StrikeDavis

http://citizensvoice.com/sports/wvc-baseball-benches-clear-in-pittston-area-valley-west-game-1.2191896 Thoughts on this situation?

This situation took place in a varsity high school game last week. Runners on first and second, nobody out, ball 4 thrown to the batter. The defensive coach yells to the plate umpire, "Time when he gets there." The runners on first and second reach second and third, respectively. Meanwhile, the batter stops about half way to first to take his elbow guard, ankle guard and batting gloves off and tosses them towards the dugout. The runners assume the batter had reached first and time was called, jog over to have a meeting with the third base coach. The pitcher realizes that time had not been called and throws the ball to the third baseman who tags both runners standing in the third base coaches box. The base umpire calls both runners out. This play was brought up at a meeting. Discussion was mostly centered around the following: Are you calling the runners out? What are you doing to prevent this situation from happening?

I don't want to speak for everyone in my local PIAA chapter, but the consensus I have gathered from the conversations with several members (including union workers) has been pretty negative. Our chapter functions as a union without calling ourselves a union. Our assignor, chapter president and / or rules interpreter handles any issues whether they are major or minor. Our pay is fair. We serve several schools that require putting some miles on your car and these schools are required to pitch in gas money as part of the game fee. The fear in our area is that we will have to pay more in dues and will not benefit from it. Right now our chapter dues are $20 and it goes towards an all you can eat / drink banquet at the end of the regular season. Whatever is left after the banquet fees is given to a local charity. Donations are typically made in the honor of a recently deceased chapter member. The fear of the individuals I spoke with is that we will see an increase in dues and no benefit to the local chapter.

Pennsylvania has districts and states. District assignments are decided by the district chairman (or whatever the official title is) with input from coaches, athletic directors, assignors and politics. This past year politics seemed to have more input than previous years. I am not entirely sure how state playoff assignments are handed out. I know you have to attend the summer conference in Harrisburg at least once every five years. There are some outstanding umpires in my area that will never work a state playoff game because they either can't go to the Harrisburg conference or choose not to go because it will cost you more to attend in lodging and gas than you will ever get back from state playoff assignments. Maybe someone else from PA can chime in on how the state playoff assignments are handed out.

Bochy pulled this same thing earlier this year in Philadelphia when the Phillies brought a reliever in from the pen. The Phillies trainer went to the mound and chopped off the long laces. I'm pretty sure the Giants would have hit him around the park no matter how long the laces were.

This happened the morning of Mattingly's ejection. Skip to the 9 minute mark

American Legion Baseball, between the top and bottom of the 5th, HT down 5-2. VT has a player come off the bench and walk out to the mound. From what I was told after the game, he was told he was going in to pitch the 6th inning earlier in the game by his coach but got the inning wrong (despite a functioning and accurate scoreboard in direct sight of the VT dugout) and headed out to the mound in the 5th. He picked the ball up and stood on the back downslope of the mound while he waited for the catcher. I asked the coach if it was a straight change. He looks confused, so I pointed to the mound where his relief pitcher is waiting for the catcher. He asks me if his relief pitcher standing on the mound constituted a substitution. I told him that it did not, but if he threw a warmup pitch than it would have. VT coach sends the starting pitcher back out to the mound and the relief pitcher goes back to the bench without throwing a pitch. While I was conversing with the VT coach, The 1B coach for the HT asked the BU if the player going to the mound like that was a substitution. BU gave him the same answer I gave the VT coach. VT coaches are satisfied with the explanation and we move on without further incident. HT ends up winning the game 6-5 after the relief pitcher that doesn't know what inning it is spent the 6th inning hanging curves and giving up 4 runs. Speaking with some other umpires, I got some feedback that we should have considered it a substitution since the player came off the bench to the mound. So would this scenario have constituted a substitution or not?

I believe a crew chief challenge can only be initiated on homerun calls prior to the 7th inning. This play occurred in the 4th. This same situation happened in Boston to Vanover a week or so ago.

@Mudisfun I bought this CP last year and went through the same process you are now. The first game or two I had it too tight and it was getting up into my throat. A slight strap adjustment solved this problem. I absolutely love this CP. A few other guys in my association ended up purchasing this CP after they saw me wearing it during the high school season.

In real time I did not see enough to keep him in the box. The slow motion replays make it seem like he dove into the pitch. Brandon McCarthy's take. Watch the video in this link. Bob Davidson may not agree with McCarthy

I give what I got. From C I usually have what the PU has unless it is obvious.

Is there a legitimate reason for FED to have this rule in place?

Lets try this again. Wilson Silver Dyna-Lite Aluminum with Team Wendy pads and a 6" throat guard.

Wilson Silver Dyna-Lite Aluminum with Team Wendy pads and a 6" throat guard. Just got this in yesterday and I have games this weekend to try it out. Figured I would post this since I haven't seen too many pictures of this mask floating around.

​In my neck of the woods they scrapped 3-man entirely from the playoffs. Mixing umpires from different chapters and little practice led to some interesting rotations and near disasters.