Vegas_Ump

Point to BU and sound off "Did he go?" Only then should the BU respond. Make it clear in your pre-game. Mike Las Vegas

Since we have the benefit of a side view, you can see that the batter squared to bunt and the catcher came out in front of the catcher's box before the pitch got there. I judged that the catcher actually touched the bat! In any rulebook, that's CI, and in the case of an attempted steal of home, it's the only double penalty in baseball. CI - award batter 1B, balk, all runners advance 1 base. Mike Las Vegas

If you judge that the catcher is compliant with his setup, do not allow the other coach to do that. Now, if it's possible that the catcher might get clocked by the bat, that's a safety thing, and I wouldn't mind that bit of advice too much. Between those situations, I guess there is a myriad of choices depending on what the catcher is doing and where the batter's set up. I suspect you are early in League play, so many of the players are steep on the learning curve. Instruction for safety can hardly be protested. JMO. Mike Las Vegas

On a hit to the outfield, the FU does NOT move to B! He cuts in, gets the touch at first, and the does crossover steps ON THE INSIDE to be ready for the play at 2B or follow the BR to third on potential extra bases. Even at my old age with decrepit knees, I could do all that! Mike Las Vegas

In the LL rule book (and ostensibly OBR), it says a runner is out if hit by a FAIR batted ball in FAIR TERRITORY. That's why coaches teach R3's to lead off in foul territory as to avoid an out and other weird things. Play on! Mike Las Vegas

If a pitch is caught, (IOW, no PB /WP), you cannot expect the batter to vanish. So to that extent, if he stays in the box, he's going to have to do something pretty egregious to earn a BI. On the other hand, if the ball is pinging around behind the plate, the batter can be judged to interfere by NOT giving way to the defense. (A lot of good coaches teach their kids to bail to the backstop to remove all doubt!) The stickler I have (youth leagues mostly) is if the batter is backing out of the box while F2 is trying to throw out R2 stealing 3B and then F2 stops his throw (ostensibly because his throwing lane is blocked)! At this point you have to decide if there was no play to interfere with, or do you judge intent on the batter to block the view of the throw........ If F2 plinks the batter's melon, yeah you have (potentially) a play the was interfered with, and you might just have a few more discussions happing very soon. Mike Las Vegas

I think once it's called, you can't un-call it! I was FU for a Majors LL softball game where a popup was ruled an IFF--batter out. Then the wind shifted and carried the ball out to right field. It was dropped by F9! PU allowed play to continue, but he re-inforced that the batter was out. He admitted that he called it too soon, and he could not un-ring that bell! Then he looked for a convenient foul line to crawl under! Moral of the story: Wait until you have all criteria met for an IFF, especially the "reasonable effort" part. Mike Las Vegas

How's this for circular logic? Basic rule: If the third out is made on a force out OR if the batter is retired [in any manner] before he successfully reaches first base, no runs can score. If a batter/runner is tagged out, strikes out and then is tagged after a U3K, or if a fielder gets a batted ball and touches first base before he gets there, that satisfies the second criterion in the rule I listed above. Sure sounds like a FORCE OUT, doesn't it? But it is distinctly defined with more detail. In the general case, if ANY forced runner who is tagged out before he reaches his next base, that's a FORCE OUT nonetheless. And then dealing with the batter/runner it looks the same but it sorta isn't. Aren't the rules a hoot? Mike Las Vegas

Just to add what Dawg said, there are a lot of times (especially in youth ball) where the defense asks for time to get the ball into the pitcher. The umpire is NOT the 10th defensive player nor is he the 3rd offensive coach. You should always weigh the situation if you might disadvantage either team. Mike Las Vegas

In a youth game many years ago, a defensive player was hurt. I called time to get the adults out to remedy the situation. The OM went nuts crying that the play should have been allowed to continue (to his advantage). My response: "I'm a Dad too!" Mike Las Vegas

Absolutely! Especially on the small field. Remember that any rotation is not one continuous motion. Rather, an umpire has duty at his base (touches, for example) then he goes. But I agree on the play in question, the ball was clearly fair and on the ground (with no threat of going out of play). Good point Johnny! Mike

When I was in Virginia, in a four man crew, if U3 goes out, PU comes up to cover 3B. U1 gets the touch at 1B then comes home to cover the plate. U2 is the backup pair of eyes for touches at 2B or a throwback to 1B (not likely). We ran this rotation many times, and the State UIC was always giving us a thumbs up. Similarly, if U2 goes out, U3 slides in and cover touches and plays at 2B, PU comes up to 3B, and U1 covers home. Point is, it's NOT a continuous rotation. Each umpire who moves must first take care of business at his base first (touches, primarily, but look for OBS.) On a 60' field, most umps can see OBS, INT, and touches most of the time. But I have seen this kind of rotation in the pros before with U1 banging out a runner at the plate. It can be done. Mike Las Vegas

In 2010, I was in Kutno, Poland supporting the European Regional LL tournament. One other American was from Midwest region. He told the story of how is aunt mentored him as an umpire for many years. Then, sadly, she succumbed to breast cancer. He then decided to work with a shirt company to make pink umpire shirts as a gesture for breast cancer awareness. The tribute to his aunt took off like a rocket! He wore his in a plate game, and he received a lot of positive comments from the fans and teams alike. In both associations where I officiated, they desired standardized shirts, but they exempted umps with the breast cancer awareness shirts to support the cause. A lot of umps tried to get shirts for Fall Ball to support breast cancer awareness month. Yeah, I guess there are exceptions. Mike Las Vegas

"That's two you owe me!" I heard the coach proclaim. "You will not be here for a fourth!" Mike Las Vegas

I borrowed this from another ump I met at Kutno, Poland: tell the catcher "Do not blaspheme on my field!" The looks you get soon break into laughter. But you can make the point. Mike Las Vegas