Sat Apr 16, 2005, 11:38pm
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Get away from me, Steve.
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Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 15,785
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Quote:
Originally posted by Carl Childress
Quote:
Originally posted by officialtony
Would it be out of line to give a warning to both teams the first time I see that glove-for-a-new-sign move (I confess, I have not seen that yet in two years - I only do high school ball )? I want to enforce the rules, but that is one I'm guessing most kids don't know. Just asking. If not, I accept the wisdom of the balk call because it is a FED rule. I hope I never see it. Takes me off the hook for being OOO in some eyes.
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My association hosts a meeting with all the area coaches. This season, I was in charge. As the rules interpreter, likely I'll be in charge next season as well.
This year I specifically went over 6.1.2d. During scrimmages we instructed our umpires to remind the coaches of the NFHS ruling. Of course, that play has been in the casebook since 1998!
We have new head coaches every year, so we carefully cover the NFHS balk regulations. These new guys, often straight from some college team, are generally surprised by the specificity of FED balk rules.
When an out-of-area team comes to call, we always warn the pitchers -- more than once. (We want them to come back. So do the home town coaches.)
Our experience is that when coaches and pitchers know what the umpires will enforce, they stay away from infractions.
Finally, we believe that when we don't enforce the rules (where there's no wiggle room), we do our teams a disservice when they leave the area.
Don't misunderstand: We ignore plenty of rules. Everybody does. David B, while wrong about this - grin -, points out that fact very well.
Before you get uptight and start yelling that I'm always ignoring some rule that I don't like, recognize the rules I'm talking about here are the proprietary rules, those that are unique to the NFHS.
I can list a few:- penalty for touching ball with illegal glove
- no pick-off from the wind-up
- DH bats for any player
- moving two hands simultaneously on the rubber is the start of a pitch
- step with both feet into dead-ball territory kills play and live runners get one base
- jewelry and associated 3-3-1 infractions
- dead ball appeals
- hurdling over defensive players
- Etc.
People who believe enforcing those rules is OOO should rethink their commitment to the rule of law.
[Edited by Carl Childress on Apr 16th, 2005 at 11:29 PM]
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OK, OK. Only 4 probably wouldn't get any attention around here.
BTW, I was working a college DH today and saw my first really obnoxious gorilla arm. Interesting -- I couldn't see what it did for him, actually.
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