach calls time and approaches the home plate umpire. He does not do it aggressively, and begins to have a conversation with PU. Halfway through the conversation the coach blows up and yells about every obscenity known to man and tells the umpire that he is everything but cute. He then goes behind home plate and crouches down and pretends to catch a few pitches right down the middle as he yells ball. He then walks back to the dugout as he is yelling to the plate umpire that he needs to learn what a curve ball is. So from all of this, it is pretty obvious that the coach needs to be ejected, but for some reason the plate umpire just sat there and watched the entire episode. The coach went back to the dugout and the game ended later that half inning due to the mercy rule so there was not much else said by him. After the game my partner asked the plate guy why in the world he did not eject the coach, and the plate umpires response was that he froze as he has never had an ejection before. So the question is, when your partner has a moment and does not eject a coach who entirely needs to go, do you intervene and do it for him or just sit back and watch? Thanks

Obviously Little League feels that this is an important point or they would not have put it within their rules. I find it entertaining that instead of just enforcing the rule some of you all are wanting to call the coach out to the opposing coach. He is not being a rat coach for pointing out an obvious rule. Personally, I never let it get to this point as I point it out prior to the game. If a coach gets mad at me over this then so be it, it is not my fault, he is the one violating the rule.

I feel as if you might upset a team in the short term, but it will pay off in the long run by enforcing the rule. I do not make the rules, I just enforce what is given to me. I do high school ball as well and feel that the balk rule is dumb. I think that if the pitcher blows through a set and the batter hits a homerun, that the homerun should stand instead of the runner getting to advance one base. What is everyone's thoughts on me just ignoring this rule and going with the result of the play? I agree that you umpire with the book and not by the book, but what we are interpreting as with and by is much different. I have no intentions of measuring each glove, or measuring the numbers on uniform, etc. As Rich points out, what are you all that are saying ignore this going to do when the opposing coach brings it to your attention? Plus, those of you that say ignore it are setting your fellow umpires up, as the first umpire to enforce it is going to get the "Well they let us do it yesterday" comment. Finally, I did not throw any of my fellow umpires under the bus. I simply confirmed what I thought was correct with the appropriate source.

I was at the plate meeting. This was at the very end as we were concluding the meeting that I noticed the additional coaches within the dugout. It is our job as the umpires to enforce all of the rules and not just the ones that we choose to play by. Enforcing the number of coaches is not OOO but doing your job. The director agreed with this when I talked with him. If you do not enforce this rule, what other rules are you going to decide to ignore. I like the idea of talking to the third base coach and casually reminding him about the 3 coaches. In this game the manager stayed in the dugout (older guy that seemed to be the brains behind the operation while his younger assistants did most of the work), but reminding the coach still might have corrected the problem. Say what you want to, but this is a rule I feel should always be enforced. Now getting out a tape measure and sizing up little Johnnie's glove is OOO, but enforcing the number of coaches in the dugout is not in my opinion.

Alright guys, trying to get some insight on how everyone would have handled a situation in which I encountered the other night. The 12U end of season tournament is going on currently and the league has opted to use mixed 3 man crews. I am on the plate for game 1 and U3 for game 2. Upon the start of game 2 I notice that there are 4 coaches in the first base dugout, and the manager at the plate conference. By rule, a team can only have 3 adult coaches in the dugout. I do not think much about it as I figure U2 will remind the manager of this rule. The game begins and all 5 coaches are still in the dugout. In the half inning I meet U2 and remind him of the rule. He responds by stating that this is not our responsibility to enforce, but an administrative issue that is the tournament directors problem. I try to convince him that he is wrong but he will not listen to me. In the next half inning I see U2 run down and talk to U1 briefly, U2 then comes over to me and states that he asked U1 and U1 agrees that we are not responsible for this. I was not sure of how to handle the situation as the first base dugout is not necessarily my turf as U3. I thought to just go kick the other 2 out myself, but I did not want to seem like a bully going all the way across the field to do this. There is also the fact that the other two umpires could have cared less. I opted to do nothing and talk to the director (whom I know well) at the conclusion of the game about how he needs to remind all the umpires that we are responsible for all rule enforcements. Thoughts?

I am currently between seasons (the spring season and summer season that is) and have had some free time on my hands. I have spent this time going through youtube watching all types of baseball. This is one video that sticks out to me. How in the world does the coach not get ejected here. The title says high school baseball, am I missing something here as there is no way I do not eject here (or at least restrict). Situation occurs in the first part of the video.

Thanks guys for confirming what I already know, but what one of my hard headed partners fails to understand . To give the back story, we have one pitcher in the area who will lick and wipe between each pitch. He has a bad habit though of licking and wiping while in contact with the pitching plate. During regular season we have given him a warning and told him to quit doing it on the rubber, but with the start of tournament play our association memo has stated no warning and to call everything as we see it. Now my partner wants to call a balk and award a ball to the batter (a double whammy), while I have tried to explain it to him that it is either one or the other but not both. Thanks.

So in a bit of a disagreement with a fellow official. What is the rule for going to the mouth while on the dirt, on the rubber, etc. Does the penalty matter if there are runners on base vs. no one on? Let me hear everyone's interpretation. Thanks

So here is the full story. Batter misses on the bunt attempt, he is still within the box, but his front foot is on the inside white line of the batter's box near the front of the box. F2 catches the pitch then goes forward to tag out the advancing R3, in the process he runs into the batter. The batter never moved and kind of braced himself for the collision from F2, and F2 ended up being knocked sideways and never made it to the advancing R3 as he slid in front of the batter. If the batter is not there, R3 is out easily. I point that the batter attempted at the pitch and signaled a strike, then called time and ruled out R3 on the interference, then moved back R2 and R1 to their starting bases. Coach is not happy, but after I calm him down and explain the call he calms down and the game continues.

