Bunt

Don Mueller

waltjp wrote
Okay, Don. I'll play along. Let's suspend reality for a moment and assume that my comprehension skills are deficient. Go ahead and put your statements in terms that I can understand.

Make it succinct, because between what you've written in this thread and what you've said in the OBS thread you don't appear to have a lot of credibility.

Simply put:

It is very difficult to remain motionless when squared to bunt.
If there is any movement forward or toward the ball I will strike it.
The benefit of doubt will certainly be in favor of F1.
If the batter makes no attempt to pull back I will look hard for an attempt.
You may not like that attitude but it is within the rules.
My op was a heads up to flemmer (I figured he was a coach) and other coaches that to teach kids to keep the bat over the plate, for whatever reason, may not be a good idea.
I was not trying to talk you out of giving up strikes.

bob jenkins

Don Mueller wrote
If the batter makes no attempt to pull back I will look hard for an attempt.

I disagree with this statement. (Okay, to be clear, I don't disagree that Don does it; I disagree that he, or any umpire, should do it).

An umpire needn't "look hard" for an attempt. He just needs to watch the actions and judge accordingly.

UMP25

fitump56 wrote
Forward is it? Not what the rule says, the rule says "at" the ball. So you would not call a strike if B drops or raises his bat vertically with no forward push if the ball is above or below his bat, in an obvious attempt to bunt? I guess not. :eek:

It's obvious you don't even know the definition of the word "push" now. 🙄

When you come to an exit door that says "push," do you yank real hard and wonder why it won't open? 🙄

GarthB

SanDiegoSteve wrote
Can someone please answer this question? It's bugging me. I'm sure I've seen it in OBR somewhere but I just can't find it.

This should be sufficient:

OBR 2.00

A STRIKE is a legal pitch when so called by the umpire, which -

(a) Is struck at by the batter and is missed;

Don Mueller

UMP25 wrote
fitump56 wrote
bob jenkins wrote
🙄 🙄 🙄

Not as far as I'm concerned, that's for sure. For one thing, I actually know what the definition of a bunt is--and it's different from a swing. Unless he's actually making an attempt to push the bat forward when the ball passes the bat, I've got a ball and not a strike. That, in fact, is the ruling, and not the UOBR interpretation some here seem to believe.

Of course, we all know what happens when we try to @ssume...

Question.

Obvious sac situation, batter squares early, bat across the plate and at the very top of strike zone. F1 delivers, pitch is 1" above the bat and out of the zone, batter makes no offer, no movement, ball misses bat by 1".
Who's going to be the first brave soul to step up and say they're balling this pitch?

BigUmp56

Don Mueller wrote
Question.

Obvious sac situation, batter squares early, bat across the plate and at the very top of strike zone. F1 delivers, pitch is 1" above the bat and out of the zone, batter makes no offer, no movement, ball misses bat by 1".
Who's going to be the first brave soul to step up and say they're balling this pitch?

I'll be the first. No movement, no attempt. It's pretty cut and dry, Don.

Tim.

Arnold A.

Don Mueller wrote
Question.

Obvious sac situation, batter squares early, bat across the plate and at the very top of strike zone. F1 delivers, pitch is 1" above the bat and out of the zone, batter makes no offer, no movement, ball misses bat by 1".
Who's going to be the first brave soul to step up and say they're balling this pitch?

Mr. Mueller,

Done it once this year. Did it twice last year.

waltjp

Don Mueller wrote
Simply put:

It is very difficult to remain motionless when squared to bunt.
If there is any movement forward or toward the ball I will strike it.
The benefit of doubt will certainly be in favor of F1.
If the batter makes no attempt to pull back I will look hard for an attempt.
You may not like that attitude but it is within the rules.
My op was a heads up to flemmer (I figured he was a coach) and other coaches that to teach kids to keep the bat over the plate, for whatever reason, may not be a good idea.
I was not trying to talk you out of giving up strikes.

Thanks Don. That's exactly what I thought. My comprehension skills appear to be just fine.

UMP25

Don Mueller wrote
Question.

Obvious sac situation, batter squares early, bat across the plate and at the very top of strike zone. F1 delivers, pitch is 1" above the bat and out of the zone, batter makes no offer, no movement, ball misses bat by 1".
Who's going to be the first brave soul to step up and say they're balling this pitch?

