Mike Walsh

Every now and then I still get a guy that tells me to just go with his call on a checked swing. I tell him if he doesnt want my input, don't ask, but if he does, he'll get what I had, not what he had. MIke

i think most of the discussion fails to acknowledge that removing the force because R1 made it to 2nd safely does not mean the FPSR no longer applies. The rule doesn't require a force out. It means that when the ball is hit and a force play is possible, the runner must slide directly to the base. In the video, he didn't, so he can and should be called for a FPSR violation. MIke

Working, 9u games, being young, new to the board - I assume you don't have a lot of experience. Based on your follow-up, you are approachable and willing to listen. Not taking advice from a coach is a bad policy. Like umpires, they know the game, but have a different perspective that you can benefit from. A 9U coach may have less to offer than a varsity Fed coach, but you never know if you don't listen. Next time, be polite until he gives you reason not to be. I really like the way you kept walking while he talked though. Mike

You were in the B position, right? You got a good look at the pulled foot and called it. Did you signal that he was safe because he was off the bag? Doing so may have prevented F6 from going off, but regardless, he was out of line. But why do you say all he had to do was have you ask the PU if he agreed with your call. What if the PU told you he didn't see a pulled foot? If you weren't sure, ask before the call. Since you made the call, and based on your description, you had no doubt. If your partner said out and you day safe, whose call do you go with? Sounds like a better approach would be to tell the coach that it was your call, and he's safe. Mike

That's hard to justify. Do you tell the coaches that although they paid your fee, you don't like your partner so you are leaving? Mike

I don't want to be hollering across the field at all, even if a coach is. If you are in the A position and the coach is at 3rd spouting off, you might get away with telling him that's enough (unofficial, unrecorded). But if he keeps it up, before the rule change what would you do? If someone is yelling at you, the Fed objective is to keep him in the game if possible, and resume the game. Understood, sometimes it's not possible. But if he hasn't crossed the line, I try to get the coach to approach me, asking him something like, "What did you have, Joe?". If I can beckon him over, I might meet him part way, and then when he doesn't need to yell to be heard, he might calm down. If not, then he will get an official warning. I'd record it, and last year, we would move on. This year Fed would also require me to bench him. That change is not going to help. Mike

The rule change does not require a written warning. It says that when warnings are issued, they must be recorded (written). Subsequent violations require ejection even if minor. Serious transgressions can still result in an ejection without a warning.This does not prohibit us from using preventative umpiring techniques such as IAWRE, either. It's just that when we get to the warning phase, we have to write it down, and if they behave badly after that, they get ejected. Not really much of a change; more like a clarification. Mike

There's no fence, but there is a stand of trees that is so far out there in left center that if a bounding ball goes into it they want the award to be a) 3 bases, or b) 4 bases. Mike

Great gear can be expensive. Good gear is sufficient if funds are tight and you don't know if you will be an umpire in year 2. Cheap gear is never worth the risk. For face masks, you can get a steel mask for $19.99 at any sporting goods store. It will protect you, but your neck will be sore after a game, and if you have a DH behind the plate in one day, forget it. There are lots of really good masks on the market that will protect and be comfortable. My mask cost $230 and is worth every penny. But my game fees have paid for it over and over again. When you are starting off, I suggest paying about $70. That price will get you a really good mask that is comfortable. There are lots of brands out there, but if you pay somewhere in the vicinity of $70, you'll be happy with the results. Down the road you can decide if $230 is worth it for you or not. Mike

Defensive HC, grayhawk. Mike

That's hard to justify. Do you tell the coaches that although they paid your fee, you don't like your partner so you are leaving? Mike

If you are talking about the defense ignoring the automatic out, there would be nothing unethical. It's just the defense being a good sport, figuring that if the opponent can beat them with only 8 players, they deserve the win. It's just a choice. Mike

Since BOO is only enforced if the defense appeals, why would they ask you? It would be up to them to "not see it." Mike

I get what you and Rich said. And while it would most likely rise to MC in some games, there is no MC under OBR, so OBS is all that's left. Thanks. Mike

You make an interesting distinction. In pro ball, the players get paid; in amateur ball, they do not. But what about amateur ball played under OBR? If it was an American Legion game, for example, it would be amateur ball played under OBR with Legion modification of some rules. I'd offer the option because it is an amateur game. But the pro interpretation, under which the game was played, would imply that the manager would have to know the situation and request it. I think your distinction covers it, especially if you intended it that way. Mike

Why almost? Are you referring to a fielder who does not have the ball, obstructs, and then gains possession? If so, I understand. If not, can you provide an example of a fielder who has the ball but still obstructs? Thanks. Mike

EJ Report: In the top of the 2nd R1 was ejected for flagrant physical unsportsmanlike conduct (malicious contact) for intentionally lowering his helmet into F4's chest.

