[ChampaignBlue]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

The following happened before I began umpiring, a long, long, long time ago. I was playing, and our coach was about the biggest snivelling cheat ever known (and we won't mention that this was a CHURCH league).

Anyway ... wondering at what point (if any) I would have stepped in as umpire, and where you would have.

#1 team undefeated playing in round 1 of the playoffs against the 8th best team (out of 12). Everything that could go wrong did, including a catcher on the bad team losing a straight up pop fly, hit hard enough in the noggin that the ball bounced to a slowly incoming pitcher - who caught the ball. Last inning, #1 team down by 7.

Batting order (coed) B1, G1, B2, G2 ... B5, G5.
Proper batter is G3. Instead B1 comes to the plate and doubles. Other team doesn't appeal, so G2 comes to bat and walks - B3 should also walk by rule, but instead G5 walks and B3 comes to the plate and doubles clearing the bases. B1 comes up again and doubles, team down by 3 now. The other team's coach, seeing B2 step into the batters box now says, "Aw come on" although without a lot of volume. B2 homers and gets back in the box. Coach says to no one in particular, "This is ridiculous." B2 doubles, G2 gets out, B1 comes up and homers. Game over.

Yes, this is so TWP we can call it FWP ... but it happened - my 25+ year old memory of this may have missed a detail - but you get the gist.

Do you step in? Do you take, "Aw come on" or "This is ridiculous" as an appeal?

I don't know, I might develop a thin skin and say "Coach! Are you making disparaging comments on my strike zone?"