The Mercy Rule RULES!!!!!

[catoblue]

OK, a little background first... This is my first year back into only umpiring. For the last 15-16 years I coached (LL), and only umpired maybe 6 games/year. This year I did 25 games for our local league.

So now, the local league is hosting the district 10-11 Tourney, and the first night of the tourney (Tuesday after the 4th) I'm at the baseball complex for my son's last LL Juniors game, and that is when I get asked if I could call some games. Well unfortunately, I have prior commitments Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, so I can only do one game - Wednesday night. Now, many of you know that the NorthEast US is in a bit of a heat wave this week (7/4 - 7/9) with temps in the mid-to upper 90's and humidity in the same range (heat index is 103-106 all week).

So here's a description of the single LL tournament game I worked this year...

in a word... BRUTAL.

At game time, it was 94 with 85% humidity. I brought 2 liters of gatorade, and was supplied with several bottles of ice water (periodically dumped over my head and on my neck).

I did a good job staying hydrated, and dealt with the heat OK. The brutal part was the game itself. Home team lost 28 - 0 in a mercy rule game after 4. It took 2:10 to get through the 4th.

First 2 innings, I called a regulation strike zone. By the third, it was easy to tell where the game was headed, so, although I don't like to, I expanded my zone - batters box to batters box and neck to mid-shin.

40 minutes into the top of the 3rd, I called time to let the defense come in and get drinks and some shade from the dugout. (Yes, the defense had been on the field for 40 minutes and only had one out folks!).

Home team pitchers were waaay off. Even with the expanded zone, they were throwing strikes one out of four or five pitches, and every time they put one anyplace near the plate, the visiting team would rip it to the outfield. I think that the home team pitchers only got 2 or 3 called strikes all night, and maybe a half dozen legitimate swinging strikes, along with a slew of foul balls. The visiting team was swinging the bats and making contact with anything close.

I have to give the VT manager credit too - He did a couple things that showed a lot of class: After he got a 13-0 lead in the first, he held all of his runners at 3rd on passed balls for the rest of the game (I can only imagine the score if he had been sending them!). The other thing he did, was when we finally got to the top of the 4th, he had his kids pretty much intentionally strike out. They were swinging on every pitch, and not at the ball. HT finally got a 1,2,3 inning.

Also, my partner and I totally missed an infield fly - we've been calling games all season under fools rules (local rules) that had no IFF. Fortunately, it didn't matter, because all the runners held up and F1 caught it easily. Freaking local rules screw everyone up!

Also I managed to get hit in the CP 4 times - once on a foul ball and three times on pitches missed by HT's F2. Also took a foul that bounced under VT's F2 and got me in the cup!

The only rules question that came up, had to do with subbing for an injured player when there was nobody eligible on the bench.

HT had just put his three subs in, MPR not met yet, and F2 hurts his hand and can't play any more (which sucked for HT because he was also their best F1 and hadn't been on the mound yet).

I was pretty sure that the "opposing manager can choose" rule was right, but since it was a tourney, I borrowed the coaches rule book and made sure - and was correct. Opposing manager deferred to HT Manager picking the kid to go back in, and we play on.

After the game, I went home and wrung the sweat out of my uniform, then jumped in the pool for a good 20 minutes. Slept like a baby afterward. I pleasantly was surprised that this game didn't cause any nightmares - must be my brain decided I only needed to live through it once!

Edited July 9, 2010 by catoblue

[mstaylor]

I am the same heatwave, although it cooled off to a balmy 93 at game time. It cooled as the night went along and a lady behind the screen actually put a blanket on. I'm talking 88 or 90 and she puts a freaking blanket on.I was doing a SrLL game between two leagues that are bad but not great. The pitching was decent and they matched up well. It ended up going nine innings with the home team winning in the bottom of the ninth.

I had a bunted ball hit the bat a second time, foul. I had a couple of battes get hit in the box on batted balls, foul. I had a foul of the knob of the bat. A balk that got pitched and hit to right. Half tried to play it half didn't, I stood and watch the fun. I had runners on second and first, no balk. I got protested on that one, ADA was an umpire. It was a 7/6 3:10 game. It was also a blast to do, all the fans left happy at good a game it was and how well it was officiated.

[semper_fi_72]

I was pretty sure that the "opposing manager can choose" rule was right, but since it was a tourney, I borrowed the coaches rule book and made sure - and was correct. Opposing manager deferred to HT Manager picking the kid to go back in, and we play on.

catoblue

There should be a Tournament Director and a Official Score Keeper sitting at a table right behind the back stop.

They should have a rule book on the table and when a question arises they make the determination. Should be no need to get a copy of a rule book from a coach.

Should that ruling not satisfy the coach then they contact the District Administrator and then Regional Headquarters immediately to get the proper ruling.

