SeeingEyeDog Posted June 1 Report Posted June 1 Men's league, 2-man, OBR...nobody on so, my partner is in A. I have a clear catcher's interference violation (his mitt goes flying following being hit by the swung bat). I grab the call immediately and we get BR down to 1B...F2 goes to retrieve his mitt and as he comes back to the plate he stops, notices there is no chalk on this field (since it's men's league) and "marks" where he thinks the back of each batter's box is with his toe in the dirt. (I thought about times batters have marked a line in the dirt following a strike call that they disagree with and ejections I've issued on that and thought about going directly to the ejection because F2's act here could have been interpreted as him disputing where he thinks I have the back of the batters' boxes. Then I thought about the fact that for most of the men's league teams in my market, most carry a starting catcher and maybe have a guy who put the gear on that one time. So, I'm thinking, if I eject this guy I'm likely going to have to work behind a supremely sub-optimal catcher...) Finally, I decide to grab my brush and clean the plate. As I stand up, I lock eyes with F2 and say, "Caleb, I need you to please erase those marks you drew in the dirt or I will have to remove you from the game..." He erased the marks without saying anything and we resumed the game without further incident... Brothers, what do YOU have? ~Dawg
SeeingEyeDog Posted June 2 Author Report Posted June 2 18 hours ago, Velho said: F2's name was Caleb or Richard? How'd that end up for you, Dick? ~Dawg
MadMax Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 On 6/1/2025 at 4:04 PM, SeeingEyeDog said: notices there is no chalk on this field (since it's men's league) and "marks" where he thinks the back of each batter's box is with his toe in the dirt. 🤔 Do you know how to draw / determine batter boxes, by request? Serious question.
BigBlue4u Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 On 6/1/2025 at 2:04 PM, SeeingEyeDog said: Finally, I decide to grab my brush and clean the plate. As I stand up, I lock eyes with F2 and say, "Caleb, I need you to please erase those marks you drew in the dirt or I will have to remove you from the game..." He erased the marks without saying anything and we resumed the game without further incident... Brothers, what do YOU have? Why did you not just ask him why he did it?
834k3r Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 On 6/1/2025 at 2:04 PM, SeeingEyeDog said: Men's league, 2-man, OBR...nobody on so, my partner is in A. I have a clear catcher's interference violation (his mitt goes flying following being hit by the swung bat). I grab the call immediately and we get BR down to 1B...F2 goes to retrieve his mitt and as he comes back to the plate he stops, notices there is no chalk on this field (since it's men's league) and "marks" where he thinks the back of each batter's box is with his toe in the dirt. (I thought about times batters have marked a line in the dirt following a strike call that they disagree with and ejections I've issued on that and thought about going directly to the ejection because F2's act here could have been interpreted as him disputing where he thinks I have the back of the batters' boxes. Then I thought about the fact that for most of the men's league teams in my market, most carry a starting catcher and maybe have a guy who put the gear on that one time. So, I'm thinking, if I eject this guy I'm likely going to have to work behind a supremely sub-optimal catcher...) Finally, I decide to grab my brush and clean the plate. As I stand up, I lock eyes with F2 and say, "Caleb, I need you to please erase those marks you drew in the dirt or I will have to remove you from the game..." He erased the marks without saying anything and we resumed the game without further incident... Brothers, what do YOU have? ~Dawg Personally, I've got nothing. If there was some angst or animosity between you and F2 prior to that incident, then maybe I'd talk to him. But taken at face value, I don't have anything. 2
noumpere Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 "caleb -- if you think the batter is too deep, just ask me and I'll draw in the back of the box. But, I can't have you drawing it in after the fact -- you know how bad that looks." 6
Velho Posted June 3 Report Posted June 3 21 minutes ago, noumpere said: "caleb -- if you think the batter is too deep, just ask me and I'll draw in the back of the box. But, I can't have you drawing it in after the fact -- you know how bad that looks." Need a site modification to allow me to like that more than once 2
The Man in Blue Posted June 4 Report Posted June 4 I am seeing it more as him giving himself a line to measure/remind him where he is, not him objecting to something he never mentioned. I've got nothing. I don't object to asking him, but I wouldn't go there without better reason. 1
Aqualung Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 On 6/1/2025 at 5:04 PM, SeeingEyeDog said: Men's league, 2-man, OBR...nobody on so, my partner is in A. I have a clear catcher's interference violation (his mitt goes flying following being hit by the swung bat). I grab the call immediately and we get BR down to 1B...F2 goes to retrieve his mitt and as he comes back to the plate he stops, notices there is no chalk on this field (since it's men's league) and "marks" where he thinks the back of each batter's box is with his toe in the dirt. (I thought about times batters have marked a line in the dirt following a strike call that they disagree with and ejections I've issued on that and thought about going directly to the ejection because F2's act here could have been interpreted as him disputing where he thinks I have the back of the batters' boxes. Then I thought about the fact that for most of the men's league teams in my market, most carry a starting catcher and maybe have a guy who put the gear on that one time. So, I'm thinking, if I eject this guy I'm likely going to have to work behind a supremely sub-optimal catcher...) Finally, I decide to grab my brush and clean the plate. As I stand up, I lock eyes with F2 and say, "Caleb, I need you to please erase those marks you drew in the dirt or I will have to remove you from the game..." He erased the marks without saying anything and we resumed the game without further incident... Brothers, what do YOU have? ~Dawg Are you me back in 2015? I remembered this and found it in my archives (also a recreational men's league): Oscar the catcher was routinely placing his glove as a target right over the plate. This caused a Catcher's Interference. Oscar questioned my call, saying the batter was too far back. He drew a line with the bat from the back point of the plate to the side, declaring that was the box. I told him he was wrong, pointed at the batter's footprint, and said the batter had been in the official box according to the Rules of Baseball. A few batters later, another Catcher's Interference occurred. Oscar jumped up and aggressively started questioning my call. He took the bat again, and began drawing lines in the sand. I told him to "stop drawing lines immediately", and he responded by drawing two more. I ejected him. Oscar asked me why I ejected him, and I told him that "not listening to an umpire is never a good thing."
