STRANGE CALLS BY UMPIRES

[GLee]

After being busted by another poster on a rule that I was wrong on, I thought I'd start this thread to go over some of the "strange" plays and the calls that go with them. What do you have and what is the correct call according to NFHS rules?

 

Hopefully we'll clear up some "foggy" areas..........

[alcoa06]

We were playing at William Blount and we had a runner on first base. The runner took off to steal and the umpire in the field called a balk. Our runner began to walk to second, and during that the home plate umpire called over ruled the guy in the field and said it wasnt a balk. Our runner still hadnt reached second base because he had stopped to listen to the home plate umpire. So the pitcher threw the ball to the short stop and he tagged our runner and the home plate guy called him out. So the home plate ump over ruled the balk and then said our runner was out, even though it was a dead ball.

[riverdaleman]

We were playing at William Blount and we had a runner on first base.  The runner took off to steal and the umpire in the field called a balk.  Our runner began to walk to second, and during that the home plate umpire called over ruled the guy in the field and said it wasnt a balk.  Our runner still hadnt reached second base because he had stopped to listen to the home plate umpire.  So the pitcher threw the ball to the short stop and he tagged our runner and the home plate guy called him out.  So the home plate ump over ruled the balk and then said our runner was out, even though it was a dead ball.

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That is not a strange call that is a bad call when balk is called it is dead just like when you call foul. Now the field umpire may have been overruled by the homeplate umpire maybe it was a fake to first and the feild umpire didnt see him step off first and home plate umpire saw it but i would have just sent the runner back to first

[illpete23]

you can't fake to first...can you? (that's for y'all to decide and debate, because I'm leaving it open...)

[CUBCADET]

you can't fake to first...can you? (that's for y'all to decide and debate, because I'm leaving it open...)

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THAT PLAY SOUNDS LIKE TWO UMPS THAT DID NOT CARE ENOUGH OR KNOW ENOUGH TO GET TOGETHER AND GET THE CALL RIGHT...THE RUNNER SHOULD HAVE BEEN SENT BACK TO FIRST AS THE BALL IS IMMEDIATLEY DEAD WHEN THE BALK IS CALLED JUST AS IF A FOUL BALL WAS CALLED..BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IF THE PITCHER PROPERLY STEPS OFF THE RUBBER, HE BECOMES JUST ANOTHER INFIELDER AND CAN FAKE IF HE CHOOSES OR NOT. IF HE FAKES WITHOUT LEGALLY STEPPING OFF , THEN IT IS A BALK..BALK RULES ARE SPECIFIC BUT ARE INTERPRETED MANY MANY DIFFERENT WAYS..SOME UMPS DONT LOOK FOR BALKS AND SOME ARE EXTREMELY TIGHT ON THE BALK GUIDELINES..THE NFHS RULES ON THE BALK GUIDELINES HAS CHANGED SINCE LAST YEAR AND MAY CHANGE AGAIN..WHO KNOWS? WE JUST TRY TO CALL IT IF WE SEE IT..

[GLee]

You can't fake a throw to first unless you step back off of the rubber making you an infielder.

[LCborn]

Ummmm...the runner started to walk and then stopped to listen to the ump?

 

I think it's fair to call him out on the grounds of stupidity.

 

Finish the play, then look around for the call!

 

Geez...please tell me that the runner was a freshman. It might me excusable, if it was a freshman.

[bigbadblue]

Here's a bonehead mistake I made tonight...

 

First, there was a ball thrown behind the batter. The ball hit either the batter or the bat, but I could not tell because I was straightlined (behind the batter, he blocked my view). I called the ball dead and conferred with my field umpire to see what he saw. He said the ball hit the batter first, then hit the bat thus making it a hit batsman. We put him on first and then explained to the defensive coach what we had.

 

Umpiring rule #1-Always get the call right.

 

With all this in mind, the next inning there was another ball behind the batter. This time I saw it hit the bat, and immediately rang the ball foul. Sure enough, I looked up and the ball was rolling towards the pitcher's mound.

 

Surprisingly no one noticed besides myself and my field umpire. It turned out to be a one run ball game for a middle school championship game. I sure as heck felt like an idiot for that one.

 

Two funny things that I have heard other umpires say to coaches:

 

In response to a quirky rule situation that the umpire completely screwed up, "It's a new rule this year coach, you just probally haven't heard it yet."

 

In response to an irrate coach complaining about a judgement call, "I'll tell you the truth coach, I don't even like baseball. I'm just out here to get away from my wife."

[CUBCADET]

Here's a bonehead mistake I made tonight...

 

First, there was a ball thrown behind the batter. The ball hit either the batter or the bat, but I could not tell because I was straightlined (behind the batter, he blocked my view). I called the ball dead and conferred with my field umpire to see what he saw. He said the ball hit the batter first, then hit the bat thus making it a hit batsman. We put him on first and then explained to the defensive coach what we had.

 

Umpiring rule #1-Always get the call right.

 

With all this in mind, the next inning there was another ball behind the batter. This time I saw it hit the bat, and immediately rang the ball foul. Sure enough, I looked up and the ball was rolling towards the pitcher's mound.

 

Surprisingly no one noticed besides myself and my field umpire. It turned out to be a one run ball game for a middle school championship game. I sure as heck felt like an idiot for that one.

 

Two funny things that I have heard other umpires say to coaches:

 

In response to a quirky rule situation that the umpire completely screwed up, "It's a new rule this year coach, you just probally haven't heard it yet."

 

In response to an irrate coach complaining about a judgement call, "I'll tell you the truth coach, I don't even like baseball. I'm just out here to get away from my wife."

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BIGBADBLUE...WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THE FOUL FAIR BALL?? YOU SAID NOBODY NOTICED IT??DID YOU LET IT GO AND PLAY IT OR DID YOU KEEP IT A FOUL BALL?? AND ALSO THE TWO COMMENTS YOU QUOTED FROM OTHER UMPS WERE TOTALLY UNPROFESSIONAL..THE UMPS SHOULD NOT HAVE TO GUESS OR LIE ABOUT A RULE ...THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO KNOW THEM....ALSO THE UMPS ARE NOT COMEDIANS, THEY NEED TO KEEP THEIR JOKES (EVEN FUNNIES LIKE THIS ONE) TO THEMSELVES AND TREAT THE COACHES WITH RESPECT..SOMETIMES INCIDENTS LIKE THESE ARE WHAT GETS THE UMPS IN OVER THEIR HEADS AND IN TROUBLE..COACHES ARE A LITTLE SMARTER THAN UMPS GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR SOMETIMES..ANYWAY..CANT WAIT FOR THE DISTRICT TOURN..

[fleetwalker]

BIGBADBLUE...WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THE FOUL FAIR BALL?? YOU SAID NOBODY NOTICED IT??DID YOU LET IT GO AND PLAY IT OR DID YOU KEEP IT A FOUL BALL?? 

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The instant an umpire calls "foul ball", play is dead. I recently learned that if a ball is popped up and called "foul" by the umpire, and then the ball is caught by a fielder, then the ball is still foul and no out is recorded.

[crockettfan]

The instant an umpire calls "foul ball", play is dead.  I recently learned that if a ball is popped up and called "foul" by the umpire, and then the ball is caught by a fielder, then the ball is still foul and no out is recorded.

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Why? A caught pop foul is still an out.

[crazyvolfan]

I heard an umpire call a ball out of play when the ball was popped up in the air between the pitcher & catcher. The pitcher caught it for an out. Everyone, including the umpires, got a laugh out of that.