These people really chap my shorts

[jjb]

I got an email from a coach complaining about an Interference call during a steal of home. The play is irrelevant: he was wrong, end of story. However, he had his runner steal home, and had his batter take a full swing: both the runner and swing arriving, in his words, "a second or two apart"....these kids are 9 years old.

My God, what if (a) the batter connected with the runner rather than the ball, or (B), hit a line drive right at the runner , (5 or so feet away)? A steal of home requires participation by the batter as well as the runner. A suicide Squeeze is a bunt for a reason.

And this guy wants to complain about a Rule Interpretation....

[Mr Umpire]

If this were upper age level, that batter better have cleat marks up his back when it is all said and done. This is one fight I will know nothing about if asked. I saw nothing wrong when the runner is beating the batter with his own bat to see if he likes how it feels.B):agasp_:

[therefump]

I got an email from a coach complaining about an Interference call during a steal of home. The play is irrelevant: he was wrong, end of story. However, he had his runner steal home, and had his batter take a full swing: both the runner and swing arriving, in his words, "a second or two apart"....these kids are 9 years old.

My God, what if (a) the batter connected with the runner rather than the ball, or (B), hit a line drive right at the runner , (5 or so feet away)? A steal of home requires participation by the batter as well as the runner. A suicide Squeeze is a bunt for a reason.

And this guy wants to complain about a Rule Interpretation....

You reminded me of this........ When I was 10 yrs old we were playing baseball at the local high school in the city on concrete. Yes, back in the '60s parents let us do those types of things. Well, about 15 minutes into the game the catcher reaches for the pitch as the batter is swinging (thank God for wooden bats) and clocks him right in the back of the head. :smachhead:He dropped so fast you'd of thought he dove for the ground. Everyone scattered but 3 of us. This kid had to be out for about 5 minutes. Remember, no batting helmet or catchers mask back then when we played pickup. Needless to say, he had a lump on the back of his head the size of a baseball. No idea if it affected him long term. B)

Can you imagine kids playing baseball today:shakehead:........w/o adult supervision, organizing their own game, on concrete, no safety equipment? God help us all. How did we survive as kids. Oh, and we only had 4 channels on TV, had to get up to change the channel, walked uphill both to and from school, it was a one room house......oh, but I digress.:WTF

[moblue]

If the coach is complaining to you personally about one of your judgement calls, I would consider forwarding the email to your assignor or the league president if it is anything other than conversational (i.e. from a coach you know well, or are friends with). Arguing over any play is supposed to be left at the ballfield, not following you home or to work.

[Mr Umpire]

If the coach is complaining to you personally about one of your judgement calls, I would consider forwarding the email to your assignor or the league president if it is anything other than conversational (i.e. from a coach you know well, or are friends with). Arguing over any play is supposed to be left at the ballfield, not following you home or to work.

I understand it as jjb is an assignor or knows this coach and the coach was looking for a ruling of some kind(maybe thinking about a protest). As far as I can tell, jjb is the assignor and this is about one of his umpires.

I think this is just about the batter swinging on a pitch which R3 is stealing HP on. The dangers which this coach is oblivious to b/c he only cares about what the call is and not the safety of his players.

Instead of worrying about sending an email to an umpire, the coach should be sending an email to the parents of the runner and apologizing for endangering their kid with a stupid play. If he called this play, he is complete moron and needs to quit coaching. Someone is going to get hurt for no reason b/c this is NOT a normal play of baseball. If the batter missed the sign, then that is a normal play of baseball. But, the coach should have a sign to be given by the batter to confirm he knows the runner is coming.

[scobes7]

Is this Little League level?? How can the runner be stealing before the ball crosses the plate...I don't see how this can happen?

[jjb]

Hit it on the nose, Mr. Ump: I'm the Director of Umpire Training, and the email was forwarded through his League Director, (who answered his interp question). I was just chapped because of his emphasis on the ruling, rather than his lack of coaching skills.

It's U-trip, Scobes: we use OBR rules.

[theedeuce]

Stealing at 9 years old... Thats U-Trip for you and thats only one of many problems I have with U-trip... It gives room for these wanna-be but never could be coaches these brilliant ideas like sending his runner during the pitch timing just right where ball and runner arrives at the plate at the same time. The truth of this matter is the coach found some way to manipulate the game by taking advantage of some young minds.

OBR rules for 9 year olds... lol... It's like teaching calculus before one can grasp algebra... Makes a lot of sense...

[scobes7]

Hit it on the nose, Mr. Ump: I'm the Director of Umpire Training, and the email was forwarded through his League Director, (who answered his interp question). I was just chapped because of his emphasis on the ruling, rather than his lack of coaching skills.

It's U-trip, Scobes: we use OBR rules.

I see. just can't imagine putting a 9 year old just learning the game and to run for that matter in that kind of position.

[jjb]

For the most part, we handle UTrip very well: the kids learn lead-offs/pick-offs, balks (more or less) at a younger age than LL. I'm originally from New England, where we used LL rules up to 13: it was a huge Culture Shock to the 13's who had never lead off a base, or a pitcher who never could balk. It's just these little things that make it difficult.

[blindumpire99]

I tell ya what, if any rat had MY kid trying to steal on this kinda suicide--he would be listed as MIA after I suicided his rat @$$ in the parking lot I drug him to..

And I had the same notion as Scopes about stealing the plate as well..U-trip...

[theedeuce]

For the most part, we handle UTrip very well: the kids learn lead-offs/pick-offs, balks (more or less) at a younger age than LL. I'm originally from New England, where we used LL rules up to 13: it was a huge Culture Shock to the 13's who had never lead off a base, or a pitcher who never could balk. It's just these little things that make it difficult.

jjb... Are you talking recreation or travel ball. When I hear USSSA I generally associate that with travel ball.

If your talking recreation then I can already assume it was a sloppy game. There is plenty of time for these 9 year olds to learn about leading off and stealing and it absolutely does not belong in recreation leagues. The primary focus at this age should be about pitching, hitting and fielding. Anything else adds confusion to these young minds and there are coaches out there that relish on opportunities that you originally described... and these coaches usually fade away as the kids get older.

[treedog24]

It's coaches opinion(their's) shopping. In one of the leagues I'm involved in I train the umpires so I get a ton of these type of emails and my response is a) the trophy is not that big, b)trophies collect dust in a basement, c) impressions (both good and bad) last a lifetime. Nothing is worth having a kid disapointed or injuried because of one game. It a game for god sake we as umpires are there to keep the players safe, call the game to the best of our abilities, and to keep the adult coaches away from each other and ripping each others eyes out because they have some pent up childhood agression.:agasp_:

[BT_Blue]

had to get up to change the channel, walked uphill both to and from school, it was a one room house......oh, but I digress.

You forgot the snow on the ground that went waist deep.

Im not old enough to have walked up hill both ways but I am old enough to have walked up hill on the way to school... and that was bad enough.