Minus the humidity, the heat wave back east sounds like a normal Summer day here in San Bernardino, California.

[catoblue]

That's the kind of game I like!!!!! Absolutely sounds like a fun game to call.

I'm done for the year - unless they put together some fall-ball. Maybe next year I'll get a fun one like the one you described!

I did get complements from both sides after the game, and both teams had managers and coaches that demonstrated class and good sportmanship through the whole ordeal (hard to call it a game), but by then, all I wanted to do was get out of my wet uniform and get home to our pool.

[catoblue]

catoblue

There should be a Tournament Director and a Official Score Keeper sitting at a table right behind the back stop.

They should have a rule book on the table and when a question arises they make the determination. Should be no need to get a copy of a rule book from a coach.

Should that ruling not satisfy the coach then they contact the District Administrator and then Regional Headquarters immediately to get the proper ruling.

TD was present, but was coaching a BR game on a different field. This really wasn't anything we needed to get him involved for, and the coach's book was quicker to get in-hand than to have the scorekeeper dig it out of the box of stuff on the scorer table.

It wasn't a protest situation or anything that needed to go outside the field - both coaches were unsure, and I was "pretty sure" about the rule, but just for the sake of doing the right thing, I saw the book on the HT's bench and asked him for it like this "Let's make sure I'm right on this, let me see your book for a second." I had read through the tourney section the night before, and turned right to the page and verified it. Then I called both managers together and told the VT manager that by rule, he get's to pick which player gets to re-enter. His response was "any kid he (HT manager) wants". This was at a point in the game where VT was up 25 or 26 to 0.

Minus the humidity, the heat wave back east sounds like a normal Summer day here in San Bernardino, California.

Back in my Navy days, I was stationed in San Diego, and lived for a couple years in Chula Vista and for a year in El Cajon - it got plenty hot, but the lack of humidity made bearable.

Even now, I travel to India for work once/year, and the temps in the spring when I visit range between 99 and 105, but the humidity is almost 0%, and it isn't bad. Once we get into the summer three H's (Hot Hazy Humid) here, it gets unbearable, the humidity keeps your sweat from evaporating, so you don't get that natural cooling.

Edited July 9, 2010 by catoblue

[rulebook]

This thread gave me flashbacks of a game last week. Similar weather conditions, similar score. In the 4th inning, the visiting team was already ahead by at least 20 runs. Every single batter that came to the plate laid down a bunt and they still scored 2 runs that inning. Brutal.

[alex7]

Fwiw, fed gives coaches the option to both agree and quit a game before it's 4 and a half innings if it gets out of hand. Not sure, though, if theres a way to ask a coach if he wants to utilize that option without running the risk of upsetting him.

[yawetag]

Fwiw, fed gives coaches the option to both agree and quit a game before it's 4 and a half innings if it gets out of hand.

Rule cite, please.

[mstaylor]

Must be a local thing because it is not a FED rule.

[yawetag]

Must be a local thing because it is not a FED rule.

Then " fed gives coaches the option" is incorrect. It's statements like this that seem to be remembered more than the correct ones. In fact, it's times like this that I wish Warren would just delete the completely fictional posts.

[mstaylor]

I just reread 4-2-2 and there is nothing.

[yawetag]

I just reread 4-2-2 and there is nothing.

Did you really have to, Mike?

Starting now, I've got a new acronym: SYW. It means "Show Your Work." Remember math in school? It's the same, only you have to cite the appropriate rule when you make a statement.

[LMSANS]

Fwiw, fed gives coaches the option to both agree and quit a game before it's 4 and a half innings if it gets out of hand. Not sure, though, if theres a way to ask a coach if he wants to utilize that option without running the risk of upsetting him.

NJ has a state adoption on the mercy rule for softball that allows a game to be ended after 3 innings with a 15 run differential, if both coaches agree. I had the situation last year in a varsity contest that was not evenly balanced, and everyone knew it. After 2 innings the score was 14-0. Between innings I went to the losing coach and asked if he would like to take the option, if it happened. He said "no, we need the work."

The game wound up 22-4 after 5, when the regular mercy clicked in.

[Umpire in Chief]

There doesn't have to be a rule for a coach to pull his team off the field. 2 years ago I had a JV game where the coach pulled his team after 1.5 innings. What are we supposed to do? Coach you have to play.

[yawetag]

There doesn't have to be a rule for a coach to pull his team off the field. 2 years ago I had a JV game where the coach pulled his team after 1.5 innings. What are we supposed to do? Coach you have to play.

True. Missouri requires a special report for coaches that pull their team off the field.

[mstaylor]

If they pull their team early it becomes a forfeit.

[JaxRolo]

That's a good point mike.