Vegas_Ump

Some mechanics discussion for plate umpires: I was doing a SW Regional game at the dish. 1 out, but there was R3 (only). 2-2 count. Batter checks swing, but the ball gets away from F2. In a flash, I went to U1 "Did he go?" "Yes he did!" I immediately pointed with my left arm that I had a U3K situation. F2 gathered the ball and tagged the batter. "On the tag, the batter is out!" Clearly, the defense was well-coached to jump on the U3K right away. But in the debrief, the UIC said it looked like U1 and I had practiced this for 6 months! 🙂 Can't emphasize teamwork too much. It was important because any delay could have allowed R3 to score had F2 not been so astute. Lacking a timely, definitive call could have become a festival. Mike Las Vegas

When I started umpiring, it was in Chantilly, VA. This was a pretty young, growing city with lots of youngsters. The legacy umpires got together and helped to build a Little League program. We had all levels of baseball and softball (including what they called Big Leagues). With 55 volunteer umpires, we covered about 75 games a week! We had 2 leagues: Chantilly American League and Chantilly National League. (Fairfax City had three leagues!) And the State Association actually added a 16th District! Little League was very vibrant. As time went by, the economy and many other factors stopped the mobility of families. Thus, all the kids grew up, and it was less likely that more younger kids would be there who wanted to play baseball or softball and fill in the teams. There are fewer teams now. The leagues contracted. Kids left baseball for lacrosse! So today, you have way fewer kids to start with. Yeah, you might see All-Star Teams from leagues whose players are from way beyond the old league boundaries. People WILL game the system. But Little League will fritter away if they don't have a reasonable number of teams in leagues that are defined with less strict boundaries than before. As a side note, someone commented that ESPN might have something to do with this new rule language. I would not be surprised! They need Tony the Tiger to buy ads for their Regional and International tournaments. Without populated leagues, there will be no Little League programs at District and above. As they said in The Right Stuff, "No Bucks! No Buck Rogers!" Mike Las Vegas

Microsoft Auto-Incorrect strikes again!

Gentlemen: The EPA has just declared the Pi$$ant an endangered species!

Beg to differ with you Jim. Rule 6.05(a): A batter is out when a fair or foul fly ball (other than a foul tip) is legally caught by a fielder. It does not differentiate between a towering fly ball or a line drive. It's a batted ball that hasn't hit the ground yet. Mike

I have had dozens of cases where a wild pitch hit the bat (in numerous places) and went foul. Easy call. So in this case, it is a batted ball. Now there are lots of rules that say what can happen with a batted ball. If a fielder catches it before it hits the ground, the batter is out. Doesn't matter where--foul or fair territory. AND--most importantly--the ball is still live, and runners may attempt to advance at their own risk (after they have tagged up). How's that for a verbose answer? 🙂 Mike Las Vegas

Had a LL 90' State tournament game where both managers started chirping with some serious vituperation. I didn't care who started it! I issued sportsmanship warnings to both managers. The PA announcer took the opportunity to relay the message. (I didn't need that....) But that nipped it in the bud. Mike Las Vegas

Calvin Ball......

I went to that clinic in 2016. Can't imagine that they will stop doing these! It's the best one on the country, IMO. Maybe it's the last one offered this year. They used to have only one per year, then they added one. Then they specialized 90' and 60'. So please find out what the real story is. These clinics are great experiences, and your skills will really improve. Mike Las Vegas

Jim: Gimme a break! I'll give you a real example of jurisprudence gone awry. In the 1990's there was a State LL Tournament in Virginia. The umpires dutifully inspected all the equipment as required. Later in the game, a pitcher took a line drive off his melon! He was severely concussed and evacuated to a hospital. The local newspaper headline said: Umpires allow illegal bat; player taken to hospital with a concussion. All bogus! But the plate umpire was first on the list of potential defendants. Now no lawsuit was ever filed, but you can see the risks that volunteer umpires take if there is ANY suspicions that a safety rule was violated. Can you see a court case? "What safety rules didn't you enforce?" Might be totally irrelevant to the play, but it sets a tone of liability I was not willing to take as a volunteer umpire. My point is this: If you allow an illegally constituted game to proceed, it is really unlikely that any injury will happen. But if it does, the first point made by the plaintiff will be "So you allowed an illegal game to proceed?" As a volunteer umpire, I am not willing to take that risk. Mike Las Vegas

Johnny: What you say is a myth was actually preached by the Chief Umpire of Little League many years ago at clinics we had in Virginia. Scrimmage or practice games don't count. As volunteer umpires we were told not to officiate those games; Little League's insurance would not cover you. That being said, the likelihood of an injury to a player was significantly less. No one was running pell-mell all the time. So doing practice games was a good way to sharpen your skills. It ain't no myth! That's what we--as volunteers--were told. Now, paid umpires (and anyone in other leagues) probably have provisions in their contracts. I'll grant that. But for most of my 34 years as a volunteer umpire in LL, we were told never to accept an illegally constituted game (e.g., less than 9 to start, etc). [And that situation I do have some experience with. During the season the managers and parents have to get their players to the games and conduct the game in accordance with the rules.] No one ever got into trouble for doing such kinds of practice games. But I know of no injuries or jurisprudence resulting from any such games either. So your statement about case law is moot! Just working the game puts the risk on you. But it's rarely happened if at all! Before COVID it was clearly stated in the LL rule book what you had to have to start a game and what should happen if you go below 9 players. Since then, some relaxation of that stance has happened. You use a different set of rules? Fine! Go for it! But any umpire at any level needs to know for what he may be liable if he allows rules to bend. And maybe he's not liable at all! Good for you! Mike Las Vegas

