You talk too much (stealing a page from instant replay) ... your thoughts?

[The Man in Blue]

Inspired from another thread (once again) ...

Twice this past season I have had an unusual play where my partner and I had to get together to really analyze our call and the rules.  One I have talked about on here (the hidden-ball trick), but on the second one I tried something "new."  I used the "instant replay explanation" technique after we had talked to the coaches.

This was a softball tournament being played under NFHS rules.  R1, one out.  The batter goes down to bunt a low pitch and the bunted ball dies in front of home plate.  The batter is slow to react and get out of the box.  The catcher comes up and out and I came around.  I tried to duck and look, but I was screened from much of what happened between the ball hitting the ground and the catcher picking it up.  The catcher fielded the ball and threw it away into right field.  R1 ends up at third and the BR ends up at second.

Following the play, the defense is hollering that the ball hit the bat a second time.  The coach comes out and says "The ball hit the bat a second time."  My mistake was not clarifying what he meant by this.  I assumed (yep, there it is) he meant the ball bounced back up and hit the bat while the batter was holding it.  I said I did not see it as I was coming around, but I would go to my partner since I was moving around.  "The coach is asking if there was a second contact.  I didn't see it, but I was screened for little bit coming around."  My partner says "Yes, there was a second contact."

Thinking this one was simple, I come out of the conference, signal and announce "Foul ball!"  The defensive coach comes back to me and says "Hang on, can you explain to me how that's a foul ball?"  I am a little puzzled at this point.  The coach says, "The bat was on the ground, not in her hands."  Now I am a fool.  I have to sheepishly admit I did not get a clear question on the play and I should have.

I get back with my partner who says "Oh yeah, the bat was on the ground, not in her hands."  (I would admonish him for not saying that, but that is not what I asked and he thought I saw it.  Totally my fault.)  Now we have the "did the bat hit the ball or did the ball hit the bat" discussion.  My partner said the bat was definitely stationary and ball rolled into the bat.  That means we had the right "no-call" initially -- that's nothing, play on.

We break and I explain it to the coaches.  The defensive coach is still insisting we have that wrong and he wants interference, but I leave him to his mumbling.  Seeing that the crowd was confused and starting to turn, I took a page from the newly forming book of instant replay: I decided to explain the call for everybody.

I stand a few feet in front of the plate and face the backstop.  "The question on the field was whether there was a second contact between the bat and the ball.  The determination was that the bat was stationary and on the ground when the ball rolled into the bat.  By rule, a stationary bat is considered a part of the field and the ball remains live.  It is a fair ball and there is no interference.  The runners are in the appropriate places."

It worked.  Sure, some of the defensive team's fans were not happy about the play, but because they knew what had happened, it shut shut down the angry complaining and (hopefully) pre-emptively shut down lots of the inevitable comments on the call.

After the game the assignor asked me, "Why did you do that?"  I told him I had been thinking about it for a while, but had never done it before.  This seemed like a really good time, especially since we almost kicked it initially and had to get back together a second time on a rule that seems counter-intuitive.  His comment, "Well, it seemed to work.  The fans weren't too loud about it afterwards."

SO ... what say you?  I have always been taught to say as little as possible, and even less to the crowd.  However, in these weird situations with a tight play and a rules application/interpretation, I think it may be a valuable tool.

 

[JonnyCat]

I think this could be a very effective tool, unfortunately, it's not yet part of the amateur umpire culture yet.

I would like to see it more often though. I would have liked to explain to the jack-wagon fans in my game on Sunday that the runner never touched home plate, and therefore was out. The coach asked me calmly and I explained what happened. No issue with him or the team. However, maybe an explanation to the fans would help calm their dissatisfaction.

I don't know if it will ever catch on, but I don't think it would be a bad thing. I think it would help the game.

Plus, after you're done explaining the call, you could say things like, "Now shut the F&*K up and stop embarrassing your kid!" Or, "Why don't you get your fat ass out of the stands and try to umpire behind the plate, you would SH*# your pants. Now go get another burger, shove it in your pie hole, and shut the F&*K up because no one wants to hear your fat ass complain!"

Or things like that.

[kylehutson]

14 minutes ago, JonnyCat said:

Plus, after you're done explaining the call, you could say things like, "Now shut the F&*K up and stop embarrassing your kid!" Or, "Why don't you get your fat ass out of the stands and try to umpire behind the plate, you would SH*# your pants. Now go get another burger, shove it in your pie hole, and shut the F&*K up because no one wants to hear your fat ass complain!"

Inner monologue @JonnyCat. Inner monologue

[Velho]

I like it how you did it. Clear, concise, correct, unambiguous. It was a clearly a statement and not the invitation for a discussion. IF (capital I capital F) it can be done that way, I think it's a good preventative calming measure.

I, doing LL with usually small crowds (and stands way too close), utilize explaining it loudly to the coach or between innings informally explain it to the fences (foul tip being the most common).

[BLWizzRanger]

33 minutes ago, JonnyCat said:

Plus, after you're done explaining the call, you could say things like, "Now shut the F&*K up and stop embarrassing your kid!" Or, "Why don't you get your fat ass out of the stands and try to umpire behind the plate, you would SH*# your pants. Now go get another burger, shove it in your pie hole, and shut the F&*K up because no one wants to hear your fat ass complain!"

Or things like that.

I get the feeling this just rolled right off of your fingertips and possibly practiced a time or two before...

[JonnyCat]

54 minutes ago, kylehutson said:

Inner monologue @JonnyCat. Inner monologue

Did I say that out loud?

[JonnyCat]

35 minutes ago, BLWizzRanger said:

I get the feeling this just rolled right off of your fingertips and possibly practiced a time or two before...

Maybe. And I will neither confirm or deny I have many more in my repertoire.

[The Man in Blue]

@JonnyCat ... I think that should read "Now go get ME another burger ..."  🤣

[SeeingEyeDog]

I have absolutely used after conferencing on an unusual play, "Upon further review..." and had similar reactions (HS and travel ball). I think it's a good mechanic and verbalization if done well.

~Dawg 

[BigBlue4u]

" ... what say you?  I have always been taught to say as little as possible, and even less to the crowd.  However, in these weird situations with a tight play and a rules application/interpretation, I think it may be a valuable tool."

First of all, don't beat yourself up.  That IS a weird play.  However, for the future here's what you could do.  Ask your partner to tell you EXACTLY what he saw.  That way, there can be no misunderstanding about what you are asking.