Runner Interference

[semper_fi_72]

Adult League Wood Bat, OBR.

Bottom of 7th Inning of 9 inning game.

R1.

Batter hits pop up just short of 1B.

R1 steps a few feet off the bag.

F1 and F3 tracking the ball and converging.

F3 calls he has it as he is standing on the line 10 feet in front of 1B.

As ball comes down and hits his glove, BR runs into him, dislodging the ball and it drops to the ground.

1B coach starts yelling, FAIR BALL, FAIR BALL as I am calling the BR out for interference.

R1 takes off for 2nd base. DT makes throw to 2nd which goes into Left Center. I yell we have interference the ball is dead, but no one on the field seems to hear it. R1 now takes off and makes 3B safely.

After the play finally ended and the players started paying attention to me, I advise the BR who is standing on 1B he is out for interference. He starts arguing F3 was standing on the line blocking his ability to get to 1B. I advise him the fielder is protected while he is making a play on the ball and he has to go around him.

R1 who made 3rd is also HT Manager.

He comes over and starts arguing.

I advise him, BR is out for the interference.

We have a Dead Ball at that time of the interference and he has to return to 1B.

He starts to argue that with me. One statement made was, we pay you guys good money. Your suppose to make the right call.

I finally said Sean, that's enough, please come over here with me. I take him off to the side and advise him that is the call. The fielder is protected while making a play on the ball and the BR needs to avoid contact. You and your player need to stop arguing immediately. You only have 9 players today and if I EJ both of you the game will end right now. They were losing at the time by several runs and have been the leagues 1st place team since the start of the season.

There were no further arguments.

VT Manager is heading to 3B Coaching Box when the inning was over and stopped by to talk to me on the way.

He says, Good Job Lou (My name not Blue) on keeping your composure during their argument. He says a lot of guys would have just EJ both of them and ended the game. Thanks for keeping them in the game so they could win in a complete game.

Catcher comes out and before he starts to warm up the pitcher says, Blue, you got the call right, thanks for being so tolerant and not EJ them.

HT Manager comes over to me after last out of game. I hand him his 2 game balls and he sticks his hand out to shake hands and says I apologize for arguing, you called a good game. Thanks. I shake his hand and said your welcome, just doing the best job I can for you.

Final Score VT (4th Place Team) 17 HT (1st Place Team) 9. Only their 3rd loss of the season out of 16 games.

[1dumbquestion]

sounds like a good call and a well handled sitch I'm glad I can learn from you experience. 1

[Aging_Arbiter]

Very nice! SAAAAAAAAALUTE!

[spiritumpa]

Adult League Wood Bat, OBR.

Bottom of 7th Inning of 9 inning game.

R1.

Batter hits pop up just short of 1B.

R1 steps a few feet off the bag.

F1 and F3 tracking the ball and converging.

F3 calls he has it as he is standing on the line 10 feet in front of 1B.

As ball comes down and hits his glove, BR runs into him, dislodging the ball and it drops to the ground.

1B coach starts yelling, FAIR BALL, FAIR BALL as I am calling the BR out for interference.

R1 takes off for 2nd base. DT makes throw to 2nd which goes into Left Center. I yell we have interference the ball is dead, but no one on the field seems to hear it. R1 now takes off and makes 3B safely.

After the play finally ended and the players started paying attention to me, I advise the BR who is standing on 1B he is out for interference. He starts arguing F3 was standing on the line blocking his ability to get to 1B. I advise him the fielder is protected while he is making a play on the ball and he has to go around him.

R1 who made 3rd is also HT Manager.

He comes over and starts arguing.

I advise him, BR is out for the interference.

We have a Dead Ball at that time of the interference and he has to return to 1B.

He starts to argue that with me. One statement made was, we pay you guys good money. Your suppose to make the right call.

