Babe Ruth - Visit to pitcher

ozzy6900 · #1 (**permalink**) Wed May 26, 2004, 07:27am

I am a little confused here. My son umpired a Babe Ruth game last weekend. The home coach is a FED umpire and a good egg. However, when he asked for time to visit his pitcher, he would not cross the foul line. His pitcher & catcher had the meeting at the line like LL used to be. My son (UIC) instructed them to have the meeting on the mound as stipulated in the BR manual & OBR. The coach stated that he does not cross the line because in his opinion, he does not belong there "between the lines belongs to the players". The discussion was quiet (my son informed me of the conversation later) and he allowed the meeting to continue.

Now I am a rules guy so in my opinion, he has to meet on the mound or we don't know when the meeting is officially over (OBR 8.06 - BR also). What is the opinion of my brothers out there?

jumpmaster · #2 (**permalink**) Wed May 26, 2004, 07:43am

I think you let it go and there are 2 ways to determine when the meeting is over.

1) when players begin to return to their positions.

2) When coach requests a time out, pull out your little book - line up card holder thingy, note the conference, dust off the plate then walk down to where the conference is. If coach isn't done after all this - you tell him that the conference is over and it is time to play ball. Then you turn and hustle back into position.

Technique #2 was taught to me by one of our local big dogs and it works. Often, I only have to take about 2 steps onto the field before they break things up.

Hope this helps.

DG · #3 (**permalink**) Wed May 26, 2004, 07:48am

Quote:

Originally posted by ozzy6900
I am a little confused here. My son umpired a Babe Ruth game last weekend. The home coach is a FED umpire and a good egg. However, when he asked for time to visit his pitcher, he would not cross the foul line. His pitcher & catcher had the meeting at the line like LL used to be. My son (UIC) instructed them to have the meeting on the mound as stipulated in the BR manual & OBR. The coach stated that he does not cross the line because in his opinion, he does not belong there "between the lines belongs to the players". The discussion was quiet (my son informed me of the conversation later) and he allowed the meeting to continue.

Now I am a rules guy so in my opinion, he has to meet on the mound or we don't know when the meeting is officially over (OBR 8.06 - BR also). What is the opinion of my brothers out there?

My first reaction was "I don't care if they meet in the dugout", but I looked it up for the educational value. In FED, "a defensive charged conference is concluded when the coach or non-playing representative crosses the foul line if the conference was in fair territory. If the conference was in foul territory, the conference concludes when the coach or non-playing representative initially starts to return to the dugout/bench area". OBR only refers to visits to the mound, but there is a rule to cover it, 9.01(c), so IMO a conference at the foul line is fine with me. Howevever, in the show, I just can't see Roger Clemens going to the foul line to meet with the skipper.

ecurebel · #4 (**permalink**) Mon May 31, 2004, 03:57am

i am with dg on this one...if the coach wants to confer with his pitcher next to the water cooler i would have to say something, but the foul line is not that big a deal, you and everybody there knows that that coach is using one of his charged conferences to the mound but doesn't want to walk that far. yes it is a little un orthodoxed..but he knows that he is being charged along with everyone in attendance. if he wants to work his pitcher more then let him..

just use judgments with this. if he wants to walk to left field don't let him, but i will not penalize him for walking to the foul line and calling his pitcher over there.

Carl Childress · #5 (**permalink**) Mon May 31, 2004, 06:25am

Quote:

Originally posted by ozzy6900
I am a little confused here. My son umpired a Babe Ruth game last weekend. The home coach is a FED umpire and a good egg. However, when he asked for time to visit his pitcher, he would not cross the foul line. His pitcher & catcher had the meeting at the line like LL used to be. My son (UIC) instructed them to have the meeting on the mound as stipulated in the BR manual & OBR. The coach stated that he does not cross the line because in his opinion, he does not belong there "between the lines belongs to the players". The discussion was quiet (my son informed me of the conversation later) and he allowed the meeting to continue.

Now I am a rules guy so in my opinion, he has to meet on the mound or we don't know when the meeting is officially over (OBR 8.06 - BR also). What is the opinion of my brothers out there?

A coach not going onto the diamond is still the LL rule in the majors and minors. (8.06) This coach has simply "graduated" to Babe Ruth. The conference ends when it ends.

There's no need to make a big deal of this. A "trip to the mound" is simply a metaphor for a visit with the pitcher, wherever it occurs.

Rich Ives · #6 (**permalink**) Mon May 31, 2004, 10:13am

Just for the recored, the Little League Congress and BoD this year approved a rule change that allows the manager to go to the mound in majors/minors. It is effective immediately.

Carl Childress · #7 (**permalink**) Mon May 31, 2004, 11:15am

Quote:

Originally posted by Rich Ives
Just for the recored, the Little League Congress and BoD this year approved a rule change that allows the manager to go to the mound in majors/minors. It is effective immediately.

Guess what appears in rules gurus when the big boys change things after the rule book is in print: Ignorance!

Lah, me.