Quote:
Originally posted by DownTownTonyBrown
...Slightly before the pitch arrives, the batter pulls back the bat. Resultant pitch is low and probably a foot outside. I say "YES! You went." Nobody said a peep.
[snip]
This was a men's league and if there is any level where players like to argue calls, I think this it is this level; there was no argument or even a sideways glance. So I guess my call was okay?
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On the face of your explanation that the batter withdrew the bat before the ball arrived, Bob (bluezebra) is right.
Depending on what constitutes "slightly before" Steve (BFair) may also be right.
By the criteria applied by many officials, Jerry is also undoubtedly right.
There you have the whole breadth of opinion -
Yes,
No and
Maybe. So what do you do if faced with that situation again?
Most times it is best to go with your instincts. You don't have the time, and can't afford the aggravation, to be second-guessing your own calls on the diamond. By all means try to improve your performance by conducting your own post-mortem on issues that stuck in your mind, but don't be too hard on yourself in such circumstances. Events always seem to be more sharply defined in the harsh glare of hindsight.
It will help to have a positive mind-set: eg. "
every pitch is a strike until it becomes a ball" - managers love umpires who call strikes - and every runner is out until he proves he was safe - or "
never make the unexpected call". An old protagonist of mine, T. Alan Christensen (aka Tee), will tell you that the game revolves around Strikes and Outs! It may have seemed otherwise to some, but we agreed more than we disagreed and that point was no exception.
Was it a strike? Look in the book, Tony, look in the book!
Cheers