I finally said Sean, that's enough, please come over here with me. I take him off to the side and advise him that is the call. The fielder is protected while making a play on the ball and the BR needs to avoid contact. You and your player need to stop arguing immediately. You only have 9 players today and if I EJ both of you the game will end right now. They were losing at the time by several runs and have been the leagues 1st place team since the start of the season.

There were no further arguments.

VT Manager is heading to 3B Coaching Box when the inning was over and stopped by to talk to me on the way.

He says, Good Job Lou (My name not Blue) on keeping your composure during their argument. He says a lot of guys would have just EJ both of them and ended the game. Thanks for keeping them in the game so they could win in a complete game.

Catcher comes out and before he starts to warm up the pitcher says, Blue, you got the call right, thanks for being so tolerant and not EJ them.

HT Manager comes over to me after last out of game. I hand him his 2 game balls and he sticks his hand out to shake hands and says I apologize for arguing, you called a good game. Thanks. I shake his hand and said your welcome, just doing the best job I can for you.

Final Score VT (4th Place Team) 17 HT (1st Place Team) 9. Only their 3rd loss of the season out of 16 games.

one question--if the teasm had more thasn nine players would you of run him as you would of been justified to to--let him read a rule book before you let him talk down to you about the money he pays you--as yo can tell I feel that the rat should have been shown the door.

[semper_fi_72]

one question--if the teasm had more thasn nine players would you of run him as you would of been justified to to--let him read a rule book before you let him talk down to you about the money he pays you--as yo can tell I feel that the rat should have been shown the door.

As stated it is a Adult Wood Bat League.

In reality, they do pay us good money to call their games.

They pay good money to play to the City and the City pays us.

Having worked about 40 games for this league, this season, I know the guys pretty well.

Also first argument that I ever got from them, or any one in this league.

Personally, I always try to resolve any issue and keep players, coaches and managers in the game, when ever possible.

I believe my ability to do so, gains me more respect then to just EJ someone at every opportunity.

203 games in 2010 to date.

4 Ejections.

2 for Malicious Contact (1 High School, 1 in the Adult League)

2 for dropping the F Bomb directed at me. (1 player High School, 1 coach Little League)

So to answer your question about dumping him if there were more players available?

No, I would have used a different angle to accomplish the same task of keeping them in the game.

I also do not think of Coaches or Managers as RATS (I know it is slang), I think of them as people who love the game of baseball as much as I do and treat them the way I expect to be treated.

Maybe that's why I have so few EJs.

[spiritumpa]

As stated it is a Adult Wood Bat League.

In reality, they do pay us good money to call their games.

They pay good money to play to the City and the City pays us.

Having worked about 40 games for this league, this season, I know the guys pretty well.

Also first argument that I ever got from them, or any one in this league.

Personally, I always try to resolve any issue and keep players, coaches and managers in the game, when ever possible.

I believe my ability to do so, gains me more respect then to just EJ someone at every opportunity.

203 games in 2010 to date.

4 Ejections.

2 for Malicious Contact (1 High School, 1 in the Adult League)

2 for dropping the F Bomb directed at me. (1 player High School, 1 coach Little League)

So to answer your question about dumping him if there were more players available?

No, I would have used a different angle to accomplish the same task of keeping them in the game.

I also do not think of Coaches or Managers as RATS (I know it is slang), I think of them as people who love the game of baseball as much as I do and treat them the way I expect to be treated.

Maybe that's why I have so few EJs.

I understand the way you handle your game--I guess it is just when they "talk about us paying you" to me it is them treating the umpire as a employee who they(the boss who pays) fell is not good at their job. The way I looked at it is as soon as they bring up money it is no longer a umpire player relationship it is a boss employee relationship--just a question if you hired a plumber and you felt he was did not know the ruls of plumbing --does that give you the right to get in his face and call him names because you are paying him.

[Dragon29]

I also do not think of Coaches or Managers as RATS (I know it is slang), I think of them as people who love the game of baseball as much as I do and treat them the way I expect to be treated.

