Side Retired

Maybe not the place for this but in high school varsity ball, I remember our ace pitcher had a tell. With runner on second he would always look at second twice. Only twice not even just one time. always twice. A team we played picked up on it and they started going for third after the second look a couple times before our guy fgured it out. Finally, our guy looked back home the second time with a runner going and someone maybe his dad yelled at him to look at second again right when he lifted his leg to go home. He did but the runner was already going to third, so our guy threw to third who was way back off. No where near the bag. The runner stopped and went back to second and the umpire called it balk. Sent the guy to third. This was a while back, maybe before the legally disengage stuff was added but I don't know for sure. I always thought we got screwed because the runner clearly started to go but then went back to second.

Do'nt know if its ever going to make total sense. It seems more like every game is a whole different ball of wax. What was called in a that game isn't necessarily gonna be called in this one. It's like some same plays get different calls and there's a way to justify calls either way.

I'll try to be less uppity this time. Cal Ripken U14. Runner on second. 2 out. Ball gets away from catcher but not far. Runner steals third. Not so close play, runner is safe. Pretty obvious runner gets there first, but overslides and is hanging on third with one hand. Third baseman is holding tag on the runner. Runner raises other hand to call time. There's a pause in there somewhere apparently because neither umpire says anything. Probably a two or three count passes and the runner let's go of the bag to stand up. Base umpire calls him out. Obviously the coach is mad because the kid was asking for timeout and not given. Not to start a fight here, but why wasn't the runner given timeout? He clearly requested it, the umps had time to give it, but they both waited a couple of beats then the runner lets go of the bag and he's out. I don't get it. When does timeout mean timeout?

I guess we're saying the umpires got it right, made the right call. That's fine. It's just a little confusing sometimes because sometimes you hear this team or that team has to make an appeal because the umpire isn't supposed to say anything in certain situations. Then something like this happens and the umpire goes out of his way to reverse things. How is the average person supposed to know when the umpire should make a call without asking or if one of the teams on the field has to make the appeal first? That's why this question even came up. Parents were talking about it in the bleachers.

Cal Ripken U11 tournament game. 1 out runners on first and third, 2-2 count. Batter swings at a pitch way inside, hits ball in play. Run scores, then runner from first goes to third. Plate ump calls time talks to partner. They rule the ball hit batter's hands. The plate umpire ruled there was no bat-ball contact. Calls strike 3, batter out, runners return to bases. Manager says it hit both hands and bat, it should be ball in play. Manager wants to know how ump can tell it only hit his batters hands. Umpire says the kid is in obvious pain and there was no sound of ball off bat. I don't know how to tell the difference between a hit off the bat or a hit off hands, but isn't that an appeal play anyway? Isn't the fielding teams manager supposed to ask before the umpire rules on something like that? And was that the right call to start?