fair or foul

[Guest sonny]

a batted ball down the third base line hits fair then bounces up and towards foul ground, all before passing third base.  Fielder, while standing in fair territory reaches across the foul line and catches the ball in the air before hits the ground again.  Fair or foul?

[th3]

if the fielder touches the ball over foul territory before it reaches the base, it is a foul ball. position of the fielders feet is irrelevant

[beerguy55]

It only matters where the ball is located.  If the ball is entirely over foul territory when it is touched in this scenario it is foul.  If any piece of the ball is over fair territory it is fair.  This is also true on a fly ball/non-grounder in the outfield.

The position of the fielder, his feet, his glove, don't matter.   Fair territory is defined by the line (chalked or theoretical) on the ground.  The fielder is neither fair nor foul territory.

[grayhawk]

Always love the comment from the Mom in the stands, "But he was standing in fair territory!"

[beerguy55]

2 hours ago, grayhawk said:

Always love the comment from the Mom in the stands, "But he was standing in fair territory!"

I remember a game where I was on deck, and the umpire made the correct foul ball call on the batter at the plate - pitcher in fair territory, reaches into foul territory, drops the ball - batter returns to plate with a strike.

I'm sitting in the on deck circle arguing with my teammates, on behalf of the umpire, telling them that the umpire is right - they're heckling the ump for making the "wrong" call...I'm telling them to shut up, and that he actually made the right call (didn't help that nobody liked this guy and he was wrong as often as he was right)....and then the ump calls time, points at ME and tells me to stop arguing with him.   You can't win for trying.

[Mussgrass]

17 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

I remember a game where I was on deck, and the umpire made the correct foul ball call on the batter at the plate - pitcher in fair territory, reaches into foul territory, drops the ball - batter returns to plate with a strike.

I'm sitting in the on deck circle arguing with my teammates, on behalf of the umpire, telling them that the umpire is right - they're heckling the ump for making the "wrong" call...I'm telling them to shut up, and that he actually made the right call (didn't help that nobody liked this guy and he was wrong as often as he was right)....and then the ump calls time, points at ME and tells me to stop arguing with him.   You can't win for trying.

No good deed goes unpunished! 

[Replacematt]

@beerguy55, why haven't you started umpiring yet?

[beerguy55]

7 minutes ago, Matt said:

@beerguy55, why haven't you started umpiring yet?

Because I don't have the level of sainthood most of you have.  I could never tolerate the SH*# you put up with for the pay involved.

[Replacematt]

2 minutes ago, beerguy55 said:

Because I don't have the level of sainthood most of you have.  I could never tolerate the SH*# you put up with for the pay involved.

It's all a journey...what does not kill us makes us stronger.

[grayhawk]

Because I don't have the level of sainthood most of you have.  I could never tolerate the SH*# you put up with for the pay involved.

Honestly, I rarely have much to put up with. I’ve given one warning in a JUCO game so far this season. I’ve had a handful of coaches come out on me, all done professionally. Hustle, work hard, and show that you like being there and it mostly goes smoothly.

[Richvee]

5 hours ago, grayhawk said:

 

Honestly, I rarely have much to put up with. I’ve given one warning in a JUCO game so far this season. I’ve had a handful of coaches come out on me, all done professionally. Hustle, work hard, and show that you like being there and it mostly goes smoothly.

I have to agree with this. I've had similar results. A lot is due to hustle, attitude, appearance, etc. It sure isn't because I'm better than the others..Ain't that right, @Kevin_K?

[ElkOil]

9 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

Because I don't have the level of sainthood most of you have.  I could never tolerate the SH*# you put up with for the pay involved.

There's a correlation between how good an umpire is and the amount of crap he takes. Oh, there's still crap to be had, but it decreases as skills and confidence increase.

[noumpere]

6 hours ago, ElkOil said:

There's a correlation between how good an umpire is and the amount of crap he takes. Oh, there's still crap to be had, but it decreases as skills and confidence increase.

