Four In One Night

[BigUmp56]

I haven't shared this in awhile, and thought you all might like to hear about my four ejections on one play.

 

 

LL Seniors game:

R3, 1 out and a passed ball. F1 is charging hard to receive throw from F2, and is pulled slightly up the third base line. R3 attempts no slide as he reaches the plate,  lowers his shoulder and crashes F1 who applies the tag.

 

Obvious malicious contact and easy call on ejecting the runner. I call the runner out, and immediately eject him for the contact. Gone-#1. After the contact with the runner,  F1 is knocked hard to the ground, slamming the back of his head on the plate. He drops the ball, but drops it after he made the tag  and in my judgment showed secure possession.

 

After I call the out, and eject R3, I look down at F1 and see his eyes roll back in his head. I now have a more serious problem than the game to deal with. He is out cold for maybe 8 - 10 seconds. U1 and I are longtime friends and I know he was a medic in the army, so I motion for him to come in help out..

The defensive team's manager and one assistant coach run out, but they just stood there with a deer in the headlights look and did nothing to help their player, so my partners and I took charge. I'm trained as a first responder, and as I said, U1 is a trained medic.

We clear the players away from F1 and ask them to please let us tend to him. What transpired next was sort of unbelievable to my partners and myself

While we're tending to F1, the offensive manager comes to the plate to argue the call while the pitcher is still down. I tell him that now is not the time, and direct him to please return to the dugout and let us care for this young man. He decides to not stop arguing. U3 has come in by now as well, and tries to walk him away, but he persists in arguing the out call and ejection. I tell him once more to return to the dugout, but he refuses. Gone-#2.

 

By this time F1 has regained consciousness, and is trying to sit up. My partner tells him to lie still, but he sits up after a few more seconds anyway. We get him on his feet, and start to walk him back to the dugout. While we're heading to the dugout with him, one of the the assistant managers of the offensive team comes out to us insisting that we "sign his book" in regards to the out call and the ejection, and shoves the book in my face, stopping us from continuing to the dugout. I tell him that he needs to go back to the dugout and wait until we're ready to talk to him. Apparently he had other plans for the evening, and chose to continue arguing. Gone-#3

 

Under normal circumstances I would have given them a chance to discuss the play right away, as they were arguing a rule interpretation. I felt they were taking things too far while we were still trying to help F1 get on his feet and back to the dugout.

After F1 is situated in the dugout the defensive manager comes to me and asks me if they can have some time for F1 to get ready to return to the mound. My first thought was that this guy couldn't be serious, but he was serious as a heart attack. I tell him no and that F1 is done because he'd lost consciousness. He goes nuts and tells me that I have no authority to disqualify his pitcher regarding an injury, and that it's his job to watch out for his own kids. I tell him I beg to differ and tell him our decision is final. He says I'm wrong and there is no such rule in LL giving me that authority. He refuses and says we're a$$holes. Gone-#4.

 

I know that the FED provision to remove a player that's been rendered unconscious doesn't apply in LL, but there was no way we were going to let them put that kid back on the mound with the three of us finishing the game.

After I dumped the defensive manager, I inform the assistant manager that he now has the responsibility to get another pitcher on the mound, or we're going to call the game when he joins the manager in the parking lot.They inform me they are continuing under protest, but do as I ask, and get a new pitcher headed out to the mound. Before the ball is made live, the offensive team informs me that they too are playing under protest.

 

 

What a night!

As a note, the injured pitcher began vomiting in the dugout and had to be taken to a hospital & was later diagnosed with a concussion.

Tim.

 

[Pete Peterson Sr]

He goes nuts and tells me that I have no authority to disqualify his pitcher regarding an injury, and that it's his job to watch out for his own kids.

As a note, the injured pitcher began vomiting in the dugout and had to be taken to a hospital & was later diagnosed with a concussion.

 

I'm glad to see the coach was doing such a great job of watching out for his player.......   I had a coach actually tell me and my partner, after his F8 and F9 collided during a fly ball, that "he doesn't have a concussion, he just got knocked out for a second". Some people are just idiots.

[johnnyg08]

Yet another reason that youth sports is going down the drain.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[stl_ump]

Concerning the MC at the plate.  Since this is illegal, wouldn't the fact that F1 dropped (or appeared to drop) the ball be irrelevant since the runner committed and illegal act?

[BigUmp56]

Concerning the MC at the plate.  Since this is illegal, wouldn't the fact that F1 dropped (or appeared to drop) the ball be irrelevant since the runner committed and illegal act?

 

That would depend on the rules set being used. Most amature organizations that use OBR use a modified version of it that will have MC provisions. In LL and BR, you're correct and it's irrelevant whether or not the fielder held onto the ball. The runner is out regardless. I recounted the event this way for others that may not be familiar with contact rules that include an out.

