Do NOT cover for your partner!

[bam]

14U AAU DH today.  Absolutely brutal.  Terrible baseball from the start.  5 and a half hours of awful baseball.

 

I have the dish in game 2.  5th inning.  VT has bases loaded, 2out.  Batter mashes a gapper to RC.  Everyone is running, R3 and R2 come in to score.  R1 is heading to the plate as F6 receives throw at 2d.  He whirls to throw and pumps, but seeing R1 in 20 feet from the plate, holds the ball.  My BU turns with the anticipated throw.  BR over runs 2d and F6 lays the tag on him about 5 feet from 2d.  I'm on 3BLX watching runners and have everything in front of me.  BU has NO IDEA what's going on. I make the call at 2d.  VT coach asks me how many runners scored.  I say "You got the first 2 coach"  He says nothing but I heard him tell the scorekeeper they got 3.  I say "No coach, you got 2".  He flips out.  "That's not you responsibility! (he was right).  How can you see that??( Duh - it's my job on a timing play).

 

Long and short of it - I had to dump him.  There's no doubt in my mind he wanted to get dumped - he'd seen enough. 

 

But had I let it play out - let the HT coach come out and ask my partner for help, I wouldn't have been seen as the bad guy - well at least not AS bad.  It probably would have played out where BU comes to me, I give him what I've got and HE rings up BR.  Then I get to explain to VT manager why he's only getting 2 runs. 

 

So - live and learn. 

[johnnyg08]

14U AAU DH today.  Absolutely brutal.  Terrible baseball from the start.  5 and a half hours of awful baseball.

 

I have the dish in game 2.  5th inning.  VT has bases loaded, 2out.  Batter mashes a gapper to RC.  Everyone is running, R3 and R2 come in to score.  R1 is heading to the plate as F6 receives throw at 2d.  He whirls to throw and pumps, but seeing R1 in 20 feet from the plate, holds the ball.  My BU turns with the anticipated throw.  BR over runs 2d and F6 lays the tag on him about 5 feet from 2d.  I'm on 3BLX watching runners and have everything in front of me.  BU has NO IDEA what's going on. I make the call at 2d.  VT coach asks me how many runners scored.  I say "You got the first 2 coach"  He says nothing but I heard him tell the scorekeeper they got 3.  I say "No coach, you got 2".  He flips out.  "That's not you responsibility! (he was right).  How can you see that??( Duh - it's my job on a timing play).

 

Long and short of it - I had to dump him.  There's no doubt in my mind he wanted to get dumped - he'd seen enough. 

 

But had I let it play out - let the HT coach come out and ask my partner for help, I wouldn't have been seen as the bad guy - well at least not AS bad.  It probably would have played out where BU comes to me, I give him what I've got and HE rings up BR.  Then I get to explain to VT manager why he's only getting 2 runs. 

 

So - live and learn. 

 

 

Did you know going in that your base umpire would make a rookie mistake like that?

[bam]

Nope, solid guy. Like I said, bad bad baseball. It's funny how bad games can ruin your timing, and possibly your reputation.

 

Edited to add:  I made a rookie mistake by making his call, so I'm to blame as well.