Application of 9.01(c)

[akalsey]

How about some discussion on when to invoke 9.01(c)?

The view of some umps (on this board and elsewhere) seems to be that 9.01(c) is there so that when something happens in a game that they don't like, they can impose a penalty of some sort.

My viewpoint is that 9.01(c) is there to allow the ump to provide a ruling on those one in a million occurances that are not covered by the rulebook. Like when the bird flew into the path of the Randy Johnson fastball, killing the bird and causing the pitch to drop to the ground.