The Man in Blue Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 Y'all are bringing curses on us! Not back . . . forward . . . and I didn't miss this ejection today. Men's wooden bat league with two VERY mismatched teams. The lower of the two seems like a company team (who probably should be playing slow pitch softball) and I don't think they have scored a run in the first 4 weeks of the season. The higher of the two has a large contingent of kids who just finished college seasons (including multiple D1 players). Lower team has a kid at bat who is so far forward in the box that the curve of his foot is outside the box, but he is ever so slightly on the line. Dirt field, but there was plenty of chalk to be able to tell. The catcher says something to him trying to help, he doesn't move back. The catcher says something again. The next pitch the catcher says something to me. I loudly say, "He is technically starting in the box, so I can't tell him to move. But if he steps forward at all, he'll be out of the box." He doesn't move. (I have no clue why he was up in the box when the pitcher was easily cruising in the high 80s.) The next pitch hits him (not on purpose). His next at bat, they actually have two runners on base. The catcher looks at him setting up in the same spot and turns to look at me. I look at him and say, loudly again, "We tried telling him last time that he is too far forward." I hoped he would get the not-so-subtle hint. He takes the first pitch to centerfield for what would have been two RBI and a single . . . but he was a good 3 inches out of the box. I'll be honest, had the catcher not been on it and had we not BOTH tried in his previous at bat to tell him, there is no way in hell I would have called it. It wasn't going to change the game, but it was a moral victory for them. Of course, it didn't go well. I gave him plenty of slack as he hollered about how rough the season had been so far, and now I'm taking this away from him. I get it, I'm going to let him vent . . . until he stood between the mound and the plate screaming that this was a @#$^ing joke. I told him you can say that to me at this level, but you can't stand in the middle of the field and yell it for the families and kids watching . . . on Fathers Day. Now you have to go. He yelled at me asking "where is the line?!" I told him the line was yelling that in the middle of the field, now it really was time to go. So, let me have it guys. Should I have just let it go and then eaten the SH*# from the catcher instead? (It would have been the easier route, but it wasn't the right call, IMO. Not when we previously tried to get him to scoot back.)
jimurrayalterego Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 14 hours ago, The Man in Blue said: I loudly say, "He is technically starting in the box, so I can't tell him to move. But if he steps forward at all, he'll be out of the box." He doesn't move. (I have no clue why he was up in the box when the pitcher was easily cruising in the high 80s.) If they are partially out but will be legal to hit I will leave it alone unless Pitcher or Catcher complains but technically he is not legal and you can tell him to move: ":8. BATTER’S POSITION IN BATTER’S BOX Rules 5.04(b)(5), 6.03(a)(1): When the batter assumes a batting stance in the batter’s box, he shall have both feet entirely within the batter’s box; i.e., no part of either foot may extend beyond the outer edge of the lines defining the box when the batter assumes a position in the box. There is no penalty specified for violation other than the batter shall be instructed to stay within the batter’s box if brought to the attention of the umpire, or—if blatant or recurring violation—upon immediate direction of the umpire. If a player, after so directed by the umpire, blatantly refuses to comply, the player is subject to ejection. See Official Baseball Rule 5.04(b)(5). Under Official Baseball Rule 6.03(a)(1), if a batter hits a ball (fair, foul, or foul tip) with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter’s box, the batter shall be declared out. See Official Baseball Rule 6.03(a)(1). TO CLARIFY: There are two different rules regarding the batter’s position in the batter’s box. Official Baseball Rule 5.04(b)(5) requires the batter to have both feet within the batter’s box when assuming an initial position in the box prior to hitting (no portion of the foot may be outside the line under this provision, although no penalty is prescribed other than the instructions given above). Official Baseball Rule 6.03(a)(1) provides that the batter be declared out if he hits the ball with one or both feet on the ground entirely outside the batter’s box. (So long as any part of the foot is touching any part of the line when the batter hits the ball, he is within the rules.) 1
The Man in Blue Posted June 16 Report Posted June 16 So, we tried to “subtly” get him there. My error was that I should have directed him back (when I thought I shouldn’t have) since he was touching but outside the line. Had he hit from there and not moved, he would have been legal, but still started illegal. Still a good call? Like you, I wouldn’t have if the catcher hadn’t been on it.
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