HS game so FED Rules. R1, R2, and R3. F1 is working out of the windup and R3 breaks for the plate. The batter attempts to bunt but misses. F2 catches the ball and goes forward to tag out the runner and makes contact with the batter. So the question is, is this interference? So, if it is interference, do runners return to their TOP base and who do you call out? I am somewhat leaving this a bit vague to get responses first. Thanks

High school varsity (so FED rules) with R1, R2, and me as BU. Batter attempts a sacrifice bunt that goes directly to F1. F1 throws to F5 but the throw sails high and starts going down the LF fence line. R2 is obstructed by F5 as he rounds 3rd to head home and ends up falling down and crawling back to 3rd. R1 is going towards 3rd but has to stop and go back into 2nd now. F7 throws to F4 to try and get the retreating R1. During this throw R2 goes home and scores. Once F4 recieves the ball he throws to F2 to try and get R2 but is too late. R1 now tries for 3rd and ends up getting in a run down eventually being tagged out. So my question is this. R2 was the obstructed runner that eventually scored. Had R2 not been obstructed, R1 would have more than likely been safe at 3rd. With all of the above happening, should R1 been awarded 3rd and the out nullified?

High school varsity is the setting with me as PU and my partner BU. R1 is stealing and batter hits the ball sharply to F6 who fields and throws to F4. F4 receives the ball going back towards right field and then goes to throw to F3 to complete the double play. I see my partner signal safe and indicates off the base and then turns with the throw which ends up being wild. R1 slides no where near the base and into F4 so I immediately come up calling time to indicate a FPSR violation. I now have the offensive team coach yelling everyone is safe and the defensive coach yelling everyone is out. I immediately get both quiet and rule that R1 is out for an illegal slide and that the BR is out as well as a result. Defensive coach obviously agrees while offensive coach is upset. He is arguing that since R1 was safe that I could not rule this way. He was adamant and eventually had to be restricted to the dugout. Now I am about 99.9% sure that I got this right and my partner agrees, but I am looking for a little more thumbs up from the group. Thoughts?

High school varsity (FED rules). R1 with 1 out (do not think this matters though). Batter hits a short fly ball about 10 feet in front of home plate. Catcher goes to make an attempt for the catch while the pitcher does not make an attempt to field the ball. When the catcher goes forward he makes contact (initiated by the catcher) with the batter who has just started to run towards first (he has one foot in the box and the other in front of home plate). The catcher just makes it to the ball and as it is coming down it hits his catcher's mitt and falls to the ground uncaught.

So when catcher interference occurs everyone should know that the coach has the option of taking the result of the play or the interference call. Here is a hypothetical situation though that has caused some debate in my association. I would like an answer for both OBR and FED please. No runners on base and the batter swings making contact with the catcher's mitt. Is the coach allowed to keep his batter in the box to continue hitting? Also, if you have catcher interference called, do you automatically start awarding bases or do you call time and go to the coach and ask him what he/she wants? Thanks

So it is hard to describe fully. He is not in the gorilla arm stance. The ball is in his hand which is about a foot above his head and pointed directly at 2nd base.

NFHS Rules. Pitcher working out of the set position has a starting point similiar to Craig Kimbrel, expect he has the ball in his hand and it is back behind up up above his head. The question that my partner and I had was is this an illegal set position due to him not having his pitching hand down at his side or behind his back?

in my neck of the woods fall ball tournaments have finally picked up. There is a particular team who has a coach who has a reputation of being a bit of a loud mouth. This past weekend as my partner and I were having our pre game, he stated to me that he was not going to put up with any crap from this manager. I am PU and he is BU. There are a few close pick off plays at first that the manager felt were outs, but my partner called them safe. Each time there was some mumblings from the dugout, but nothing too overbearing. After the first one, my partner gave the stare of death towards the dugout, after the second one (which was not as close as the first one), he just ignored him, and after the third one, he calls time and hells towards the dugout, "coach that is enough, we are not going to debate safes and outs". At this point the manager stands up and wants timeout. Time is granted and he starts a slow jog out towards my partner. My partner puts his hand up towards the coach, but the coach keeps coming towards him. My partner still has his hand up, and the coach hells out loud enough for most of the stadium to hear "no way you are going to yell into the dugout like that and not hear from me". At this point my partner ejects and starts jogging towards the outfield and I start to play rodeo clown. The manager gripes a bit about the missed calls at first and that my partner shouldn't be yelling at him like that, but he eventually leaves the field. So what are everyone's thoughts on this?

Well the good news is I was correct. The bad news is I applied the ruling wrong. Tournament was OBR rules based. Been doing a lot of FED ball recently and as soon as it happened I returned R1 and called out the batter. As soon as I did this I thought to myself wow that's not right.

Please answer the following situation for both FED and OBR. R1 and R3 and batter swings and misses. R1 is stealing and F2 attempts to throw him out at second. Batter's backswing hits F2 in the left shoulder and he has to regain himself in throwing to second. Without the backswing interference, play at second would have been bang bang. Make the call. Thanks

So what would you have if the defense appealed BR, R1, and R2 for not advancing? Would you have 3 outs or would you have game over due to R3 advancing and scoring?

OBR rules. Bases are loaded with 0 outs in the final inning in a tied game and ball 4 is delivered. BR starts to take off towards first but never makes it due to being ambushed by R2. R2 had taken off running towards the BR as soon as ball 4 was delivered. R1 started towards 2nd but joined in the ambush as well never making it to 2nd. R3 went home and touched home plate. Do we have outs or do we need appeals or what?

F5 probably had a step on F2 in terms of being able to reach the ball. It was one of those that both were trying their best to get to it.