Me, because I've done the very same thing more than once and NEVER got much guff from it after I explained succinctly why I didn't rule it a strike.

bob jenkins

Don Mueller wrote
UMP25 wrote
fitump56 wrote
batter makes no offer,

Ball. No he didn't (optional addition).

Who would say, "He didn't make an offer, but I'm calling it a strike." (and no, I don't mean who would say that literally)

SanDiegoSteve

GarthB wrote
This should be sufficient:

OBR 2.00

A STRIKE is a legal pitch when so called by the umpire, which -

(a) Is struck at by the batter and is missed;

I just seem to recall reading actual wording about merely holding the bat in the strike zone not being an attempt in something other than FED, i.e., OBR.

LSMFT🙂

BigUmp56

SanDiegoSteve wrote
I just seem to recall reading actual wording about merely holding the bat in the strike zone not being an attempt in something other than FED, i.e., OBR.

LSMFT🙂

Steve,

I know you worked some LL games last year and you might have read what you're talking about in "The Right Call."

“The Right Call” Casebook -- Comment: The key words are “intentionally met with the bat.” Comment: If no attempt is made to make contact with a ball outside the strike zone while in the bunting stance, it should be called a ball. An effort must be made to intentionally meet the ball with the bat.

Tim.

SanDiegoSteve

Alright, I'll buy that. That may have been where I saw it. Thanks.

umpduck11

Don Mueller wrote
UMP25 wrote
fitump56 wrote
Question.

Obvious sac situation, batter squares early, bat across the plate and at the very top of strike zone. F1 delivers, pitch is 1" above the bat and out of the zone, batter makes no offer, no movement, ball misses bat by 1".
Who's going to be the first brave soul to step up and say they're balling this pitch?

Why on earth would you NOT call this pitch a ball ??? I assume you are implying that the 1" means something, as you cited it twice..... 🙄 I prefer to look for pitches that are strikes, or that are offered to by the batter, than to create my own. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize others on this board were correct. **click**

(**click** in memory of LMan)

Rcichon

SanDiegoSteve wrote
......clipped.........LSMFT

I know what that stands for ! My grandfather smoke those for 65-70 years. Quit when he was 82. Not one lung problem ever.

SanDiegoSteve

I used to smoke...huhhhhhh...four packs a day...huhhhhhhhh...but since they took out one of my lungs...huhhhhhhhhhhhh...I've cut my smoking in half!😃

Seriously, I feel 100% better since quitting smoking several years back.

fitump56

Don Mueller wrote
Simply put:

It is very difficult to remain motionless when squared to bunt.
If there is any movement forward or toward the ball I will strike it.
The benefit of doubt will certainly be in favor of F1.
If the batter makes no attempt to pull back I will look hard for an attempt.
You may not like that attitude but it is within the rules.
My op was a heads up to flemmer (I figured he was a coach) and other coaches that to teach kids to keep the bat over the plate, for whatever reason, may not be a good idea.

If this is not copyrighted, I'm writing it down for future regurgitation. 😉

fitump56

bob jenkins wrote
I disagree with this statement. (Okay, to be clear, I don't disagree that Don does it; I disagree that he, or any umpire, should do it).

An umpire needn't "look hard" for an attempt. He just needs to watch the actions and judge accordingly.

I suppose "looking hard" at any call is an indecency? Or just this one. How about looking hard at all of them?

fitump56

Originally Posted by fitump56
Forward is it? Not what the rule says, the rule says "at" the ball. So you would not call a strike if B drops or raises his bat vertically with no forward push if the ball is above or below his bat, in an obvious attempt to bunt? I guess not. :eek:

UMP25 wrote
It's obvious you don't even know the definition of the word "push" now. 🙄

When you come to an exit door that says "push," do you yank real hard and wonder why it won't open? :rolleyes:

You missed the difference between forward and verical motions, later. 😛

fitump56

Originally Posted by fitump56
batter makes no offer,

bob jenkins wrote
Ball. No he didn't (optional addition).

Correct.

Who would say, "He didn't make an offer, but I'm calling it a strike." (and no, I don't mean who would say that literally)

I don't know, who? One of your "Smitties"?

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