Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich
The umpire has authority to end the game. The BOD rules on forfeits in LL.
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That's not in accordance with the rules.
The LL Rules Instruction Manual has this Instructor Comment: "
Please remember that the umpire-in-chief records a forfeit. However, all forfeits are subject to review by the Board of Directors." As far as I'm concerned, the review is strictly limited to validating that the forfeit declaration met one or more of the criteria under rule 4.15.
In this scenario, there certainly was a valid reason to declare the forfeit, because the coach refused to continue play. It doesn't matter why he refused. If he felt the umpire did something contrary to the rules, he can lodge a protest, not pull his players from the field and pout in the dugout. The BOD really has no legitimate option to overturn this forfeit.
Now, should an umpire declare a forfeit because a team used an ineligible pitcher in the fifth inning, that would certainly be a proper time for the BOD to render the forfeit null and void. There is a correct fix to this situation in the rule book that doesn't entail a forfeit.
That said, I do realize that some BODs take it upon themselves to do whatever the heck they want. It takes a strong league UIC to show them the error of their ways.