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Originally Posted by BretMan
Well, it isn't foul ALL of the time! 
But that explanation does work on this particular play.
Just pray that the other situation doesn't come up later where an umpire declares a ball "foul" and it isn't. Then you'll have some real 'splainin' to do!  |
Many years ago I was working the plate in a small college game (I was fairly new to this business). My partner was a 30+ year veteran. Late in the game, 2 outs & no one on. The batter hits one down the RF line (almost to the fence), my partner goes down the line and I move into position to take the BR around the bases. I glance at the ball just as it hits the line (a small ‘puff’ of chalk) but suddenly I hear my partner yell “FOUL.” Obviously all action stopped and a very angry coach came boiling out of the dugout.
He took off toward my partner yelling,
“You can’t do that to us Doug”
“What were you watching? It certainly wasn’t the ball”
“Couldn’t you see the cloud of chalk?”
“Ask your partner, I bet he saw it from where he was”
This was long before the move to the “kinder & gentler” umpires that we have today, so Doug ran him. Doug was a live or die with the call type of umpire so right or wrong the coach was gone. On his way out the coach said to me.
“I know that you saw the chalk, I can see it in your eyes.” I didn’t say a word or move a muscle.
Then he asked me, “Al can you ask Doug to get his eyes checked?”
Later the local news showed the “highlights” of the game and the ball hitting the chalk about a dozen times. I’ll never forget that game