Protest

[mstaylor]

Well, tonight was my second protest. Sixth inning of a close back and forth varsity game. R1, batter strikes out, R1 steals, the batter goes across the plate on the swing. The PU, is only in his second year as a varsity umpire. His zone was excellent and his rules knowledge is OK but he wasn't good at coming up with it or be very vocal about it. He came up, pointed at the batter and killed the ball but he didn't finish it. I asked if he had BI, he says yes so I banged the runner. The batter was out two, the R1 was three. The manager was unhappy and refused to believe I had it right. I explained that normally the batter is out and the runner returns. Since the batter was out on strikes then you have to have an out on the BI so the runner is out. Once we both had our say, I told him he had two choices, go to the dugout and play ball or protest. I also told him I had no problem if chose to do so. He said he would let me know by the end of the game. I told him it had to be now or never. Just before the inning started he came back out and said he thought he would protest. I told him OK and went to inform the pressbox and home coach.

In the bottom of the sixth the home team scored three runs to bring the score to 8-7. The visitors failed to score in the TOP of seven. The AD, also the county sports administrator, came to my truck to go over the procedures. I was looking up the rule in the book, I showed it to him. He suggested I show it to the VM. He decided to keep the protest. :shrug:

[Welpe]

Maybe he's hoping the protest committee can be swayed, is stupid or maybe both.

[BT_Blue]

Mike, you have much more experience than I do. But I have always been told to not give them the option to protest. If they want to do it, so be it. But to never put the idea out in the ether. Am I right in that assumption?

[mstaylor]

I prefer to offer it. Many here have called me crazy but if I offer the coach to protest then he can't say I was just making it up. If I am confident enough to offer a protest then the coach has to decide how confident he is. In this case he was afraid to make me mad, or he wasn't confident. I told him a protest is a tool he possesses and it wouldn't bother me if he chose to use it. It was between innings so it gave him some time to consider and just before the next inning started he decided to pull the trigger. I told him no problem. After the game I showed him the rulebook cite, he decided to roll the dice. I turned my report in with the rule and casebook cites. I do not believe he did the same so it may all be moot.

That makes exactly twice I have been protested and if this goes through, I expect to be upheld.

[Fittske24]

Mstaylor, In your judgement, did you think that without the interference by the batter, R1 would have been thrown out? The FED rule here is a bit fishy. The FED rule does not have this as an automatic out as in NCAA. The FED rule has a case play where the runner can be returned in a similuar situation:

7.3.5 Situation C: With R1 on first base, one out and two strikes on B3, R1 attempts to steal second base. B3 swings and misses the pitch and interferes with F2's attempt to throw out R1. RULING: B3 has struck out. If, in the umpires judgement, F2 could have put out R1, the umpire can call him out also, If not, R1 is returned to first base.

[mstaylor]

Could is the operative word. Yes, he could have buut because of the interference we will never know how close it would have been. That's why I say if there is any chance, bang the out. If the runner steals on the pitcher and there is no chance, send him back.

[Fittske24]

I guess it will all boil down to how strict your protest committiee is. Hopefully they don't key in on the underlined in this statement if this is what you told the coach and noted in the protest report.

I explained that normally the batter is out and the runner returns. Since the batter was out on strikes then you have to have an out on the BI so the runner is out.

If the committiee is worth it's sal,t it will come back to you and ask if you thought R1 would be retired. If not, it could be a coin flip decision based on the rule interp.

[mstaylor]

Turns out it is a moot point, the coach never turned his report in. He had 72 hours, I called the county AD for his county and he had never even knew it was a possibility.