ElkOil

I think I see where you're coming from, but rationales don't matter when we have rules that are black and white. The best way to understand situations is to find them in the rules books or case plays books because chances are, if you're thinking of it or have seen it, it's been addressed already and written so that we can all benefit from others' experiences. Another issue is when watching a game on TV, commentators are not rules experts and can many times confuse and already confusing play. Listening to them explain something isn't always enlightening. Asking umpires here is a very good way to get the answers you seek. Just keep an open mind to the explanations you get. They'll be correct.

When two players occupy the same base, the preceding runner will be out if he's tagged. This is by rule. There is no way you can get a double play on this as long as the lead runner is touching the base, since he's entitled to it.

Certainly calling it and being a runner who is trying to anticipate are two different things. I do FED and OBR games. This isn't a problem for me, personally, but there are umpires for whom this is an issue. Usually, and disappointingly, it's just ignored.

Yes. Imagine being a base runner trying to get a jump and seeing F1's feet in the hybrid. You can't tell what his next move is going to be, so how can you time your jump? If he's clearly in the windup, you'll know. If he's clearly in the stretch, you'll know. But this in between hybrid stance completely disguises what his next move has to be.

So is the definition of what's non-traditional up to the umpire? I've seen loads of players at other levels wear the thumb things. Seems pretty traditional by now. Like sweat bands. This isn't something I'd care to make an issue out of on the field.

What he said. This has also been a point of emphasis this year to be sure we're looking more closely at pitcher foot position and calling balks when it happens. Too many times when an umpire DOES make a call on it, the coach is indignant because nobody has ever called it before. I agree with Rich that the condition of the mound must be factored in. You can't expect a plyer to stand in a hole six inches deep with his foot all wonky in there. If he has to extend his foot past the rubber to keep from twisting an ankle, I'm not saying anything. In fact, I remember a game or two in which the condition of the mound was SO BAD, I told the coaches at the plate meeting I wasn't going to say anything about foot position.

Good question. I've reviewed the MSBL rules they use here, and they've remain unchanged for years. So unless they adopt some other rule, they've got to live with it (the intentional walk rule is a good example of an OBR rule change that has a distinctly different MSBL rule). Typically, very few of the players -- and unfortunately, umpires -- know any of the rules changes. Most of the time it's not an issue, but when there's a change like this to something that occurs every game, it's gonna be an issue. As it stands, some of the rules the local MSBL chapter has adopted a long time ago are STILL problematic -- like the five warm-up pitch limit to all pitchers.

No. The thinking behind these, from what I've read in the past, is that the rings alter how the bat sets in the batter's hands, moving them into a more preferable position, thus improving THE grip -- while not necessarily improving GRIP, or how well the bat stays in the hands... and reducing shock. I don't recall ever seeing a HS player use them now that you mention it.

The new OBR mound visit rule states: 5.10(m) (1) Mound visits without a pitching change shall be limited to six per team, per nine innings. For any extra-innings played, each team shall be entitled to one additional nonpitching change mound visit per inning. (2) For purposes of this Rule 5.10(m), a manager or coach trip to the mound to meet with the pitcher shall constitute a visit. A player leaving his position to confer with the pitcher, including a pitcher leaving the mound to confer with another player, shall also constitute a visit, regardless of where the visit occurs or the length of the visit. I can't wait for my first men's league game. Let the confusion and crabbing begin.

I grok.

No. As Rich said, only umpires can call obstruction. The runner should run the bases as he sees fit and the umpire will grant or deny appeals from the defense. If the runner was obsructed and decided to stay on 3B, the umpire may call obstruction and award him home, but it's entirely up to his judgement.

You have an interesting way of rationalizing how a helmet provides less protection than a non-helmet. See the earlier points that were made about giving the benefit of the doubt to the equipment offering greater coverage. As umpires, we can debate this until we pass out. But all we have to do is enforce the rules.

You're correct.

Or... OR:

I don't know about this. I can be pretty offensive all by myself.

Words to live by. I take it as a personal failure if any game I'm in goes longer than an hour twenty-five. So far, I've failed twice. Three times. Maybe four.

Well... whoever. I'm banging an out is all I know.

Correct!

True. But he still interfered.

Wouldn't the logic apply to any other batter interference call, where intent doesn't matter but if the batter did something to interfere, you'd call it?

The learning never ends, folks. grok ɡräk/ verb USinformal past tense: grokked; past participle: grokked understand (something) intuitively or by empathy. "because of all the commercials, children grok things immediately" empathize or communicate sympathetically; establish a rapport.

This is a good one. I'll take a shot at it, then get Mavened. This may already be addressed as a case study for all I know. By rule, when interference occurs, the interferer is called out unless -- as would be the case in batter interference on strike 3 -- he can't both be out for the strikeout and the INT. However, in this case, I don't think you can get an out on someone who has yet to be at bat officially, so that means the on-deck batter must still come to bat. The B/R is awarded 1B on the walk, and anything he tries to get after that is at his own peril. I'd call the B/R out since you can't get the out on the on-deck hitter.

If the pitcher was in contact with the rubber, any runner would be awarded one base. If he was off the rubber, it's a two base award.

I also wear the Nutty Buddy and found that it, too, would ride up. Nothing worked. I tried others' suggestions of underpants/jock/compression pant combinations. I even tried losing and gaining weight. I talked to it, even plead with it... but nothing. Out of desperation, I liberally applied about a half a roll of duct tape, but found that the darn thing would somehow find a way to wriggle itself loose and slide either down into my taint or up onto my belly. This cursed thing. Contact cement? Nothing. Stitching it directly to my skin? Nope. Honey? It didn't do a thing for the cup, but it brought me back to my younger experimentation days. Ah, youth. Finally, a friend said to me, "Hey, Elk..." Yeah, that's what my friends call me... "Why don't you use some of these?" and he handed me a box of decking screws. The ones with the square drive. Three-and-a-half inchers. Course thread. Whoa. The thought seemed extreme... even absurd. But then I remembered reading an article years ago about Boileryard Clarke. You know, THE Boileryard Clarke -- National League umpire in 1893, 1894 and 1896. Yeah, THAT Boileryard Clarke. Well, as it turns out, he revolutionized the male genitalia protection industry by being the first umpire to ever drive screws through his lambskull cup, anchoring them directly to his pubis bones (They used lamb skulls back then. Google it.) Welp, if it was good enough for ol' Boileryard, it certainly would be good enough for me. So out to the garage I went with Nutty Buddy in hand and a 20 volt DeWalt hammer drill with a square drive bit. Impact grade. My wife asked if she could come and watch. Not only did I say yes, I told her to rustle up some of the neighborhood kids, too. Once a small but manageable crowd gathered, I went to work. Underpants first, then a jock, then compression pants. I donned my garb while in the privacy of my home, so don't get any ideas that I did anything untoward with the children present. I gently inserted the cup and picked up my drill. "Alright, kids," I addressed the crowd, "make sure you go back home and try this." Then I confidently and firmly drove in two screws. Yeah, I missed the bone the first time. And the second. I missed the third, fourth and fifth times, too. But on the sixth try, I sent that baby home and in a glorious exclamation of victory akin to Braveheart yelling "Freedom!" or at least Effie Trinket exclaiming, "That is mahogany!" I strutted up to my wife, dipped her in my arms and planted the most macho kiss on her tender rose pedal-like lips. Then I strode confidently past the wide-eyed children, jumped in my truck and drove to my games. Let me know if it doesn't work for you.