Rule Book CURSE!

[DG]

Come on, everybody should know what he meant. Everybody is in the tournament and you have to win all your games to win.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Dave Hensley

That can't possibly be accurate.

In any tournament whether it is the NCAA Tournament or a State Tournament, the champion beats everyone to win, whether they play them or not.

Peace

[TBBlue]

Originally posted by cbfoulds
You actually had the lodged-ball-take-the-glove-off-&-toss-the-package sitch?

I've had the games where one or both pitchers can't touch the ball w/o balking: as others have said, adjust your frame of reference and only call what you have to. But HS Varsity [possibly excepting the tiny private/church schools]? Call what you see.

And the "you're not the star" comment(s): you know this guy's son - is Papa trying to work you, or is he an a$$#ole in real life, as well? I believe that fellow would be the recipient of a brief, but information-packed talking-to, and his next "contribution" would likely be his last for the day.

Here our private-church schools recruit like mothers (alledgedly)...They aren't necessarily as good as the big public schools, but they definitely compete. In Varsity HS ball, call the book. That's what Fed and the State santioning body wants, and the umpires that didn't make these calls are doing a disservice to all involved.

[Dave Hensley]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JRutledge

[i]In any tournament whether it is the NCAA Tournament or a State Tournament, the champion beats everyone to win, whether they play them or not.

Peace

No, the tournament champion defeats every team it plays; it does not defeat every team in the tournament, "whether they play them or not."

Excuse me for expecting a certain level of precision in the use of language.

[largeone59]

jeez.... let it go...

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Dave Hensley


No, the tournament champion defeats every team it plays; it does not defeat every team in the tournament, "whether they play them or not."

Excuse me for expecting a certain level of precision in the use of language.

That is not expecting better language that is just being stupid. Sorry if everyone has to put everything in place for you to understand. Life must be really hard for you.

Peace

[ChapJim]

Originally posted by Tim C

In 3,600+ games I have called THREE balks in a game twice in my career. I have never called more than three. Ever.

Ever.

Tee

Is this another of your "real umpire" standards? (As in, "Real umpires don't call more than two balks per game.")

I've done games this spring where I balked the same pitcher three times in the same inning, for the same violation! And it would have been malpractice if I hadn't.

[Bfair]

Originally posted by blueump
I guess this is the best place to spout, cause I wish you guys actually were close enough to do games around here. Knowing the rule book has become a curse to me!

In last night's game I made 2 major calls (lodged ball in glove and runner interference) that I really caught flack for. I know the calls were solid, but both were based on rules that "nobody else has called on us all year" (man if I had a dollar for everytime I heard that!) In fact I also called a balk for a fake pickoff to first (never stepped off...and "never called all year"), warned 2 different pitchers about not wiping off his fingers after going to his mouth ("your the first guy to mention that all year"), called about 4 other balks as well. In fact, the home team scorer told me that we were the only umps to call balks on them all year. She even had to ask the coach what a "balk" was. I get all the comments from the coaches and crowd - "why don't you just let the kids decided this game?" and the one that for some reason bugged me the most "why do you insist on being the star of the show, nobody is here to watch you!" etc...

At what point do I just shut my mouth and call what "everyone else expects you to call" and not what is right? I'd catch a lot less grief!

Depending on level of play, some rules are, at times, overlooked.
Your ability to understand when advantages are gained through questionable acts will help guide your decisionmaking on what to call and what is overlooked. Your decisions on what and when you overlook technicalities will impact your advancement to higher levels of officiating. Don't nitpick technicalities, but address them with warnings if need be.

Unfortunately, there are officials out there that study the rules but just won't call them---even when advantages are gained through questionably illegal actions. Coaches remember calls that are made against them much longer than they remember calls that were made in their favor and calls that were not made when they should have been made. Proper decisionmaking should earn you a good reputation with the good coaches at the risk of having a poor reputation with the poor coaches.

Have pride and integrity in your performance, use good judgment to know and enforce illegal advantages gained, but don't nitpick technicalities.


Just my opinion,

Freix


(BTW, I'd be interested in hearing your sitch on the interference)

[blueump]

Originally posted by Bfair



(BTW, I'd be interested in hearing your sitch on the interference)

Pretty basic....R1, R2 & R3. Ball hit to the shortstop, who is charging the ball but run into by R2 before he can make a play on the ball. The ball wasn't rolling too fast, and it would have been a difficult and close call at first.

We killed the ball and called R2 out. Put BR at first, R1 went to second, R3 returned to 3rd.