CJK

I know you know this, but that ball is dead because it touched the batter, not because it was an uncaught third strike with first base occupied.

Obviously nothing ejectionable, since he held his arms out, palms up, and made his incredulous "What? Who, me? Why? I'm shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you..." face.

What if the uncaught third strike had gone to the backstop, and all the runners had moved up? Would the uncaught third strike be declared a dead ball and the runners sent back? Of course not. An uncaught third strike is a live ball, action continues, the batter/runner can run to first base (even though s/he is out), other runners advance/return with liability to be put out, and the catcher can start a snowball fight. The umpires aren't responsible for controlling or protecting anyone, they're responsible for watching what happens and translating it into outs/runners/runs at the end.

My favorite part.

Keep a thing or two on your "I'd like to try this" list (like a different/adjusted stance, a particular stretch, a tweak to your timing, or working without an indicator or without looking at your indicator). You know, the kind of things you pick up from this site, things that only other umpires will notice. Try one of those things in games like this. You get to work on something new, which keeps you engaged. And you focus on the new thing, leaving you to trust yourself on the rest of your game, which enhances your comfort and confidence. Staying engaged and feeling comfortable and confident when you work will make you a better umpire. And you'll also find out whether to keep that change or cross it off your list.

Holding the ball in either hand and touching the base with any other part of your body or properly worn equipment is good enough.

RELAX. Remember to use the natural breaks in the action as your "down time," when you can roll your neck, stretch your fingers and back, clench your butt, squeeze your eyes shut, breathe deeply. You'll focus more clearly, you'll trust yourself more, you'll stay calmer and fresher, and you'll be better able to slow down your calls, all of which will make you a better umpire.

And probably Ty Cobb.

An experienced umpire asked me earlier this year whether he had a correctly officiated a play which started with R1, R2, 1 out. The ball was popped up on the infield, landed in fair territory between home and 1B, and rolled across the line in front on 1B, where the base coach picked it up while it was still moving. Of course, it wouldn't be an interesting story if had been correct. He ruled the batter out on the infield fly and R2 (the runner closest to home) out on interference by 1BC. He, like it seems many people do, allowed himself to be confused by the fact the fly ball landed fair, neglecting the fact that it still had not passed the base. I don't know why it's such a tough thing. It regularly confuses people when we discuss case plays in clinics, too.

... unless he visits the mound on the way there or the way back.

This is a pretty important point. If you work regularly in a local league, where there are a finite number of teams with accountability to a board, your ejections are more likely to be few, because there are longer-term consequences for the misbehavior. On the tournament and travel circuit, where TDs don't communicate with each other (and many are focused on growing numbers over anything else), there are often no consequences beyond tomorrow, and there are coaches who will exploit that fact.

Sorry, it was you who talked up your vast viewing experience of college and pro baseball to back up your claim that 4-hole batters almost always get pitched to. Rich Ives was obviously making the point that they're not the same. Sometime in your amazing content consumption career, it seems like you'd have come across some footage of Barry Bonds in the early 2000's, particularly in 2004 when Bonds was IBB'ed 120 times in one season). Look it up. In fact, since 2000, Bonds and Josh Hamilton were both walked with the bases loaded, and both times their opponents won the game. Baseball is a game with two levels: at its root, players engage in a series of individual match-ups; in a wider scope, coaches try to optimize those individual matchups. In every sport, at every level, coaches use strategy to neutralize an outrageous 1-player advantage, usually saying they want to "make someone else beat us." They feel like it puts them in a better position to win, which is fun; in the immortal words of Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh: "I love winning, I [really] love winning! You know what I'm saying? It's, like, better than losing?" And as for the absolutely ridiculous juxtaposition of adding "with all due respect" before calling me an idiot, well, I think the other readers can draw a suitable conclusion.

Of course. I forgot about the required award. Thanks, guys.

What's the rationale here? The runner is entitled to run the bases without hindrance, but not entitled to overrun first base without hindrance? Not that it matters, or even that anyone would know for sure. It just seems like an interesting distinction.

What about working from the fair side of the line at your normal depth?

That there's strategy in baseball. IBB is a strategy move that is well within the rules of the game; you just don't like it. Throwing at is explicitly prohibited by the rules and an obvious safety issue. Clearly not the same. Bonds was also IBBed with the bases loaded once, by the Diamondbacks, in an 8-6 game with 2 out. The next batter lined out to end the game, and the D-backs won. What did that teach the kids?

That guy is an asshat. Give respect to get respect.

You're right if you mean that there's no call to make, and that the fair/foul caught/uncaught judgement may change what call you make. You're not strictly 100% semantically correct, though, because BR passed R1, which is something. The offense can't "correct" the passing error before the fair/foul caught/uncaught judgement and avoid the penalty. It's still passing, it just might not be penalized.

BR is out on the catch, R1 is liable to be put out on appeal if he fails to retouch on the caught fly ball.

Just because it's interesting to think about, what if R1 retreats, BR rounds 1B and passes R1, and then R1 gets a better read or some coaching and takes off, re-passing BR, all before the ball lands fair? Still out for passing, same signal, but probably far more likely to lead to something dumb.

HTBT, but probably nothing.

Seems like a lot of angst over a follow-up answer to a question that was correctly and succinctly answered 9 hours earlier.

And leads to many softball players claiming/believing that a forced runner can never retreat to avoid a tag, which is not true.

Yep. And then I try to remember it so I can laugh about it with other umpires later.

But not before the call.