Coaches Meeting - UIC

[mjr_2013]

As the Umpire-in-Chief, what are some important things to cover in the preseason coaches meeting for a Little League?

 

I know I want to cover important rule differences between Little League and OBR that will be enforced this year (they weren't last year), and stress that they will be enforced this year.

 

- No hit batter limit

- No on deck circle

- No leadoffs (and tell them to look up 7.13)

- No adults warming up pitchers

 

And so on...

 

I will also want to tell them how to handle a confrontation with an official… Manager requests time, goes to the umpire who made the call, and respectfully asks what they have. They will tell them, and you can tell them what you saw. You can then ASK them to get help from their partner. They may or may not go for help, depending on the situation. They will know the proper times to do so. Regardless of their decision, you must live with it and return to your dugout. If it is a rules interpretation issue, you may tell the umpire you are playing the game under protest… If you have any further issues with the official, don't push your luck with them, simply call me after the game and I will handle it appropriately.

 

What else should I include?

[Rich Ives]

7.08(a )  -  all parts.

 

Sub rules.

 

Pitch count cutoffs and the "AB in progress" exception.

 

Pitching rest is calendar days, not 24 hour blocks of time.

 

Obstruction

[grayhawk]

Pregame equipment inspections.  Umpires DO inspect bats, helmets and catcher's gear prior to each game, right?

What to do when players arrive at the game late (put them at the end of the order), or leave the game early (skip them - no out taken).

F2 must wear a helmet when shagging for a coach hitting infield/fly balls.

No players with bats in their hands in the dugouts.

Pitching limits with respect the thresholds and required days of rest

Time limits, if you have them.  When "last inning" should be called.

[conbo61]

SLIDING, SLIDING, SLIDING. No one has to slide, but if they do it must be legal. If the runner chooses not to slide, he must give himself up. Make sure your league does not have some special, home grown "must slide" rule. It is right in the RIM that a league may NOT adopt such a rule.

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[mjr_2013]

Thank you all!!
 

Umpires are told they may inspect equipment if time allows. I will tell coaches to expect it at any time though, and to have it ready if the umpire chooses to inspect.

 

The "must slide rule" was gone within 20 minutes of my first board meeting. 

[Aging_Arbiter]

may inspect equipment if time allows?  So for example, if time "didn't" allow, and you missed a cracked or badly dented non-wood bat, that subsequently explodes when the batter hits the ball, and remnants of said bat imbed themselves in YOU or another player, then...............that's ok?  That's right.....my bad.   Time didn't allow.

 

NFHS only recently (2 years ago?) reversed a rule requiring umpires to check all equipment before the games, thus placing responsibility on the coaches.  Little League has not (and if I were a betting man, I'd say) and never will.  You receive training and should know what to look for.  Daddy coach is usually cluless.

 

I would suggest re-visiting this one ASAP.  I would think that player safety (as well as your own) needs to be just a bit higher on the priority list.  Just my .02

 

Kudos on educating your board about the "must slide rule"

[mjr_2013]

may inspect equipment if time allows?  So for example, if time "didn't" allow, and you missed a cracked or badly dented non-wood bat, that subsequently explodes when the batter hits the ball, and remnants of said bat imbed themselves in YOU or another player, then...............that's ok?  That's right.....my bad.   Time didn't allow.

 

NFHS only recently (2 years ago?) reversed a rule requiring umpires to check all equipment before the games, thus placing responsibility on the coaches.  Little League has not (and if I were a betting man, I'd say) and never will.  You receive training and should know what to look for.  Daddy coach is usually cluless.

 

I would suggest re-visiting this one ASAP.  I would think that player safety (as well as your own) needs to be just a bit higher on the priority list.  Just my .02

 

Kudos on educating your board about the "must slide rule"

 

Ok, OTOH, say we inspect bats, and the kid who shows up late, or the daddy who take the game too seriously, brings in an illegal bat… He pops one and it hits F5 right in the nose. He now has medical bills, and his parents want someone else to pay for it... The parents then turn to the umpires, "why was that bat allowed into the game?" and they get named in a lawsuit.

 

Say we miss a helmet defect, and a kid gets beaned in the helmet, goes down with a concussion.

 

I don't think it's unreasonable to have requirement 7 of the ASAP Safety Plan (walk field for hazards) be completed by umpire, while requirement 10 (regular inspection of equipment) be completed by coaches on some game days… Opening Day is different, playoffs are different, but if we're on a team's second game of a double header, and we're hustling to get it in before nightfall or before a storm cell, coaches can be held to some responsibility.

[BT_Blue]

I feel that it needs to be either or. Either the umpires inspect every game or the liability lays on the coaches. That way it is consistant. Like in HS and College now, we do not inspect equipment. However, if we catch something, then we have to deal with it.

[mjr_2013]

I feel that it needs to be either or. Either the umpires inspect every game or the liability lays on the coaches. That way it is consistant. Like in HS and College now, we do not inspect equipment. However, if we catch something, then we have to deal with it.

 

I see what you're saying here. Instead of "why didn't you see that?" it would become "why didn't you inspect?"

 

Hmmm…. You guys are making me think!! Do most Little League's have their umpires inspect before every game? I went to a state tournament this past year, and in the six or seven games I watched, only one set of umpires checked equipment prior to the game.

