Quote:
Originally posted by VaASAump
Well, I think I had a first (at least for me).
HS scrimmage game. Batter hits a really slow dribbler. As she comes out of the box, she drops her bat (in fair territory). The bat is laying completely still when the ball rolls to the bat. Catcher picks up the ball, but just holds it. We call BR safe at first.
Coach comes out of dugout and asks what the ruling is. I answer: "OK, let's see. BR runs to first base. Catcher holds the ball and makes no play at first. BR now standing on first. Hmmmm, I've got her safe."
He tells me that BR should be called out because she threw her bat in fair territory. It's a safety issue. Tells me it's always been in the rule book.
Hmmmm, I can't seem to find that anywhere in my High School Rules Book. My book cover says 2004 (actually, the first page of my rules book). But maybe I'm missing a page (the one that has this rule).
Did anybody receive an "updated" 2004 rules book? If you did, can you xerox the page with this rule and send it to me so I may insert it in my "outdated" 2004 rules book?
Thanks,
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Serge,
I know you can do better than that:
Coach: It's always been in the rule book!
Ump: Really? I've never seen it and they haven't
mentioned it in any clinic. Are you sure that's
the rule?
Coach: Of course, it is.
Ump: Well, coach, I don't think it is, but I'll give you
a chance to prove it to me. Go get your scorebook
and you can protest the game right now. Then, you
go back to the dugout and find that rule in the
book. When you do, you can come out and talk to me,
but I don't want to see or hear you until that point
in time.
Coach: You want me to protest?
Ump: Absolutely! Don't want you to lose because we
missed a rule in the book. And coach....
Coach: Yes?
Ump: Here's your sign!
Okay, so I didn't do the "sign" part, but I did use everything else on a "missed tag, missed plate" ruling by my rookie partner. He called the play just as instructed. Saw both miss, hesitated to see if there was a continuation and then ruled the runner safe. I find it amusing how often this appeal play is argued.
The runner walked into the dugout and the defensive coach told his catcher to appeal the runner missing the plate. My partner recognized the appeal and then ruled the runner out for missing the base.
O-coach went crazy. Told my partner that once he call a runner safe, the rule book says that the call can not be changed and that a run can never be taken off the board. Obviously, I had started walking toward my partner as the appeal play was developing and had his back by the time the coach began his argument. My partner just stood there and let him have his say. And then told him the ruling was correct, the runner was out. So, the coach turns to me and starts arguing that the rookie didn't know what he was doing and being the senior umpire I should straighten things out and overrule him.
I just smiled and went into my little act noted above. At the end of the night, he was still confused. About a week later he saw me and, unlike most good-natured softball people was still ticked off. He claimed it was unprofessional to "show him up" like that. IOW, he finally figured it out.
Well, I admitted I abused him a little bit and maybe I shouldn't have. I did reminded him that it was he who made the declaration of it being in the rule book. I just asked him to show me where it was.