Quote:
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Originally Posted by jkumpire
Looking for a little help:
FED game, R1, 1 out bottom 1st.
LH R1, lifts non-pivot froot in set position, steps to home, throws to 1B.
Now, I know I'm not Carl Childress, Jim Evans, or anything, but I am 70-75% sure this is a balk.  |
I'm sure you meant F1. R1 has nothing to throw. But I digress. Yep, it's a balk.
Quote:
After moving R1 to 2B, here comes the manager.
"What did he do wrong Blue?"
"He didn't step to 1B.
(Short aside to tell the asst. coach to get in the dugout and not put his .02 in.)
"Wait a minute, he lifted his foot straight in the air, put it down and threw to 1B. that's not a balk."
"Coach, he has to step at at least 45 deg. so he can show he's throwing to 1B.He stepped straight home."
"Well how can he throw to 2nd if he has to step like that."
"Coach, we are talking about 1B here, not 2B"
"Blue, that's terrible, and that's a terrible call."
(snip...)
"Blue, explain to me why he balked."
"Coach, he has to step towards 1B, which we define as at least inside a 45 deg. angle towards 1B."
"Blue, I looked in my rule book, and it says nothing about 45 deg, it says he has to step to the bag."
"Coach, that 45 deg angle has been used forever to decide if the pitcher steped to 1B, You can look it up, It is written somewhere in the Case Book or umpire manual. And in you kid's case, he put his foot in the air, then stepped right at home plate and threw to 1B."
"Okay Blue", and then we play.
(snip...)
My questions:
1. Should I have not brought up the 45 deg bit in the first place, and just said, he has to step to 1B?
2. When he talked with me the second time between innings (which is okay by me, if he wants to waste my time during warm-ups to get educated, no problem if he is quiet about it), should I have just said, "Coach, I'm sorry, he was not close to stepping to 1B, and that's why he got it called on him."
3. Any other suggestions? I mean, the balk is so obvious a blind man could call it, and he has no clue. What do you do here?
Thanks for your thoughts.
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1. Don't be creative. The rule says he has to step toward the bag. Why invent new wording?
2. Don't be so talkative. Five words:
"What'd he do wrong blue?" Didn't step to the bag.
"Wait a minute, he lifted his foot straight in the air, put it down and threw to 1B. that's not a balk." Didn't step to the bag.
"Well how can he throw to 2nd if he has to step like that." That's not the issue.
3. What I do: (FED) "TIME! That's a balk...didn't step to the bag...You, second base."
BTW: Long time no see....how've you been?