imontheline

The revised format for this year's winner bracket side wasn't Blackman's friend. In years past they would have played the 6th seed in their first game. They have a regional berth already so not a lot of pressure on them.

Should have cleared the stands. Made the parents hold their fight club in the parking lot.

Should have cleared the stands. Made the parents hold their fight club in the parking lot.

That's going to be plate umpire's call. He has the best view of a lefty gaining ground on his pick to first, with either 2, 3 or 4 man crew. There is a whole lotta wrong going on with drawing a line like that. I don't think his integrity should be in question. Maybe his experience is minimal and his training is not what it could be. I'd bet your team's coach has already contacted the assignor and civilly discussed what happened.

Siegel is a good bet to make it back to state next year. If you think home field advantage was that big of a difference maker, you have almost a year to make your case to TSSAA.

I heard his agent/handler wouldn't let him pitch. Then when he said he was ready, the coach wouldn't use him.

If Blackman doesn't sweep, Stewart's Creek finishes second. The loss to Smyrna in the 14th inning last week was huge. They have had a very good year in district and that loss was disappointing.

Where is the video? I'm sure if it got that bad someone would have captured this umpire sticking it to your team on video. There is always going to be a jack wagon or two you will see during a season who are either going to just plain stink, be a jerk or even both. My suggestion is to get it on video, send it to the assignor. They will handle it. They don't want people working for them who are going to cause problems. I umpire and know I have never intentionally favored one team over the other. But I'm guessing, there probably was some parent somewhere over the years that felt the same way about my umpiring. Especially when I was first learning.

Should be a fun year. Going back to 3 games series.

From what is sounds like, the game must have been called a complete game according to the rule book. This is from the NFHS baseball rule book. I officiate baseball only and don't have access to a softball rule book but this is likely similar if not the same. Rule 2 Section 2 Article 3 ï‚· A game ended by the umpire due to weather or darkness is a regulation game, if five full innings have been played, or if the home team has scored an equal or greater number of runs in four or four and part of its fifth turn at bat than the visiting team ï‚· A game ended by the umpire due to weather or darkness is a regulation game, if play has bond beyond five full innings ï‚· A game ended before the teams have had a equal number of completed turns at bat shall have the score at the end of the last completed inning o except if the home team ties or goes ahead of the visiting team in its half of the incomplete inning Article 4 ï‚· A state association may adopt game-ending procedures that determine how games are ended, including suspended games. However, if a state does not adopt game ending procedures, by mutual agreement of the opposing coaches and the UIC, any remaining play may be shortened or the game terminated. If a state association has adopted game-ending procedures, only those game-ending procedures may be used, should the opposing coaches wish to terminate a game.

Umpiring must have improved over last year. There has not been as much umpire bashing this year on Coacht. I know the games I umpired were done so better than last year.

Working scrimmages for free before the actual season kicks off is one of the ways you get better. I'm not talking about a way of giving back to the sport. If you aren't willing to work free scrimmages to learn and get better then you probably don't have the desire to move up. That's fine. Those who want to improve their schedules, improve the level of games or move up to a higher level work for free. If the first paid game of the year happens to be the first time you've stepped on the field since the fall, I don't think you are prepared for that first paid game. In that, I think you take away from the sport. This applies to all levels, not just the college level.

College intrasquad scrimmages start this week. They will go for about two weeks. Our local high school association has the privilege of getting to use this time for preseason work. Ive gone out every year for free to get better. I would guess half of our group comes out at least once during those two weeks. Probably half of those come out for 2 or more days. I encourage every umpire to get out and do some free games, college, middle school or high school. Even if you don't get to work an inning, you get to observe and learn. Do what you can to get better, and "don't suck!"

Touche' Rulesman. Do you tote your Fed rulebook and case play book with you to work? Looks like I need to.

