What is it with these Partners?

[JaxRolo]

Last night I had the plate. 16U game. Runner on 3rd. Next pitch is a Foul Tip which I signaled properly. As the catcher throws back to the pitcher R3 steals home. I score the the run. Base Umpire calls time and wants to chat with me. He wants to return the runner to 3rd because a Foul tip is a Foul ball. SAD, SAD SAD

Between innings he is on his cell phone. Or standing there with his arms crossed between pitches.

Supposedly (according to him) a sought out Umpire. Been to some type of Olympics and Major tournaments around the world! 16 Years experience. Best of best!!!

[grayhawk]

What did he say when you informed him that the ball is still in play after a foul tip?

[BigUmp56]

One year of experience repeated 16 times......................maybe.

Tim.

[JaxRolo]

What did he say when you informed him that the ball is still in play after a foul tip?

He said a foul ball is always a dead ball. I told him he was correct. But we don't have a foul ball. He said yes we do. I said we are going with my call.

[ukce1861]

Last night I had the plate. 16U game. Runner on 3rd. Next pitch is a Foul Tip which I signaled properly. As the catcher throws back to the pitcher R3 steals home. I score the the run. Base Umpire calls time and wants to chat with me. He wants to return the runner to 3rd because a Foul tip is a Foul ball. SAD, SAD SAD

Between innings he is on his cell phone. Or standing there with his arms crossed between pitches.

Supposedly (according to him) a sought out Umpire. Been to some type of Olympics and Major tournaments around the world! 16 Years experience. Best of best!!!

Serious question - was his name Robert?

[JaxRolo]

One year of experience repeated 16 times......................maybe.

Tim.

I think he meant 16 games experience. Even then he should know that rule.

[BigUmp56]

What did he say when you informed him that the ball is still in play after a foul tip?

He said a foul ball is always a dead ball. I told him he was correct. But we don't have a foul ball. He said yes we do. I said we are going with my call.

The only way he's going to learn is if you point him to the definition of a foul tip. He doesn't have to take your word for it, but it's pretty hard to deny the language - It is not a foul tip unless caught and any foul tip that is caught is a strike, and the ball is in play.

Tim.

[Umpy]

I had a very similar situation in a Little League game on Sunday. I was working the bases, and there was a foul tip, but the PU called "FOUL TIP, FOUL" and the runner stopped about 3/4 of the way to second and walked back to first.

I let the kid go back to first because his team was up like 12-1 in a Fall Ball Little League game, and he never actually acquired 2nd. I gave PU a talking to between innings though.

The weird part was right before the game I had been talking to him about how a foul ball that goes straight back should just be called "FOUL" and not "FOUL TIP" because a foul tip was something else entirely. I guess you never really learn until you mess up during a game.

[Thunderheads]

Yes., ...going to have to show it to him in the rulebook because if you don't, ...he'll never believe it.

I was working a fall ball game last season with a guy, ...nice as can be, but ...a smitty to say the least. Verbalizing swinging strikes, ...cap on backwards,....gray Dockers, etc, etc.....

I was BU ...

Foul tip, ...kid from first steals second......... sure enough, the coach says, ...."excuse me blue, ...isn't that a foul ball" ..... PU scratches his head, and starts shaking his head yes....he starts pointing to the kid at second, and says to me, ...foul ball Jeff, he's got to return, ...I say .... No ...foul tip is a live ball ..........he gets that deer in the headlights look and says....OH YEAH, that's right, thanks! Then explains to the coach :shakehead:

[mstaylor]

I'm sure I've told this story here, if so move along. I was on the bases at a Pony 13/14 game. We had a foul tip and R1 advanced to second. The PU and R1 were both catchers. The PU comes out and says the runner has to go back, R1 asks me why, it was a FT. I meet the PU between the mound and the plate and ask him if it was a tip, sharp and direct to the catcher and the catcher caught it? He says absolutely. I tell him that's a live ball and runner stays at second. My PU says,"Really?" We go to restart and the DM had been catching his book up, looks up and suddenly wants to know why the runner is still at second. At that point my illustrious partner says," I don't know, ask Mike, he made the call." So I had to explain to them again.

[JaxRolo]

I guess there are more people that didn't know this rule than I realized!!! Yikes!!! :crybaby2:

[mstaylor]

The bad part in my case the PU had caught through college, and both the manager and PU had been in the rules clinic that had very specificly covered this very rule. Absolutely priceless.