 

Tim.

[scrounge]

These people have no business being in any leadership position involving youth....shameful and dishonorable.

[SJA]

LL:

Under Section III Teams(d) Note 3:

NOTE 3: If a medical professional, Umpire in Chief, the players coach, the

players manager or the players parent has determined a player sustains a

possible concussion, the player must be, at a minimum, removed from the

game and/or practice for the remainder of that day. The league must also be

aware of its respective state/provincial/municipal laws with regards to

concussions and impose any additional requirements as necessary. His/her

return to full participation is subject to Ú„1) the leagues adherence to its

respective state/provincial/municipal laws, 2.) an evaluation and a written

clearance from a physician or other accredited medical provider and 3.)

written acknowledgement of the parents.

[johnnyg08]

Concerning the MC at the plate.  Since this is illegal, wouldn't the fact that F1 dropped (or appeared to drop) the ball be irrelevant since the runner committed and illegal act?

 

 

This is a great point.  Any organization that I'm aware of, and any organization that I work under same/similar rule sets will have a dead ball "out" there regardless of the status of the ball.  

[mstaylor]

Are you sure the kid was the one with the concussion?

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk 2

[Mike Prince]

At least the concussion was only temporary brain damage which is more than we can say about the coaches on both sides.

[BigUmp56]

SJA,

 

Can you tell me when that language was added to LL literature? This incident happened a number of years ago, and I don't think there was a provision that gave the UIC that authority. As I recall, at the time the only thing written was to cover an injured player being removed from the game by the manager not being able to return without a doctor's authorization.

 

Thanks!

 

Tim.

[SJA]

BU56, I really don't know when it was added since I just "came back" this year and it is in the 2013 LL Rule Book. Page 31.

:-)

[BigUmpire]

BigUmp56 did it right.

He ruled on the safe side.

We need more like him.

A responsible coach, dad, umpire needs no RULE to do this.

 

" Thats my decision coach, feel free to protest it, I will look forward to it"

 

Great game management!

[GreyhoundAggie]

Absolutely. Safety is rule #1 on the field. Amazing people forget that sometimes.

[bleacher_bum]

Wow.  Cool story.  Sounds like a bad dream.  You handled it well.  I'm a medic myself, and when something like this happens during a game, my medical training takes over, even when I'm coaching a base or the injury is on the other team's kid.  It's just way, way, waaayyy more important than a stinkin LL (or any youth) game.

[blue23ll]

So I don't suppose that manager thanked you for possibly saving his player from further  injury?

[BigUmp56]

So I don't suppose that manager thanked you for possibly saving his player from further  injury?

I worked a couple of games afterwards that he was involved in and he never said a word about it.

Tim.

[Daniel]

Tim, while I haven't gotten four in one game, I did get THREE.  And, the game couldn't continue because it was three adults from the same team.  LL Jr. league.  You might have inspired me to post it some time.

[plateumpire]

In the Little League I am in there is a rule that if the umpire thinks the player may have a concussion the player is to stop playing.

[scrounge]

In the Little League I am in there is a rule that if the umpire thinks the player may have a concussion the player is to stop playing.

 

In the state I am in there is now a law requiring officials, coaches, and trainers to pull a kid out if he/she exhibits any signs or symptoms consistent with a concussion.

[MB_Ump]

In the Little League I am in there is a rule that if the umpire thinks the player may have a concussion the player is to stop playing.

 

In the state I am in there is now a law requiring officials, coaches, and trainers to pull a kid out if he/she exhibits any signs or symptoms consistent with a concussion.

This year LL umpires were supposed to take concussion training (watch an online video, take a test on the video) and certification of that training is supposed to be on file with the league(s) you are working in. As far as I know this was the first year. It was highly stressed that you err on the side of caution.

[mbrown2097]

Good grief, what was on the line in that game, a  new car for the winning head coach?

[SoCal Lurker]

 

 

In the Little League I am in there is a rule that if the umpire thinks the player may have a concussion the player is to stop playing.

 

In the state I am in there is now a law requiring officials, coaches, and trainers to pull a kid out if he/she exhibits any signs or symptoms consistent with a concussion.

This year LL umpires were supposed to take concussion training (watch an online video, take a test on the video) and certification of that training is supposed to be on file with the league(s) you are working in. As far as I know this was the first year. It was highly stressed that you err on the side of caution.

 

 

This is becoming more common in many sports as concussions are better understood.  Like LL, AYSO has adopted mandatory concussion training -- it's really complicated:  if there are concussion symptoms no more playing!