[Aging_Arbiter]

Our local league and district umpires are taught to check before every game.  What I have run into at state tournaments is different.  the TD has a equipment check either before the tournament or before each game.  I've seen it go both ways.  However, what you may notice is the teams that make it further into tournament play, actually have a manager and coaches who do have a clue as to what to look for.  I think the point that I am trying to make, as well as the others, is, you can never be to safe, but better CYA.  Either I'm checking it, or the coach has it.  Granted, freak things will happen. Had a JV game last year, a balmy 38 degrees at game time. all bats had checked out fine.  however, due to temperature (I'm assuming) the barrel of a $300+ Demarini landed near 3rd base while the batter still had the handle.

[JaxRolo]

What's the official LL stand on this?

[maineump]

I think here, the local leagues have the coaches check, as they mostly have 'non-certified' umpires work the games for regular season games.

Once it gets to district tournaments, the umpires check the bats, hats and stuff.

If we hold a tournament on the 90' field, then the umpires check every game. If the bat or hat is bad or illegal, then it is pulled and set aside, then the team gets it back at the end of their tournament. We ran into a major bat issue during the SLWS one year.

 

Part of the problem with the LL (Seniors and above) certified bats, is that it doesn't match the FED rules. Feds = BESR, condition & ratio are all we look for, LL requires more and to know which bats they have certified - hard to do sometimes without the sheet of pictures in your hand.

[grayhawk]

@mjr_2013 - the other thing some leagues do is to have a bat certification day prior to the season starting.  The league has stickers made, and they keep tight control over who has access to them.  Then these stickers are affixed to legal bats and anything without a sticker isn't allowed into the games.  Makes pregame inspections go faster because all you have to do is look for the sticker and then verify that the bat isn't damaged.

[BRUMP]

@mjr_2013 - the other thing some leagues do is to have a bat certification day prior to the season starting.  The league has stickers made, and they keep tight control over who has access to them.  Then these stickers are affixed to legal bats and anything without a sticker isn't allowed into the games.  Makes pregame inspections go faster because all you have to do is look for the sticker and then verify that the bat isn't damaged.

 

 

don't get SH*#ty stickers though… my league invested in stickers that lasted all of 4 days before they fell off

[JaxRolo]

. Part of the problem with the LL (Seniors and above) certified bats, is that it doesn't match the FED rules. Feds = BESR, condition & ratio are all we look for, LL requires more and to know which bats they have certified - hard to do sometimes without the sheet of pictures in your hand.

Feds=BBCOR

[mjr_2013]

Thanks! I'll talk to our safety officer and see what they say. I like the stickers idea too, I'll run in by the board!

[basejester]

SLIDING, SLIDING, SLIDING. No one has to slide, but if they do it must be legal. If the runner chooses not to slide, he must give himself up.

 

The actual wording is "attempt to around".  Within the constraint of 3 feet from the basepath, the runner can still try to avoid the out.

[maineump]

Jax -

My bad - had a brain cramp - said BESR so long, it is hard to get out of the habit

[Rich Ives]

SLIDING, SLIDING, SLIDING. No one has to slide, but if they do it must be legal. If the runner chooses not to slide, he must give himself up.

 

 

This is NOT correct.  A runner must slide or attempt to go around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag,  He must comply with the + - 3' requirement while attempting to go around. There is no requirment that he succeed - only that he attempt.  Hurdling is legal. Retreating is legal. There is NO "give up" requirement.

[conbo61]

SLIDING, SLIDING, SLIDING. No one has to slide, but if they do it must be legal. If the runner chooses not to slide, he must give himself up.

 

 

This is NOT correct.  A runner must slide or attempt to go around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag,  He must comply with the + - 3' requirement while attempting to go around. There is no requirment that he succeed - only that he attempt.  Hurdling is legal. Retreating is legal. There is NO "give up" requirement.

I do apologize. It has been sometime since I worked or coached LL. My comment comes from LOTS of controversy in our league regarding sliding.

Ours was one of those leagues with a homegrown "must slide rule". I cannot count how many arguments erupted between coaches and our in-house volunteer umpires (ostensibly friends and neighbors) over this.

SCREAMING matches, angry calls to board members etc. It was truly insane.

My point was merely to emphasize make sure everyone understands the rule and that it cannot be superseded at the local level.

Apologies for any confusion.

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[mjr_2013]

 

SLIDING, SLIDING, SLIDING. No one has to slide, but if they do it must be legal. If the runner chooses not to slide, he must give himself up.

 

 

 

This is NOT correct.  A runner must slide or attempt to go around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag,  He must comply with the + - 3' requirement while attempting to go around. There is no requirment that he succeed - only that he attempt.  Hurdling is legal. Retreating is legal. There is NO "give up" requirement.

Ours was one of those leagues with a homegrown "must slide rule". I cannot count how many arguments erupted between coaches and our in-house volunteer umpires (ostensibly friends and neighbors) over this.

SCREAMING matches, angry calls to board members etc. It was truly insane.

 

 

Which is why a "must slide" rule is asinine. Your post reminded me of the song "Why can't we be friends" by War. lol 

[mstaylor]

What's the official LL stand on this?

Official stance, check the equipment. A late player or a bat added late, we can't be responsible.