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"In your situation, I would probably just eat my call and tell as quietly as possible that I'm not going to appeal on a play like this one. Not with two strikes, not with a passed ball."
From the ASA and NFHS Umpires Manuals: "If the umpire calls the pitch a ball and the catcher requests help, ask for it. It is not a weakness to go for help."
I have always believed that going for help is a standard protocol in the diamond game; that when asked to check, you automatically do it, even though you may get overruled.
Now having suffered this little embarrassment, I will follow FUBLUE's advice and refuse the request in the future.
"Blue, she swung. Please check with your partner."
"No, Coach, I have the call and we are going to stay with it."
"Time, please. Come on Blue, the appeal is automatic; every umpire does it!"
"Coach, your catcher missed the ball. Had I called a strike, the batter would probably be standing on 1B right now. But because I called a ball, she is still standing here, and your catcher has retrieved the ball. If I go to my partner and he calls it a strike, then the batter is trapped and is going to be out. That is not fair to her, and we are not going to let it happen. Call stands, now let's play ball."
Wrap-up: #1 mistake; I should not have gone to partner.
#2, having done that, partner should have been smart enough to recognize the situation and not overruled me.
#3 - angry with my partner, and frustrated with the situation, I called the batter out and brought the next one up to bat.
BUT - Could I; Should I have rectified the situation. NFHS 10.2.3.m "rectify any situation in which an umpire's decision that was reversed has placed either team in jeopardy." (Same as ASA 10.6.B)
Could I have invoked this rule? Then what? Call it no pitch? Or just reverse the call back to the original BALL call and bring the batter back up?
WMB
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