andydufresne

That's precisely the point.

That's what has happened, at least in college baseball. The defense is just initiating contact, trolling for a call they know they will get if there's so much as a touch. The call was correct, but the interference was by law only; that tiny contact didn't alter the play in the least. I like the call, but not the rule. It's easy to administer, but penalizes for things that don't cause any unfair advantage. Others disagree, and that's fine, but you're not alone.

That has never been my experience; I see that happen all the time. It just doesn't get a lot of attention because neither side is looking for a call/no call.

Not saying I would have got it in real time, but it looks like he lifts and drops his heel before stepping off. The only good look is right at the start. Martin steals home

How much longer will it take MLB to figure out that if they're going to add U5 and U6 to games they should put them on the fence, where their value added is considerably greater than on the foul lines 100' closer to the fence than U3 and U1? I'd put them in the alleys, but even at the foul poles would be a lot better than the way they waste them now.

That's not my point. The umpire called it correctly. By rule, the runner interfered and has no defense. The rationale for the rule is both safety and interference. The runner didn't do anything to alter the play, and didn't do anything to endanger himself or the defensive player. Despite that, the result of proper enforcement of the rule is the offense was penalized an additional out and had a run taken off the board because the defense butchered the play. It's interference by fiat.To me, that's a bad rule. I get that not everybody agrees.

Correct by rule. Stupid rule, too. If the runner chooses not to slide, the pivot man can easily create an interference call just by moving in the same direction as the runner.

Why is the NCAA content a secret reserved for only registered umpires? Don't they want the public to know what the umpires are being taught?

So long, partner. 1928-2016

That's not Red.

Oh, an AL pitcher...I'll just throw a fastball by him for strike one.

Ha ha--that brings back memories of when Rick was on the Tigers broadcast team that replaced Ernie Harwell. Poor bas---rd was actually pretty good, but no way anybody in Detroit was ever going to admit it.

Paul Carey.

Question #34a The ball is dead and the pitcher is on the rubber in the wind up position. Before the plate umpire puts the ball in play the pitcher inadvertently drops the ball. it caroms off his shoe, crosses the first-base foul line and comes to rest on foul ground. The correct ruling is: a. Do nothing since time was out. b. Before you put the ball in play, add a ball to the count. c. Warn the pitcher. d. Call a balk with runners on base and a ball with no runners on base. Rule 9-2 (b) Penalty

Don't get locked in the can while reading Jughead comics. Your assigner will take back all your games.

Yeah, but those guys on the committee are full of solutions in search of a problem. This play ought to be treated like running out of the lane on the way to first base: you can do it if you want to, but you leave yourself open to an interference call. First rule of interference is (or at least ought to be) that the player has to interfere. It's like that tunnel my buddy dug. The screws put him in the hole for 90 days for attempted escape, even though every time he entered that tunnel, he always came back.

I stand corrected--someday a female softball player will erase a line if given the opportunity. I didn't think of that at first because I umpire only men.

"Andy, you are horseSH*#." "You can apologize and stay in the game, or not and get ejected." Wow. You must be a wheat farmer to be able to construct a straw man that large. You indicate such a miniscule knowledge of human nature, and you call yourself an umpire? Wow. Any player who takes me up on that offer will be laughed out of his own dugout, and he knows it. I will be dead for a hundred years before a player erases a line he has drawn. Is that automatic enough for you?

Drawing a line used to be an automatic ejection for me. It isn't any more. About a dozen years ago, I started telling the batter, "You can erase that line with your hand and stay in the game, or you can leave it and get ejected. Up to you." Not once has any batter elected to erase the line. When the manager comes out to argue the EJ, I can always honestly say (and always do), "Skip, I gave him an out, but he didn't want it." I can't wait for the time when a batter decides to erase it, telling the whole world he backed down. I suspect I'll be waiting an awfully long time.

He could have ordered a salad once in awhile.

What do you guys think of the cops on the field for a pushing match?

Disclaimer: THIS COMMENT IS NOT INTENDED TO BE TAKEN AS APPLICABLE TO THE CORRECT TEST ANSWER! That said, I just don't understand what the NCAA's problem is with calling a balk on the pitcher for trying to deceive the runner by placing the rosin bag in the glove. They say it's not legal (else, why a warning?), but don't want to penalize it? It's in the same class as going into your pitching motion while not on the rubber--pretending something legal is happening when it is not, in order to gain an advantage. Grow a pair and make it a balk. It's a BS maneuver, and if the only penalty is a warning, then it's worth a try because there's nothing to lose. If the umpires get it right, it's "Don't do that anymore." If they F it up, you gain an out.

Every year the same thing--wasted time and money on a trip for things that could be viewed online at home in a couple of hours. Why does ANYONE have to present rule changes? We can read, and they're all highlighted in the book. There IS a better way, but there's some sort of bias against the use of off-site technology. I always learn a little something at these, but have never been able to figure out the necessity of a trip to Chicago (or wherever) to view video and handouts.

Sometimes good people end up at Shawshank.

Unless you're working south of Ft. Hancock, TX, wear a plate coat and don't worry about ball bags. If you're worried about being too hot in AZ or FL, wear a cooling vest. A friend of mine who can get almost anything within reason will find one for you if you want, but try on your own first. He marks everything up twenty percent.