Ethical question

[renegadewolf]

I was working dish on a mens league game last night, the guys take the game pretty seriously and it is fairly competetive.  Unfortunately this game turned into a blowout very early on and the home team had a 12 run lead in the 3rd.  In the bottom of the fourth there was a pass ball that went all the way back the full distance (30+feet) which allowed R2 to advance to 3rd. The catcher is meandering back towards home and gently lobs the ball towards the pitcher.  R3 now decides he is going to bust it home and successfully scores, which as you can likely guess didn't go over to well with the visitors (and a lot of the home team as well).  While I was getting a drink between the innings I overheard someone mention that they aught to plunk the kid next time he comes to bat.  The context of that was in a normal level conversation, and normally had I not been back where I was I never would have heard the conversation.  The afore mentioned plunking never occurred, so this is more of a hypothetical, but had the kid come up to his next bat and gotten hit by a pitch say anywhere other than in the head would you  let it go as "lesson learned" so to speak or would you feel the need to eject.  I am personally more in the "nothing to see here" camp again unless they are throwing heat at his head at which point it is just flat out unacceptable.

1968

[noumpere]

would you  let it go as "lesson learned" so to speak or would you feel the need to eject.

 

​There is a whole range of possible actions inbetween those options, including a quiet comment to the catchers ("I hope this is over now"), to a louder comment to both teams to a formal warning.

 

You should be aware of the possibility even without overhearing the conversation.

[maven]

1. Enforce the rules of your league.
2. Address crap when it happens, so that players don't think their amateur game is like the pros and try to police the game themselves.
3. When you hear a comment like that, remind the speaker of the league penalty for throwing at/near a batter.

This is, btw, a game management question, and not truly an ethical one.

[basejester]

I'm sorry if this seems pedantic, but it bothers me.  It's a "passed ball", not a "pass ball".

10.13 WILD PITCHES AND PASSED BALLS

(b) The official scorer shall charge a catcher with a passed ball when the catcher fails
to hold or to control a legally pitched ball that should have been held or controlled
with ordinary effort, thereby permitting a runner or runners to advance. When the
third strike is a passed ball, permitting the batter to reach first base, the official
scorer shall score a strikeout and a passed ball.

 

[maineump]

You say you wouldn't have heard it from your normal between innings spot, even though it was bush league (they do the same thing in men's hockey, thinking there is a scout in the stands) let it go. Watch the first pitch to the 'offending runner' and deal with it the same as if you hadn't heard it.

Don't be that guy with Rabbit Ears.

[Mick]

This will sound like "creative umpiring" at its worst, but here goes:  if he hit the batter below the head -or- if he went for the head but the batter avoided it, he's gets a warning.  If he hit the batter in the head, he's GONE.

[grayhawk]

If you heard it, and did nothing, and then they end up throwing at the guy's head on his next at-bat and injure him (concussion, orbital bone fracture, eye damage, etc), how would you feel?

I understand it was said in the context of a conversation, and not necessarily them plotting their move, but this isn't professional baseball.

[kstrunk]

Shame on them for letting you hear their stupidity. It's on them, not you. Do what is necessary for the good of the game, and the players (all of them), and faithfulness to the rules. 

[catsbackr]

I'm in the "leave it alone, the game will take care of itself" camp.

[chuck]

Regardless of level, this is amateur baseball and regadless of what the knucklehead did wrong (scoring needlessly), he does not deserve to be injured. If I know about it, I have to take steps to discourage it. Like it was said, I don't want to leave there after an injury with the knowledge I might could have prevented it. His teammates can inform him of the error of his ways.

[HokieUmp]

I had a similar thing a few weeks ago, in adult ball.  A runner had been stealing signs, apparently, and the catcher (who was wound too tightly to begin with) didn't like it.  He and F1 were talking between the plate and the mound, and I hear him say something about "sticking one in his ear next time."  The batter did, too.

F2 and the batter exchanged a few sentences about it, but not too heated, so I let it play out.

When the inning ended, I called their ... manager?  Guy who showed up at the plate meeting? over to the side, and told him what I'd heard.  I said "I get it - there's a code.  But you'd better pray for the health and safety of #10 [that was the guy at 2B stealing signs] the next time he bats, because if he gets hit, I'm going to start tossing, and it might be more than one.  I like my house far too much to lose it over a game in THIS league."  (And it would have been F1, minimum;  maybe F2 automatically, or maybe when he got pissed

He understood.  And his comments suggested that he knew his F2 was generally a hothead.

I would LOVE to leave it alone, but the games I work include minors, or amateur adults.  Minors have parents that would be only too happy to sue someone, and the amateur adults see the same lawyer ads on local TV that I do, and can make the call themselves.  Paid players?  They can handle themselves.

Besides, if the dumb-ass had just kept his voice down ......