Video Bulletin #1

[jms1425]

Five different plays in this week's NCAA Video Bulletin - I'll link it here (hopefully it will work for anyone interested) - whachagot?

I'll give me takes as a reply to the OP.

[jms1425]

I'll only comment on Play 1, to let others have a chance to get their takes in. 

Play 1: Balk; as soon as F1 steps toward 3rd and does not complete the throw, this is a balk; umpire(s) should be killing the play and awarding R3 home and R2 gets 3rd

Does anyone have anything different?

[BLWizzRanger]

He doesn't step toward third either on the initial play, does he?

[Replacematt]

1. Balk. I have a step to 3rd and no throw with that step.

2. INT on BR. Kicking the ball hindered the defense.

3. Pitcher with a foreign substance. EJ and four-game suspension.

4. Nothing but an out. 

5. Illegal set. (Also, one of the pitchers that destroyed one of my Adidas masks on a cross-up last year. That has nothing to do with my call.)

[SH0102]

4 hours ago, jms1425 said:

I'll only comment on Play 1, to let others have a chance to get their takes in. 

Play 1: Balk; as soon as F1 steps toward 3rd and does not complete the throw, this is a balk; umpire(s) should be killing the play and awarding R3 home and R2 gets 3rd

Does anyone have anything different?

I have a balk as well.  To answer the videos second question, IF you don’t call balk (as these umpires didn’t), then the subsequent play was correct.  Since R3 was not forced to advance, he has legal right to third base, so R2 was out when both tagged on third.

When R3 came off, he was liable to be put out but catcher re-tagged R2 and then somehow R3 was allowed to go home without a throw/play.  R2 out, run scores (if you don’t balk, which I do)

[Senor Azul]

I want to make sure we are talking about the same thing on Play #4, Mr. Matt. To me the question is did the fielder push the runner off the base. Is that your understanding of the question posed about the play? I agree with all your other calls except this possible disagreement.

As far as I know there is nothing in the rules book about a fielder pushing a runner off the base but there is an NCAA interpretation shown in the 2016 BRD.

Official Interpretation:  Paronto:  A legal tag that is forcefully applied to a runner can result in an out. When a runner is going into a base without body control and a forceful tag knocks him from the base, he is out.

Since it is the policy of the NCAA to defer to OBR interpretations when they have nothing specific to cover a certain issue we need the OBR interpretation about a fielder pushing a runner off the base as well. Here it is—

Official Interpretation:  Wendelstedt:  If a runner is knocked or pushed off a base by a fielder and would not have lost contact on his own momentum, the umpire following conclusion of play will call time and award the runner the base he had already reached safely.

The question to decide is did the runner lose contact with the base because of his lack of body control or was he knocked off the base when the fielder landed on him?

[BLWizzRanger]

1. I see a step that doesn't toward a base, a second step towards third with a feint, and then a throw. Balk.  The runners would be, at a minimum, R2 out, but, I know the angle is bad but is R3 touching the base when tagged? If he isn't, then R3 out and R2 safe.

2. NCAA it is interference, but FED it isn't - not intentional.

3. Pitcher with a foreign substance. EJ and four-game suspension. (yes, I copied from Matt).

4. Why isn't this obstruction (or, at a minimum, a train wreck)? F5 lands on the runner pushing him off the base.

5. Illegal set.

[Velho]

My uncle Kent says Matt is correct on #4 😉

[Mad Mike]

Good discussion...for #5, what is the rule referenced that would make this an illegal set?

[SH0102]

I would have a very difficult time calling an out in #4.  Runner had made the bag, his momentum complete, he’s on the bag until the fielder falls on him.  It is not a simultaneous play where slide and tag happen and slide comes off, even with a little help from tag, he is safe, guy jumps/reaches for ball and falls on runner causing him to come off the base.  I can’t get an out there.

[noumpere]

10 hours ago, Matt said:

1. Balk. I have a step to 3rd and no throw with that step.

2. INT on BR. Kicking the ball hindered the defense.

3. Pitcher with a foreign substance. EJ and four-game suspension.

4. Nothing but an out. 

5. Illegal set. (Also, one of the pitchers that destroyed one of my Adidas masks on a cross-up last year. That has nothing to do with my call.)

Agreed, now that I got the video to work.

 

Almost 50% of the video was "introduction" and the music was annoying -- some of the same issues with NCAA videos from other sports.

[johnnyg08]

Lots to learn from on the 2nd video.

Clear hinderance from the BR should've stopped it at that moment. 

Then if the BR ends up being safe at 1b, we have a runner touching the plate and nobody sees it b/c the PU is false hustling up the 1b line.

There's some room for opportunity to improve the production. A grammatical error on nationally produced videos is a pretty big miss...but let's give Billy a chance to get his sea legs. It's his first one. 

 

 

[Replacematt]

22 hours ago, Mad Mike said:

Good discussion...for #5, what is the rule referenced that would make this an illegal set?

I shouldn't have phrased it that way. 

If he's pitching from the set (which is assumed based on his foot position unless he declares the windup) this is a step to third without throwing. 

[Replacematt]

13 hours ago, johnnyg08 said:

Lots to learn from on the 2nd video.

Clear hinderance from the BR should've stopped it at that moment. 

Then if the BR ends up being safe at 1b, we have a runner touching the plate and nobody sees it b/c the PU is false hustling up the 1b line.

There's some room for opportunity to improve the production. A grammatical error on nationally produced videos is a pretty big miss...but let's give Billy a chance to get his sea legs. It's his first one. 

 

 

I noticed that about PU, too. We have to remember the situation and only go where the play allows us.