IFF again

[OHUMP]

Had a partner that just amazed me yesterday and made it to the do not work with again list

 

R1, R2 no out top 3rd.  I have the plate.  Pop up on the infield we call IFF batter out and R2 has a brain fart and runs to 3rd on contact.  SS fails to catch ball.  For some reason home coach appeals leaving early at 2nd and my partner calls him out.  They are stating then once we call IFF then the ball is considered caught and all runners can tag from that point on.  visiting coach argued with my partner and I tried to correct but he would not listen.  He kept saying caught ball or not once we call IFF all runners must tag regardless of whether the ball is caught or not.  I have worked with him numerous times and never had an issue until this time.  How would you correct this if it was your partner and it is his call?  After the game I tried to get him to show me where he got it from but he just hopped in his car and left didn't even wait for me to finish getting out of my gear.  I was wondering what I missed because home coach and Umpire were saying the same thing.

[grayhawk]

Of course you are correct.  This is a situation where I would most certainly get with my partner to get the call right.  It's a misapplication of the rules and a protest would be upheld.

[sdix00]

Try to fix it quietly.   Otherwise let him make his call. 

 

If the game is protested, then everything gets fixed because he is required to consult with you and the rule book. 

 

If no protest, then it is what it is. 

[noumpere]

Figure out a way to raise the issue to your training committee or whoever - there are many misconceptions about the runners responsibilities on this type of play.

[OHUMP]

Unfortunately this league does not allow protests but I could not believe he would not listen to me in any way.  In the end I just had to tell the visiting team coach it was his call and it was what we were sticking with.  I could see he knew I didn't like it and he was already ahead 10 to 0 so he let it go.  I expect I will hear from our assigner about it this week sometime if not tonight.  This is the only time I have ever felt like throwing my partner under the bus but I cannot do to someone what I would not want to happen to me.

[maven]

If this was a HS game, Ohio does not allow protests. So no recourse there.

 

FED rules do not permit one umpire to overrule another, so if you can't budge him off that call, you don't have many options. But that's such a bad one, I might work extra hard to rectify it.

 

It's not clear from the OP, so I'll just mention it: be sure your conversation with your partner is private. If coaches are included, partners get defensive and confrontational. When I'm trying to get a partner off a call, I ask questions: are you sure that's the rule and not..., are you sure the player didn't do ..., etc. Give them a moment to collect their thoughts.

 

Even still, some guys won't budge. Definitely sounds like someone not to work with!

[OHUMP]

I did pull him aside it was just us and he would not budge from his call.

[scrounge]

Whoa....my partner yesterday in our pre-game said the EXACT same thing and would not even hear of it when I said it was wrong. Thankfully it didn't happen....but come on.

[Rich Ives]

OBR 2.00 Infield Fly  "The ball is alive and runners may advance at the risk of the ball being caught, or retouch and advance after the ball is touched, the same as on any fly ball."

 

FED has he same retouch rules as OBR. Harder to assemble. There nonetheless.

[mstaylor]

I don't get why people, both coaches and umpires, want to over complicate the IFF. When the discussion comes up I simply tell them it is exactly the same as any other fly ball except the batter is already out. 

[JHSump]

I think coaches just have not read the rule.  It's not rocket science.  They just don't read the rules, in general.  I had one local league coach ask me if 10U was the last age group where IFF applied.  He thought it was a local rule!  At least most coaches are not that ignorant of the rules.  But, still, coaches generally know only what they've heard by word-of-mouth, about the rules.  And, that's a game of "telephone," at best.

[BigUmpire]

I don't get why people, both coaches and umpires, want to over complicate the IFF. When the discussion comes up I simply tell them it is exactly the same as any other fly ball except the batter is already out. 

Perfect. Simple.

[spiritump]

the post said you where the plate umpire--you are the crew cheif --you are the boss have to make partner listen the best you can--after the game buy him a rule book and mske it a point to let him know the next time you see him that he is a Smitty. 

[scrounge]

the post said you where the plate umpire--you are the crew cheif --you are the boss have to make partner listen the best you can--after the game buy him a rule book and mske it a point to let him know the next time you see him that he is a Smitty. 

 

Some men you just can't reach...

[SoCal Lurker]

Wow.  When my son was 10, I remember him responding to someone (maybe after an announcer refered to IFF as complicated), by saying "It really isn't hard to understand " - I asked him a variety of questions, and he got them all right.  It really isn't that complcated ionce you spend more than 30 seconds thinking about it . . .