taking back a balk????

[hckyosgood30]

Just watching the ALWS on ESPN3 and with runners on the corners F1 does a 3 to 1 pick off move. Pitcher disengages and throws to 2nd base. Runner bites and gets into a pickle. Run down goes on for a few seconds then right before the runner is out, I believe the U3 comes up and kills the play with a balk. Ok no problem so far. Coach comes out and wants help, crew gets together and changes the call? Puts everyone back, and now the other coach is not happy. Because this would have been the 3rd out of the inning. They showed the replay a few times from different angles and the only thing I can see that he might have gotten him on was not clearing the rubber, or going past the 45 degree towards the plate. But would you ever change a balk call like this?

Sorry if someone knows how to find or get just this clip it would be helpful I'm just unsure how to do it. The game was on ESPN3 at 8a EST, bottom the 7th 7-2 Hawaii vs. Minnesota.

thoughts?

[sdix00]

There are some cases when another umpire might introduce some information without being asked.

Apparently, Alfonso Marquez believes F1 stepping off is one of those times. This would nullify a balk.

http://mlb.mlb.com/v...ent_id=14655019

I captured this and pushed it up to YouTube.. Here are the details that I saw.

8/13/2011 10:00 AM EDT

BASEBALL

American Legion World Series

Eden Prairie, MN vs. Waipahu, HI

ESPN3

No audio due to problem with my cam. Sorry. Sorry for the poor video. Bandwidth at the office is not very good.

Balk is called. Presumably because U3 said F1 made a motion to home on his 3rd to first, or "53" move.

However, umpires get together and put the runners back. Commentators are perplexed, and they are guessing that some one must have called Time before the Balk call.

[Mr Umpire]

There are some cases when another umpire might introduce some information without being asked.

Apparently, Alfonso Marquez believes F1 stepping off is one of those times. This would nullify a balk.

http://mlb.mlb.com/v...ent_id=14655019

It is. I believe it is in the MLBUM as well. Volunteer strike call by BU on an U3K half swing is another one.

If the balk call has no effect on the play, I would let it stand as in the clip. If it does, then I would stop play. Not sure if there is an official interp on how to handle a situation like this if someone reacts to it. I wonder if it falls under the "If no one reacts to a foul ball call" situation.

[hckyosgood30]

The problem came with the fact that U3 waited so long to call the balk, and that they nullified it in the long run. U3 waited to long to call it, he waited to call it until right before the runner was about to be tagged for the 3rd and out of the inning. Now either way you screw a team. A. You have a balk that wasn't and the run scores and runner to 2nd. Or in B. you reset everyone and the other coach is pissed b/c that was his final out of the inning that you just took away from him.

How would you handle this?

[mstaylor]

How would you handle this?

There is no good way to handle this. The best way is get it right the first time. :)

[kwiggie]

IMO,

The real "GEM" of this whole clip is when after the reversal of the balk call sets off F1 who begins to carry on like a Drama Queen on the mound (weird... right!), finally collects himself and is ready to deliver. But wait, in a truly veteran move the batter calls for time, just to give the Drama Queen another 15-20 sec. to think about what just happened. Now, watch carefully as F1 delivers a completely atrocious beach ball of a pitch. Well done young man!