Yep.  There's also a theory that an umpire who is "perfect" for the first 6 innings and then butchers a pitch will catch more crap than an umpire who has been bad the whole game -- the coaches have given up on the latter and are surprised by the former's mistake.

[Kevin_K]

10 hours ago, Richvee said:

I have to agree with this. I've had similar results. A lot is due to hustle, attitude, appearance, etc. It sure isn't because I'm better than the others..Ain't that right, @Kevin_K?

Here's where I smile and wink, right?  

[kylehutson]

16 hours ago, beerguy55 said:

Because I don't have the level of sainthood most of you have.  I could never tolerate the SH*# you put up with for the pay involved.

As opposed to coaching, which usually involves a bunch of BS (more from parents than from kids, IME), and usually pays nothing?

[Rich Ives]

On 3/28/2018 at 4:30 PM, grayhawk said:

Always love the comment from the Mom in the stands, "But he was standing in fair territory!"

It matters in most other sports.  Don't be upset at the fans for not understanding.

[noumpere]

6 minutes ago, Rich Ives said:

It matters in most other sports.  Don't be upset at the fans for not understanding.

i am (was) never mad that they didn't understand -- only that they loudly exclaimed how right they were and how wring the umpires were.

Asking, "Ive never seen that before -- I wonder what the rule is?" is far better than "I've never seen that before, and it went against our team, therefore the umpire got it wrong." -- unfortunately, the latter is far more prevalent.

[ElkOil]

3 hours ago, noumpere said:

Yep.  There's also a theory that an umpire who is "perfect" for the first 6 innings and then butchers a pitch will catch more crap than an umpire who has been bad the whole game -- the coaches have given up on the latter and are surprised by the former's mistake.

Truth.

I was calling the game of my life a couple of years ago, then called one high strike. One. The raft of hollering from the stands was unreal. You'd have thought I was kicking puppies.

[CJK]

23 minutes ago, ElkOil said:

You'd have thought I was kicking puppies.

Were you?  I mean you kicked that call.  You probably kick puppies, stuffed animals, cute little teacup pigs, and those funny little fainting goats, too.

Ya kicker.

[grayhawk]

1 hour ago, Rich Ives said:

It matters in most other sports.  Don't be upset at the fans for not understanding.

I don’t get upset, I chuckle to myself about their ignorance and their apparent need to share it. 

[CJK]

7 minutes ago, grayhawk said:

I chuckle to myself about their ignorance and their apparent need to share it. 

Yep.  And then I try to remember it so I can laugh about it with other umpires later.

[ElkOil]

28 minutes ago, CJK said:

Were you?  I mean you kicked that call.  You probably kick puppies, stuffed animals, cute little teacup pigs, and those funny little fainting goats, too.

Ya kicker.

Everything but those goats. They're too funny to kick.

[Tborze]

2 hours ago, Rich Ives said:

It matters in most other sports.  Don't be upset at the fans for not understanding.

Don't be upset with the officials, as parents, for not understanding!  

[LRZ]

5 hours ago, Rich Ives said:

Don't be upset at the fans for not understanding.

I can accept fans' lack of understanding and knowledge. What is somewhat harder to accept is their frequent willingness to expose their ignorance by yelling stupidities and insults. "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." --Variously attributed to the Bible, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain.

I know, I know, don't talk to the fence.

[ElkOil]

45 minutes ago, LRZ said:

I can accept fans' lack of understanding and knowledge. What is somewhat harder to accept is their frequent willingness to expose their ignorance by yelling stupidities and insults. "It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." --Variously attributed to the Bible, Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain.

I know, I know, don't talk to the fence.

That's the thing about ignorance. By definition, those who are ignorant don't know it.

[Rich Ives]

1 hour ago, Tborze said:

Don't be upset with the officials, as parents, for not understanding!  

They don't know they're wrong.