Quote:
Originally Posted by Manny A
This is kinda one of those Catch-22 situations where if you call it, you're accused of having thrown your partner under the proverbial bus.
I made a similar call in a varsity game earlier this season when it was obvious, even from A, that the pitcher stepped on the plate with the ball in her glove, she reached in and pulled it out with her bare hand, and dropped her hand to her side to receive signals from her catcher. The first time she did it, I was like, "Did she just do what I thought I saw?" The next time, I called the IP and told her coach what she did wrong.
Between innings, my partner called me over and said, "That's my call to make." I said, "Okay. Didn't you see her do it?" He replied, "I didn't notice, but next time, don't make that call. Just wait until I see it and call it, or let me know between innings what's going on." I said, "I hear ya, partner, but I don't feel comfortable letting a pitcher violate the rules, regardless of who has priority on the call." He didn't like my answer.
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Others may not agree with me, but here's what I do:
In rec games, I'm just telling my partner between innings; probably telling the coach, too. If PU doesn't start to call it, I will. Sorry, you had your chance.
In upper level and collegiate games, if I see it randomly (happened twice in the inning), I'm (again) good with telling my partner what I'm seeing. But, if I see it on every pitch, there is no legitimate reason to wait. Sure the PU
should make that call, but letting an entire inning of illegal pitches go by to tell a supposedly high level umpire that he isn't seeing an obvious illegal pitch makes it way more difficult to sell it when finally called.
And, most collegiate games are being taped by someone, or webcast, or telecast or ESPN3, or something. Our job is to call the game by the rules, and that's what they pay us to do, not so much to spare our PU's feelings if he isn't seeing what he has to see.