From OBR rule set but applicable in all rule sets including Fed. 8.05d "It is a balk when" The pitcher, while touching his plate, throws, or feints a throw to an unoccupied base, except for the purpose of making a okay. The accepted interpretation is that if the runner is stealing, than the pitcher can throw ahead of the runner while still on the rubber for "the purpose of making a play". Driving back the runner is not considered making a play in this instance. If the runner fakes a steal and the pitcher while still on the rubber throws ahead of him to an unoccupied base, then it is a balk. I think this is just one of those misunderstood rules.

If Lavergne keeps on winning, maybe the DNJ will eventually put a blurb about them in the 7AAA round-up section. DNJ seems to have a man crush on a few other teams in the area. Too bad a team that's had a string of losing seasons has a surprisingly good start and gets no recognition from the local newspaper. If they sweep Oakland, I hope the DNJ at least acknowledges it.

This is my 3rd year of umpiring school baseball, with this year being far busier than the previous two. I did 37 games between middle and high school. I can tell you that your thanks means a lot me. We almost always get a "good game blue" after the game. But the pisses and moans you hear during the game far out number any kudos you hear. It is something you come to expect, even when you are at a place where most of the folks know you. Very strange. I think the 5 dollar admission fee must absolve the guilt of those who feel it neccessary to ride the umpires on every call. I am not talking about the occasional groan on a missed call or missed pitch. That makes me work harder if I know I missed one and I also know everyone in the park knows it. I also want to say thanks to all of the school coaches out there. Seeing new faces on an umpire crew makes those coaches nervous. Every coach I encountered was a class act, in all situations. My season is over, good luck to those in the Boro this week.

Close foul ball calls should be verbalized, the closer the call the more emphatic it should be. There can be a foul changed to fair in some rule sets. If the umpire inadvertently calls foul but immediately corrects himself and says something like "that's a fair ball, PLAY IT!" AND the play is not affected by it. But not in high school. Once called foul it is foul. A batter cannot cause a balk by your description. That is a situation where everyone resets and you start over. But maybe the balk was called due to something else.

I believe it's a "dead ball strike" on any ball that hits the batters hands first on a swing, regardless of fair or foul. Federation rule reference 7.2.1 b A strike is charged to the batter when a pitch is struck at and missed (even if the pitch touches the batter).

I think most of the contact after the throw would be from sliding thru the bag into the fielder on the outfield side of the bag. That is still interference, even if the ball is long gone. I've been umpiring for a few years now and called interference once on a double play situation. That one was a late slide into the fielder well off to the side of the bag. I was plate ump and called it.

Umpire coverages are based on a series of compromises. The more umpires you have, the less compromise. Interference after the turn is what the plate ump is looking for. Plate ump can also help with the pulled foot even if he is not in the best of positions if he has moved out to watch for the interference. Whoever came up with the mechanic felt the plate ump watching for interference was more important that watching for the pulled foot. That is the way it is taught. As far as having a runner at 3rd coming home, you still move out and watch for interference, glance at the runner touching home plate. Again, not ideal but another compromise. You don't have to agree with every mechanic, but be certain that the mechanics taught have had plenty of scrutiny prior to becoming the current standard. Not to say that they won't change it. It is being taught now where the plate ump takes the runner into third base on a bases empty triple. That is a relatively new mechanic.

Lots of good points being made. Here are my thoughts. If the runner goes into second standing, big deal. That is not interference by itself. If he makes contact with a fielder who is even remotely looking like he is trying to turn two, I have interference. I don't think It matters if getting the second out was unlikely. If you have contact or an illegal slide you get two outs. The only caveat the that is, if the fielder is on the first base side of the bag he is fair game. As long as the slide is legal, the fielder is at risk of being slid into. As far as the responsibility for calling the interference, field umpire has the interference if he sees it. If the turn is made, he goes with the throw. Homeplate umpire has responsibility for interference after the turn is made. If he is doing his job, he should be near the pitcher's mound by the time the turn is made.