Major Controversy in Caldwell County Game

I have officially seen it all now.

Tonight, West Caldwell was hammering South Caldwell. Nothing was going the Spartans way. Scott Hodges (who is in no way a home run hitter) hits a shot off the top of the fence and over to give West Caldwell a 10-2 lead in the 5th when the players from West come out onto the field to congratulate their teammate.

The umpire ejects every single West Caldwell player for comming out of the dugout. (I would like to add this guy has been umpiring WAY too long and shares a birthday with Lazarus. His nickname since the early 1980s was "Blind" Cline) I am not making this up. West Caldwell is forced to forfeit and South Caldwell wins the game. Everyone in the stadium is SHOCKED. There was no trash talking or taunting or anything. He was asked about his decision by the Lenoir News Topic, he replied that its a rule that for no circumstances can players come out of the dugout for safety issues.

Okay short of calling this guy a total idiot. The baseball is out of play, so what safety concerns are there?

Is there something I am missing here because this makes no sense to me. Even South's coaching staff were shocked and dismayed. :hmmmm:

 

That has to be the craziest thing I have ever heard in my life. Since I was in little league, everyt time a teammate hits a Home Run we go to the plate to congradulate him. The only time I haven't went out to the plate is when we want to play a joke on the hitter and give him the silent treatment. I have never heard about it being a safety caution. The only thing an umpire has ever told us is to back away from the plate so he can see if the runners touch the plate. I've even heard umpires congratulate the hitter. Wow, what a bad call and bad umpire...is there anything being done about this?

 

This type of action makes it hard to teach kids to respect authority figures. What was he thinking? As long as there was no taunting involved (you said there was NOT), let the kids play the game and have some fun with it.

 

First of all at the coaches meeting this year it was stated that this would be a point of emphasis this year. No players are to go onto the playing field when a player hits a homerun. Now there is the written law and the spirit of the law. There is no doubt that this umpire has made a huge error in not how he interpeted the rule but how he enforced it. Im sure there will be something to be said about this. This is so unfair to these kids.

 

Just to clear up a couple things. Many of these guys have played significant baseball with eachother on legion or middle school. This is not a heated rivalry by any means. Its always nice to beat the county teams, but there is no teeth to these two teams. Even both side fans were in dismayed.

And think about all the people jimped right here. The fans bought 5 dollar tickets to see this game, and they were cheated out of that. Stats from a forfeit don't count, so there is no winner or losing pitcher and Hodges HR, however is not unforgetable, is null and void. It never happened.

 

wow...

 

I noticed this action being emphasized at another game this week. Fortunately, the umpire just warned the players not to come out. This is a silly rule. I'd rather see them emphasize no trash talking vs a sincere joyous expression from your teammates.

 

Come On...

Baseball fans are we REALLY all that shocked? Just another NCHSAA and NFHS ruling to tighten their grip on a continuing and growing bureaucracy... Next thing you know, wellllllll anything is possible right? Let me tell you this though if I were in this situation as a coach I would have made a decent and sincere plea to the umpire to give a "warning" for one! Secondly, apparently the coach did not go over this with his team prior to the outset of the season albeit I do not really thinnk there was any need to hence this clown of an umpire to NOW potentially get him in trouble regardless! I would have to be hauled away by security if he wouldn t reverse it, thus sitting here as I am now! PERIOD!!!!!!!! :1peekdoor

 

just my 2 cents here i was told that this was the 3rd h.r. that was hit and with the 2 before , the ump warned the players to stay in the dugout and they didn`t, so when the 3rd was hit, he had to enforce the rule. thats what its there for. i agree that it is a sorry way to lose a game. i heard that south had already beat west pretty bad , so west was getting a little pay back and to have it taken away like this sucks!

 

This is just another example of a failed want-a-be-athlete that enjoys the power of being someone with authority (an umpire). I would bet that this guy was the worst athlete in his school, never made a team and had no friends.

Now don't get me wrong, there are alot of "GREAT" Umpires out there, in fact alot of them are my friends, but this guy, just needs to go away. We all have seen guys like this, and it just pisses me off when something like his happens to the kids. This guy was dead wrong, and should not be allowed to umpire again.
The good umpires are the guys who played the game.