Dawg: Your instincts are wise! Without documented rules to the contrary, the coaches cannot PIROOMA a rule to play with less than the required number of players to constitute a legal game. Under the rule set you use, should a player be injured, the umpire could be held liable for conducting game outside of the rules (and the implied safety consequences thereof.) Lately, LL (in particular) did try to let some provision get into the playing rules (subject to local ratification) that allowed handling contingencies like this. This was a response to COVID lockdown years ago when fewer players were available. Before that, they were very strict on 9 players, period! Mike Las Vegas

I think you DO have obstruction by F3. However, it does not seem that any play was made on the BR. So (under OBR), it's type B. How do you disposition that? Well, what would have happened had there NOT been any obstruction? BR safe at first. So while maven's outcome is the same as mine, there indeed WAS OBS. It's just that without a play, no base award is possible. (And YES I would caution F3 to keep out of the way when there's not play!) Mike Las Vegas

Any time you retire any FORCED runner by any means (tag the bag, tag the player, appeal for missing a base to which he was forced, etc........on the third out,) no runs score! Now if R2 touched third base legally and then was tagged out, it's a timing play, and from the OP it sounds like the run does score. HTBT! Mike Las Vegas

There I was........some 30 years ago! LL 90'. R3 was leading off in foul territory. Batter hits a line drive that smacks the 3B bag. It caroms off backwards and hits R3. The PU called "play on!". By hitting the bag, the batted ball is a fair ball regardless of where it goes after hitting the bag. It's live! But it hit the runner in FOUL territory. I support that call! Mike Las Vegas

I have always worn a TG with a conventional mask or a bucket. Doing Little League, I have been hit there by thrown bats more than by pitches or foul balls. Mike Las Vegas

I have seen the following--both in Pros: 1. R2 rounds 3B and is obstructed. He's hustling home but gets thrown out at the plate, but PU enforces Type 2 OBS and rules HAD THE RUNNER NOT BEEN OBSTRUCTED, he likely would have beaten the throw. (Benefit to the obstructed runner.) 2. R2 rounds 3B and is obstructed (U3 calls it loud and clear!) R2 slows to a trot and the throw beats him by a mile! Out at the plate! The Out was sustained because had the runner NOT been obstructed, his slowing down would have still cost him the out. (Punish stupidity whenever possible.) I put these examples up to give context to the OP: If the BR is hustling to get to 2B, I could easily make the case his being obstructed is the reason he was tagged 5 feet away. SAFE at 2B. My tendency would be to give the benefit of the doubt to the runner--if he's hustling! Point is, if you call OBS Large and in Charge, you better have your explanation ready for the manager that gets in your face--either way. Mike Las Vegas

If R1 does run, he is also in jeopardy of being retired! Got to give the defense the chance to do that too! Mike Las Vegas

I would also add that I religiously wear a throat protector. I have been hit there more by thrown bats than by thrown or fouled balls. So I am a stickler in Little League on proper equipment and it's installation. Mike Las Vegas

The ump owns everything between the dugouts and fences. What goes on in the stands he has no authority over. However, if there are unruly fans, the umpire can suspend the game until peace is restored, the sheriff gets there, etc. A few years ago, I observed on an adjacent field where the sheriff was called, the game was suspended, people were take to jail, and the game resumed. The umpire facilitated the call to the police, but the point is, he didn't get into the scrum. He shouldn't. (He did get support from both managers.) First Amendment? There is also a "fighting words" decision by the Supreme Court that would squash any such nonsense in a lawsuit. But don't go looking for trouble in the first place. Let the league and constabulary work out trouble makers. Mike Las Vegas

First, I agree that the degree of standardization was the best I've ever seen. Second, I think all the umpires were US (maybe Canada). Thus they all had been to some Regional Clinic and likely a Regional tournament to get a high-level evaluation. Without a didactic WPort standardized training, the variations among the umpires from their respective Regions was minimal, IMO. So maybe some of the basics taught at Regional clinics probably had some Headquarters' spin. I saw a lot of games, and I did recognize three of my buds--one of whom did the plate at the championship. In all the games, I thought the zones were pretty consistent and the rotations were pretty crisp. Having done EMEA three times, I fear some of the umpire development programs overseas has suffered, likely due to COVID and the Ukraine War. But some of those umps are really quality officials. It's going to take years to settle all this out, but we need mentors to go overseas and run clinics. Try to get a Regional Clinic that's as involved as let's say WR Clinic. I'd volunteer for that. I think the umps pretty much were transparent. They all hustled, and they made it a great tournament. Cheers! Mike Las Vegas, D-4, WR-2017

These plays happen because the BR lollygags to first, and there is plenty off time to run a double play! Hustle would nullify that opportunity. Mike Las Vegas

Johnny: I had the distinct pleasure of working with Dave Miller in WR 2017. He is everything you say as an umpire! I have been able to see Dave officiate 3B and two plates this year on TV. Outstanding job! I don't mind the term "volunteer" and that's because I have had coaches yell at me about "another quick paycheck with that call." Or you take a foul off the wrist and it swells up like crazy! Then it goes, "They don't pay you enough to take that kind of pain!" And then they look flummoxed when I tell them I was a volunteer LL umpire for 34 years! I kind of proud of that moniker! I am sure I could find better things to do on a Saturday, but baseball is fun too! Until some buffoon gets in my face...... Lets face it, parents think you are paid by somebody, and if their kid doesn't get a call, it must be by George Soros! Umpires are one of many volunteer groups that make Little League work. Glad they do! Mike Las Vegas

Yeah! It's not a substitute for a cup! 🙂

I interrupt a regional tournament game because the throat protector was installed incorrectly. Mike