A changed call at Texas

[Carl Childress]

With the permission of Mark Land, here's a post from eTeamz that was the basis of some heated discussion here at The Official Forum.

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At today’s [2/16/01] University of Texas vs. Stanford game there was to me a bizarre turn of events. The Umps: Home: Wade Ford 1st: Jon Bible 2nd: Un-named 3rd: David Wiley.

Situation: 2 bottom of the sixth, Stanford leading 1-0; 2 outs; R1, R2, Jeff Ontiveros, who is a RHB, batting. Pitch obviously hits Jeff on the back foot. R1 trots to second. B/R starts down to 1st when PU calls him back “Where are you going?” Defense throws to second, where there are now two runners. The defense eventually tags R2 trying for 3rd. Defense trots of field.

Texas is HOT. Manager Garrido comes out argues for long time with Ford and gets no satisfaction; he then goes to Bible at 1st. I can hear Bible say that he did not see it hit the batter. Garrido is only getting madder. I was almost surprised that Bible did not chase him.

Garrido finally gives up and takes a couple of steps towards the dugout before he turns around and heads to U2 at second. Ford and Bible join them. After about 2 minutes, Ford signals that Ontiveros is awarded first, dead ball, no out. Almost 5 minutes after it started, Stanford retakes the field. The next batter singles to right, scoring one, R2 thrown out. Texas goes on to win 2-1.

It was obvious that U2 saw the ball hit the batter. What I will never understand is why he did not kill the play immediately. More, how could he just stand there while the manager discusses it with both PU & U1? I am sure he felt pretty lonely out there. I am pleased he eventually “got it right.”

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I belong to a college email community that includes Jon, so I wrote to ask: "What up?" Jon replied: "We didn't handle it well, and we have discussed that among ourselves, but we got it right."

I want to make three points:

1. Jon Bible continues to be one of the Neo-Romantics. He is, I am certain, the foremost umpire of the last quarter century to preach consistently: "Get the call right!" Come hell or high water, Jon expects only "right" calls. He and I have agreed to disagree "slightly" on this point. I say "slightly," because in this instance "getting the call right" was also legal.

2. Jon Identified two problems:

1. The first-base umpire (himself) did not follow his own rules. In 1986 Jon's speech at the St. Louis NASO convention was "Let the Players Make the Calls." I remember that well since Jon bought my breakfast that morning. If Jon had paid close attention to the actions of the batter, he would have known B1 was HBP. (I'm certain nobody will argue that a college batter can act at once and convincingly in such circumstances.)
2. The second-base umpire (in his sixth game at UT) saw the HBP but was afraid to call it since the CWS'ers (Bible and Ford) had said nothing. Jon assures me that umpire NOW knows: If you are 100% sure of what you see, wait a moment, and -- when the umpire charged with the primary responsibility does nothing -- sing out the call: "Dead ball! HBP!"

3. I approve of everything done in that sequence -- to get it right. Childress from here on out.

1. One umpire made a call: B1 wasn't hit by the pitch.
2. Another umpire had information. He was sure B1 was hit by the pitch.
3. Two umpires, in essence, had made different decisions on the play, but only Ford's decision had been "announced."
4. After consultation among the umpires, the improper call (no HBP) was reversed and the proper call (HBP) was adopted.

Since it was the right call properly arrived at, nobody was ejected. That kind of teamwork in the crew is what makes college ball so much fun.

Someone posted that surely those guys were "idiot umpires" who had called their last NCAA game, implying they were over-the-hill. I think just the reverse is true. Conference supervisors are looking for umpires who can handle explosive situations with dignity and aplomb.