Thread: Umpire Error
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Old Thu Apr 25, 2002, 02:15pm
Bfair Bfair is offline
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Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 813
Marty, I had a situation a few years ago in Fed ball that I asked about in a different forum.

    Situation: Top of first inning, R1 and R3 with 2 outs.
    Batter hits double scoring R3, but R1 fails to touch 2B en route to 3B. Under the old Fed appeal rule when the play was over I enforced the infraction calling the runner out, but I had a brain fart and allowed the run to score thinking it was a previous runner.

    During the next half inning I replayed the situation in my mind and realized the run should NOT have been scored since the infraction was the 3rd out at a forced base. I approached the PU between half innings and told him the error, and that I felt we needed to correct the score---especially since this was an inning ending play whereby there was no further play thereafter. He elected to let the issue remain overlooked since both coaches had accepted it without argument.

    This was a JV game that ended in a tie due to the varsity game needing to be started on time. That run likely could have been the difference in the game.

A Fed interpreter checked Indianapolis on the issue of whether it would have been legal to go back and correct this scoring error. The response was per 10-2-3m the error should have been corrected even though it was now a half inning later.





So......that brings us to your situation.
As you wrote the situation, the misapplication of the award caused a scorekeeping error.
The question now arises for Fed...........
    Is this an award error, or is it also a scorekeeping error since it allowed a score that the umpires were aware should not be scored?

While I tend to agree that a pitch, play, or attempted play is the logical response, there seems to be conflict still with the issue---at least in Fed with 10-2-3m---of maintaining a correct score.

While we have many rules and caseplays addressing varying situations, the concept of correcting umpire mistakes is largely unaddressed with specifics. It's an area that has been hotly debated regarding correcting a call (reference the "Fab Five"), but is even less addressed related to other umpire error. In your situation, I would not have corrected the award error since play had continued which could have been affected by the improper award (although that possibility is rather remote).

My error was not further complicated by an award error---it was purely scoring. And although my error in the top of the first inning had little impact on ensuing play in the bottom half of the inning, what if that error would have occurred in the top of the 7th inning? Might it have affected play in the bottom of the inning? Still, the rule and ruling is the same regardless of the inning.

Hmmmm......no doubt what would have occurred in the JV game if we would have happened to remember the scoring error of the first inning in the bottom of the 7th inning........
and like I said, the Fed rule doesn't stipulate when to apply 10-2-3m and when not to apply 10-2-3m......
but common sense would certainly prevail..........


Just my opinion,

Freix





[Edited by Bfair on Apr 25th, 2002 at 02:19 PM]
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