I feel the same way and go into each game with that attitude. Usually, it works fine; occasionally, a rat proves me wrong.

[Mr Umpire]

I have to wonder though. If he didn't have the threat of forfeit, would it have paid off? Now, the next time he has more players, will he feel OK with getting EJ and be an issue for the next crew? Or, for you for that matter?

I, for one, am not waiting to find out. I will take the rep of getting rid of many before I will take the chance to find out the alternative. I have found that ending someone's day who really likes the game will have a lasting affect. It has on several players when I saw them again. They had a much different attitude towards me.

Also, if a game is forfeited, it has a much needed affect as well. I've done it and that team gave me no grief again. They learn well when privileges are taken away. They only had 8 and a player decided to yell "That's BS" and throw his helmet down while staring at me on a close play at 1B which I called him out. This was for the final out of the 8th inning.

It really comes down to knowing the teams. If I don't know them, EJ comes easily. If I do and think I can resolve it quietly, then I will to a limit. This sounds like a reasonable solution to the OP. But, it really depends on how they acted and did.

[TNCoach]

I feel the same way and go into each game with that attitude. Usually, it works fine; occasionally, a rat proves me wrong.

That means a lot. I coach because I love the game and I love coaching. I have never had a run in with the association appointed umpires except one. I have had some problems with some schools that do not get association umpires appointed umpires who just take the test and travel with the other team. The umpires know I will come out and question calls, but I never really argue (well maybe once or twice).

The only time I ever had a run in with an association umpire was a situation where the fielding umpire shouted time as the pitcher was in the windup. (He had a question about the pitcher's ability to pitch that inning because of the innings limit in a single game. It was the 8th inning of a 7 inning game.) We (the umpires and coaches) had a meeting about the rule. After the meeting, the PU said "0-1." I called time and told him the BU had called time, but he shouted for me to get back in my coaching box. I asked if he would talk to the BU, but he said for me to get back in my coaching box, so I did without saying another word. He came up the baseline as the inning ended while I purposely walked behind the mound to get to the opposite dugout. He told me I was out of line questionning him. I simply told him I thought the BU had called time during the windup (and I know my batter knew it too, because I had given him the sign to bunt for a hit and he looked like he was taking the pitch.)

Bottom of that inning, there was a check swing. I told my catcher to ask if he could appeal the swing. The PU ripped off his mask walked to the dugout and told me he did not want to hear anything else out of me and that the base umpire did not have an angle to see the check swing.

I know this guy was mad because we were in extra innings and he was supposed to be doing another game (high school) at another field and he was going to be late and maybe even miss the game (and money) so he was upset. I had also questionned a call he made during basketball season (I coach basketball too), so he may have been holding that against me. Thing is, he is a very good umpire (just not a basketball ref haha.) I always enjoy seeing him doing our games because I know he is a good ump.

[HokieUmp]

As stated it is a Adult Wood Bat League.

In reality, they do pay us good money to call their games.

They pay good money to play to the City and the City pays us.

I'm not too upset with the way you handled it, since - at least with these guys - the idea of not getting play any more worries them more than arguing a call. Better than the other way around.

On the other hand, when money gets thrown out that, that's the end of his day, far as I'm concerned. I don't care if it's good money we're getting or not; we're also earning that <bleep>, too. If I and my partner are out investing several hours of our Sunday in hot/humid weather (which describes EVERY BLOODY SUNDAY this year in the Hampton Roads area) to officiate sometimes good, but a lot of times bad, baseball, we're earning it.

When a fielder turns a sure out into a butcher job, I'm not allowed to say to him "that's another five minutes of my life you just cost me," then they can't bring up that we're paid. They don't like paying? Ump each other's games, and see how that works out.

[ukce1861]

When a fielder turns a sure out into a butcher job, I'm not allowed to say to him "that's another five minutes of my life you just cost me,"

Too funny... I might have to try that line some day.:smachhead: