I umpired one T-ball game tonight by myself. I came close to tossing one coach, and one of her assistant coaches was one for the books as well. Here's the play...Bases are loaded, no outs, and batter hits a hard roller towards the first base side of field. The girl playing 1st makes a good stop of the ball, picks up the ball and throws it towards 3rd. (I judged the ball to have been a throw to 3rd and not an attempt to the circle). But it bounced through the circle on it's way to the third baseman. (In our T-Ball the ball only needs to touch the circle for time to be called, unless the ball is going through the circle, when a play at a base is being attemped) The 3rd baseman picked the ball, ahead of the runner, but did not step on 3rd base, or tag the girl when she got there. The runner did not touch the base either.
They were both standing next to the base and finally the runner stepped on 3rd BEFORE the fielded did. I seen it very clearly that the runners foot got to the base and she was NOT tagged prior to that, either. I called her safe and after a few seconds I called time because the runner made no attempt to advance to home, because the fielder was holding the ball right next to her and her base coach was telling her to stay there. Now after I called time the runner from 2nd who was now about half way to 3rd, runs to 3rd and gets on the base with the runner that I just called safe. Here's what the defending coach starts yelling... "The ball touched the circle before the original runner on 3rd made it to the half way line between 3rd and home. She has to go back to 3rd". And then says: "Plus the runner was tagged at 3rd and I also don't appreciate having two runners on a base at the same time and not have one of them called out". While she is making it clear to anyone who will listen that I made a couple of bad calls I calmly said to her the bases were loaded coach. I can't send the lead runner back to 3rd base or I will have to send all runners back and the batter will end up back at home plate! She then realized she was wrong, but then started to say "well, what about two runners on the base at the same time"? I said did you not hear me say "time" when the runner was not making any attemp for several seconds to advance to home plate? After I call time I need to put the runners in the proper places. That's why I sent her back to 2nd and the batter/runner, who was half way to 2nd, back to 1st.
Well, thinking that she now understood I went back to the plate and said "play ball". At that time her assistant said to me "you can't have two runners on the same base and not have an out". That's when I said to the assistant caoch I do not want to hear anymore about it. I explained it to your head coach, and let's more on. I don't want you to disrespect me in front of the kids and I won't let it continue. Then the assistant coach said "ok". And the game ended shortly thereafter. Her team lost by two runs.
Nothin' like fun at the ole' ball park... Al