Sounds like you handled it pretty well. Mike

I think it's a little annoying when I hold a door open for someone and they walk through without even looking at m or acknowledging it in any way, and give the impression that of course the door should be held for them. But this was only Tank's 4th post, and unlike the door, you never know when the thread is over. So I just assume they are reading and learning silently.

As you've now seen, NCAA and Fed have rules. USSSA SB also prohibits using the other team's side, so I wouldn't be surprised if USSSA BB also does. In Fed, the reason is to prevent taunting by keeping them away from their opponents. OBR allows batters to use either on-deck circle. But I'm curious why you have an issue if you were not sure if the rules prohibit it. Certainly we should enforce the rules as they apply to the games we are working, but we should do it because they are the rules, not because of our own issue. I've seen umpires tell players to refrain from doing things that they think are unsafe, but that are allowed by rule. I always wonder why. Mike

George Carlin: Baseball is different from any other sport, very different. For instance, in most sports you score points or goals; in baseball you score runs. In most sports the ball, or object, is put in play by the offensive team; in baseball the defensive team puts the ball in play, and only the defense is allowed to touch the ball. In fact, in baseball if an offensive player touches the ball intentionally, he's out; sometimes unintentionally, he's out. Also: in football,basketball, soccer, volleyball, and all sports played with a ball, you score with the ball and in baseball the ball prevents you from scoring. In most sports the team is run by a coach; in baseball the team is run by a manager. And only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you'd ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform,you'd know the reason for this custom. Now, I've mentioned football. Baseball & football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. And as such, it seems they ought to be able to tell us something about ourselves and our values. I enjoy comparing baseball and football: Baseball is a nineteenth-century pastoral game. Football is a twentieth-century technological struggle. Baseball is played on a diamond, in a park.The baseball park! Football is played on a gridiron, in a stadium, sometimes called Soldier Field or War Memorial Stadium. Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life. Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying. In football you wear a helmet. In baseball you wear a cap. Football is concerned with downs - what down is it? Baseball is concerned with ups - who's up? In football you receive a penalty. In baseball you make an error. In football the specialist comes in to kick. In baseball the specialist comes in to relieve somebody. Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness. Baseball has the sacrifice. Football is played in any kind of weather: rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog... In baseball, if it rains, we don't go out to play. Baseball has the seventh inning stretch. Football has the two minute warning. Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end - might have extra innings. Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death. In baseball, during the game, in the stands, there's kind of a picnic feeling; emotions may run high or low, but there's not too much unpleasantness. In football, during the game in the stands, you can be sure that at least twenty-seven times you're capable of taking the life of a fellow human being. And finally, the objectives of the two games are completely different: In football the object is for the quarterback, also known as the field general, to be on target with his aerial assault, riddling the defense by hitting his receivers with deadly accuracy in spite of the blitz, even if he has to use shotgun. With short bullet passes and long bombs, he marches his troops into enemy territory, balancing this aerial assault with a sustained ground attack that punches holes in the forward wall of the enemy's defensive line. In baseball the object is to go home! And to be safe! - I hope I'll be safe at home!

Out if the glove hit the ball; out if the glove missed, too.

He did. Mine is a true classic (and one of his firsts). He made it backwards. The only way to put it on the belt resulted in the back of the bag facing outwards, and there was no way to put balls in it. Mike

Assuming it was a high school game, of course. It's close, but I don't think so. The runner slid directly into the base, even though part of his body was to the side of the base. The bases are only 15 inches wide. Since he slid directly into the base, I wouldn't penalize him for the contact. He wasn't beyond the base, but just off to the side a little. It was hard to tell though, because the replay was so quick. Contact happened after the release, so the BU should be moving to set up for the play at 1st base. If it's going to be called, I'd expect the PU to get it in his clean-up role. Mike

I agree. If you're not wearing it, it feels a little heavy. But on your body the weight is distributed so well you don't even notice it. And regardless of the player's age, you won't get hurt. Mike