[iclaudius]

Thank you all for your posts.

For general amusement and comment, Okay, here is my

Worst call....

My son plays AAU on weekends and in our traveling about the great state of NC we (sorry, he) has to play, from time to time, at Middle Creek in Cary . Here's the situation:

Our team was playing defense. The game was tied and we have two out. There is a runner at 1B. The batter in the box takes a look at the pitch but before it reaches home plate, the PU calls a "balk"....but NOT on our pitcher.....rather the balk is called on (drum roll please) our first baseman!

Outraged, our coach complains but the PU explains that the rules require all players to have BOTH FEET inside the foul lines and consequently, our 1B, who was holding the runner straddling the bag with his right foot most definitely outside the "field of play," committed a "balk." Huh?

Again, this was a misapplication of some rule and now I don't remember which...perhaps you good men/women can tell me. In any event, with the runner awarded 2B, the batter drilled a ball to right field and the runner scores easily from 2B giving the other team the win.

There was such complaint the tourny officials "monitored" this umpire the next game and decided because of his demeanor and poor application of the rules in general, he was to never be invited back. Now this umpire "got his" in the end but kids get screwed when the rules are made up out of whole cloth, ignored or selectively enforced. I JUST LIKE TO KNOW WHAT THE RULES ARE...A little something I found useful while serving in the US Army.