Play that haunts me still

[David Emerling]

Originally posted by PeteBooth
Originally posted by bluezebra

You overruled your partner's call. That's a NO-NO!

Let the play stand, and wait for a coach to make an appeal to your partner. When he comes to you, away from all ears, tell him what you saw.

Put BR on 1B, R3 remains on 3B.

PLAY BALL!

Here's the play per the thread.

Batter bunts the ball in the air before the mound more towards the plate than first. 1st baseman coming toward me clearly and without doubt (opposing coaches both agree) catches the ball on the short hop.

The aforementioned is NOT the BU's call to begin with, so your statement "You overruled your partner's call. That's a NO-NO"! is not correct.

IMO, what should have happened is the moment the PU saw the ball short hopped is when he should have said EMPHATICALLY NO CATCH! NO CATCH! - that way regardless of what the BU did would have been moot.

The BU is behind the play (F3 coming in) and the PU is right in front of the play so it's the PU'S call. The OBR rule that comes into play is

OBR 9.04
(c) If different decisions should be made on one play by different umpires, the umpire in chief shall call all the umpires into consultation, with no manager or player present. After consultation, the umpire in chief (unless another umpire may have been designated by the league president) shall determine which decision shall prevail, based on which umpire was in best position and which decision was most likely correct. Play shall proceed as if only the final decision had been made.

Since we have a 2 person system the UIC would be the PU and since it was his call to begin with he DOES have jurisdiction to overturn the call.

Now what to with the runners. R3 back to third B1 to first, now here come the EJ's.

In a FED game the rule is 10-2-L and in a FED game the ump could call B1 out and put R3 back at third so that both teams are not disadvantaged because it's a good bet that one of the runners would have been out if not for the changed call.

Bottom LINE, it was the PU's mechanics that caused this fiasco. As mentioned if he said in an Emphatic Voice NO CATCH / NO CATCH then the BU's call is irrelevant.

Pete Booth

[Edited by PeteBooth on Aug 6th, 2004 at 02:44 PM]

Let's go back to your citation of OBR 9.04 where it states that a decision must be made regarding WHICH of the differing calls shall prevail.

If the BU's call prevails. (He ruled it a catch) Then it's a DP.

If the PU's call prevails. (He ruled it a no-catch) Then R3 scores ... because that's what happened. B1 would be placed on first ... because that's what happened.

No matter WHICH call prevails, R3 would *not* be at 3rd, because that is not what happened under either condition. It doesn't seem that 9.04 gives the umpire the authority to place runners to bases that simply seem fair. At least, that's not the way it reads to me.

Unless, what you suggest is an interpretation of 9.04. It may be.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN