Quote:
Originally Posted by drh898
Thanks, Mike. I think you hit it right on the head. Probably depends on the level of play. In this case, it was a casual company league, not real high level, so, even though I thought maybe we had an out, I didn't ring him up as it would have put a damper on the game and created more problems then it was worth.
In a higher level game, I might call a strike and wait to see if the other team appealed and then would have gotten the out. In tournament play I would have to ring him up.
For the purists, I know, a rule is a rule, but one reason we umpire, which I heard in a clinic, "is to make the game better." I think this applies here.
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Have to disagree. It is what it is, shame on the batter.
Many of the calls we make are not popular, but the only people on the field that decide what rules to use are those who agree to play under certain rules.
Let me ask you this: If the ball was fair, would you call him out when the team throws the ball to 1B before he reaches it, if he even runs? Would you call it an out if the catcher caught the ball in flight? If the team did not make a play and he ran to 1B would you call him safe?
There are two teams out there and they both expect you to apply the rules. It really isn't our job to make up for their stupidity no matter how anal it seems to be (and trust me, I know anal
).
Not making this call may very well get another umpire in trouble when the call is correctly made. We have all heard the "I played here/there and they never make that call" crap. However, sometimes I have to wonder after reading some of the posts on different boards.