Why I wouldn't be an umpire..#1

LegionPost46,,,,,,,, good to hear from you again, and I wasn't defending umpires just because of your story,,,,, truth is, I know umpires blow calls just like players make E's and coaches make poor decisions too. Its why they call it a "game".

I agree sometimes I would like to ring blue's neck when calls are made that I know are clearly wrong. Stories like this make for good reading, unfortunately when dumb calls are made, oftentimes dumb calls result in one team losing and it ain't so funny then.

 

Uk7Dook3,,,,,,,,,,, good to hear from you again too. Hope your son's doing good.

 

Same to you TJ. I've been lurking, reading the threads & have posted a couple of times. I enjoy TBR's a bunch during baseball season. What a great game, huh??

 

rams42

Your post brought back bad memories, but I must say my son experienced almost the exact situation last year during summer ball where high school rules were in place.

Runner from second was trying to score on a base hit to left field. My son was waiting on the throw that one hopped up third base line. He fielded the ball at the same time the runner ran into him about 10' up the line. The runner could not have slid (to far up the line) but never attempted to avoid the catcher or go back to third. He "appeared" to have a bead on the catcher only and never went to touch the plate even after the collision. The umpire only called the runner out after asking to see the ball and watching my son's arm flop over like a broken twig (he did hold on to the ball), but the runner was not ejected and the umpire deemed in his judgment the play was not malicious. A plate, 6 screws, no summer ball, 8 months removed and my son is doing very well now. But I just can't understand why I've seen runners barely bump guys at 2nd or 3rd and get an interference call, but catchers get plowed into more commonly. Why don't Home Plate Umpires like to make this call? Seems that there is safety issues involved as well.

 

I'm operating from memory...But unless it has changed, high school rules do not give the ump the option of deciding if the contact is malicious. If a collision occurs that causes the ump to say "He's out"...then he is "Out....Outta here". The degree of contact does not matter. The runner is obligated to slide & to avoid contact.

2 caveats: The catcher must be making a play on the ball. And if the contact is initiated by the catcher moving into the runners path, then it is deemed incidental.

 

It's all about who sees what and how its interpreted..... all the more reason I would never be an ump....

My interpretation (standing on the home side of the backstop): The ACR runner was not intentionally planning on taking the catcher out. He thought he was going to be able to go in standing up and at the last second heard the coaches call "down" at which time he tried to get down - unfortunatly making it appear that he was "dropping" his shoulder. (If he was intentionally going to roll the catcher, the catcher wouldve ended up next to the fence - 6'4"/200 lbs coming in hard/fast wouldnt have left the catcher at the plate....) In addition, the catcher had his leg/foot over the plate was blocking the plate before he ever had possession of the ball.

As an aside - the ACR player did apologize to the catcher at his next AB and told him it was his fault.....

 

UK7 Dook3

I think the ball is dead when the intereference is called and the player is awarded first base, therefore no home run. I don't think it is like a balk play where you can pick your best option.

 

Actually it is a delayed dead ball. The play is allowed to finish, the ump calls 'time', & the coach gets to choose whether to accept the outcome of the play or the interference.

I've seen several umps early-call the interference. It's understandable because of instinct, but it's wrong.

 

Good thing

See it is a good thing I am not on the field and just yelling from the stands that umpires are wrong. Just kidding!!!!

Here is one for you that I saw yesterday and I am just wondering:

Runner on 3rd with 1 out, fly ball to cf caught, runner tags, but leaves way to early, everyone sees it and knows it. Kid pitching that doesn't do it hardly ever. Coach tells him to go to the rubber and step off, kid does, but doesn't throw over to appeal, steps back on rubber and repeats numerous times, doesn't understand coach wants him to throw to 3rd baseman. Finally understands on about the 10th time and throws over, ump calls runner out. I thought once you stepped on the rubber and stepped off, once you step back on it the appeal was over and runner would be safe. Your thoughts.......

 

i think you can verbally appeal in high school without all the toe the rubber step off throw over stuff.

it was also my intrepretation that if an umpire sees a runner leave early they call them out then.