Hands are part of the bat, right Blue?

[Mike Prince]

Had a stinker of a 10U game last week.  We have a local 7-run mercy rule per inning and the VT hit this in the top of the first with no hits.  Starting F1 hit 3 of the first 4 batters, the remaining runners were 4 or 5 pitch walks.  Funny part is the first HBP - high inside pitch and as batter leans back to avoid his hand comes off of the bat (actually both did as he dropped the bat) and the ball hits that free hand.  I call "Time" and motion the batter to first base.

 

HT coach leans out of dugout:  "Blue, hands are part of the bat"

Me:  "Only when he's swinging Coach"

HT Coach: <long pause>..."Can you get help on that Blue"

Me:  "I don't think so Coach - his hands weren't even on the bat and I'm working solo"

HT Coach:  "Oh, OK"

 

Holy crap.   

 

 

[grayhawk]

Had a stinker of a 10U game last week.  We have a local 7-run mercy rule per inning and the VT hit this in the top of the first with no hits.  Starting F1 hit 3 of the first 4 batters, the remaining runners were 4 or 5 pitch walks.  Funny part is the first HBP - high inside pitch and as batter leans back to avoid his hand comes off of the bat (actually both did as he dropped the bat) and the ball hits that free hand.  I call "Time" and motion the batter to first base.

 

HT coach leans out of dugout:  "Blue, hands are part of the bat"

Me:  "Only when he's swinging Coach"

HT Coach: <long pause>..."Can you get help on that Blue"

Me:  "I don't think so Coach - his hands weren't even on the bat and I'm working solo"

HT Coach:  "Oh, OK"

 

Holy crap.   

 

Regarding the bolded statement above - what do you mean?

[soapbox]

Somehow I knew somebody wasn't gonna let that go.

[kristoffae]

Somehow I knew somebody wasn't gonna let that go.

 

It is like a mosquito bite. You can feel it itching you. You try and try not to scratch it. You test your discipline by refraining from scratching it. You say to yourself out loud I am not going to scratch that thing. You did it, you beat the urge to kee....... $@!^ you just scratched the damn thing until it bled.  Ah, sweet relief.

[sdix00]

Can't let it go.  

 

Needs to be corrected.    Hands are never part of the bat. 

[guitarplaya2007]

lol had a varswity coach argue this with me, got run later that same half inning continuing to yell from the dugout that I had no clue what was going on, i ejected him, when he came out and continued to let me know how i had no idea what was going on out there i simply said "You're right, I haven't the slightest clue as to what is going on on a baseball field that's exactly why i questioned your judgement when you bunted with bases loaded 2 strikes and 2 outs, and that's why I think the hands are part of the bat, you shoudl report me to my assigner that I am so clueless that I don't think the hands are part of the bat." Needless to say my assigner called me and couldn't get hello out without laughing his a$$ off

 

And By the way the hands are never part of the bat, even if he swings... think of it this way, if the batter swings and the pitch hits him in the leg and rolls fair is it a live fair ball? If your answer is yes i suggest a couple of rules study sessions for you in the near future. The same applies to if he swings and the pitch contacts the hands

[Mike Prince]

Point taken, I should have just said "no" to the coach. I know better.

[Aging_Arbiter]

Coach, let's try an experiment.  Please hold this bat with both hands.  Now drop it.  Are your hands lying on the ground with the bat????

[Engineer]

The local ump trainer always gave the same answer when the hands are part of the bat debate came up, "When you go to Dick's to get a new bat are there hands attached to it?"

[Dannytheman]

I tell them to go buy me one with hands on it. 

[scrounge]

I got this one in a freshmen game a couple weeks ago. Young little Napolean of a coach was a nice enough guy but was a bit yappity about a lot of calls, even though it was the last game of the year for both teams and his team was winning a blowout. Nothing too out of line, much more chihuahua than pit bull. It was actually kind of amusing in a way.

 

Anyway, his pitcher comes high and inside, hitting the batter on the bottom of the hand as he raised his hands towards his face to protect. It was clear it hit soft flesh, no bat at all. So Chihuahua starts in:

 

Chihuahua:  It hit his hands

Me: (deadpanning) Why, yes it did

Chihuahua:  But it hit his hands

Me:  Indeed

Chihuahua:  The hands are part of the bat

Me:  (giving him a "seriously dude?" look like he had a horn on his head with a slightly bemused shake of the head) Uh....no

Chihuahua:  (the light is slowly dawning) But....uh....it hit the knob of the bat

Me: No, that was all flesh. Let's play.

 

Coincidentally or not, not a peep the rest of the game

[BigUmpire]

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

[mbrown2097]

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

 

Local League president still believes half of the myths. I guess in order to have a session on them, he'd have to realize that they exist first.  Same guy couldn't tell me what rule set the league was playing under.. 

[umpcoachfather]

Hands are only part of the bat if you are born with a bat affixed to your hands and said bat is bone and flesh. 

[guitarplaya2007]

Hands are only part of the bat if you are born with a bat affixed to your hands and said bat is bone and flesh. 

In which case wouldn't that make the bat part of the hands? That is the paradox here....

[UMP45]

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

Because it's easier to let someone else know the rules and yell at them out of ignorance! Plus it would be hard to pick 12. The most common list is 40.

[JHSump]

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

I'll bet most organizations don't do this because, "C'mon!  I know the rules!  Whaddaya talkin' about?  I've been playin' an' coachin' all my life!  Whaddaya mean I don't know the rules?!"

[BigUmpire]

 

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

I'll bet most organizations don't do this because, "C'mon!  I know the rules!  Whaddaya talkin' about?  I've been playin' an' coachin' all my life!  Whaddaya mean I don't know the rules?!"

 

Try it one time.

[BigUmpire]

 

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

Because it's easier to let someone else know the rules and yell at them out of ignorance! Plus it would be hard to pick 12. The most common list is 40.

 

If time will allow 40 is great. It took us 1.5 hours to do 14.

Best thing we ever did.

[JHSump]

 

 

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

I'll bet most organizations don't do this because, "C'mon!  I know the rules!  Whaddaya talkin' about?  I've been playin' an' coachin' all my life!  Whaddaya mean I don't know the rules?!"

 

Try it one time.

 

I'll suggest it to the local league president.

[BigUmpire]

 

 

 

Why aren’t more school organizations, rec organization and other leagues having a "12 most misunderstood rules/myths"  joint sessions with all of the coaches and at least the < 3 year umpires?

 

Amazing results!

I'll bet most organizations don't do this because, "C'mon!  I know the rules!  Whaddaya talkin' about?  I've been playin' an' coachin' all my life!  Whaddaya mean I don't know the rules?!"

 

Try it one time.

 

I'll suggest it to the local league president.

 

If he goes for it there are lots on the web OR ask 2 senoir and one junior umps what rules are needed.