Would you toss em??

[drumbum565]

Ok here is the situation runner on first 1 out there is a pick off atempt and there is no chance to get the guy and he slides in with his spikes not only up but a foot of the ground. He slashes the kids ankle and the BU said, "don't do anything of that nature again you didn't need to slide and you didn't need to slide with your spikes up." So on the next pitch there is a 1 hopper to shortstop he easily tosses it to second in hopes of a double play. The guy running to second is out by a mile and when he aproches the base he throws out his hands and knocks the ball out of the second basemens hand(clearly intentional) my partner (BU) calls the runner going to first out due to interference by R2. I feel that after the warning about milicious contact he should have tossed him but it was his play his call and i wasn't going to interfere. So my question is. Would you toss 'em?

[greymule]

From your description, the umpire should have ejected the runner when he apparently deliberately spiked the fielder.

Your question is akin to, "A police officer sees a man shoot his next-door neighbor and warns the man not to do it again. If the man then kicks over his neighbor's garbage can, should the officer then arrest the man?"

As an umpire, I would never tell a player that he didn't need to slide. A player can slide on any play, even into 1B on a routine grounder where he's out by 10 feet. How he slides is another story.

[TriggerMN]

You don't give warnings for malicious contact. It either is or isn't.

The first play is a judgement call. If you judge that he came in with spikes high with an intent to injure, dump him. If not, let it go.

The second play was handled correctly. 2 outs on the play.

[drumbum565]

I agree I would have tossed him for the spikes to but like i said it was my partner's call and I wasnÂ’t going to interfere. To greymule: that is probably the best and funniest symbolic description I have ever heard(or read i guess).

[BigUmp56]

Matt,

You do not want to poach a call by a BU regarding out, safe, interference, obstruction, and probably ejections or warnings about the use of foul language( he obviously can hear things you cannot). Keep in mind that judging as to whether or not a player has made malicious contact is a shared responsibility. If you feel you have seen malicious contact, run him immediately! You don't need to wait on your partner to make this call.

Another example would be the throwing of a helmet after a BR has been rung up at first. Would you want to reserve this call only to the BU, only because he is closer to the infraction?

Tim.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ ____________________

As umpires, we are the only ones in the world expected to be perfect on our first day on the job, and improve from there!

[bellsjc]

I am confused as to why you say it is the BU call on the play at second base. In our association the mechanic for a 2 man is the out-safe call at second is the BU call but the int./slide call is the home plate umpires call. Am I off base on this? If you considered the knocking the ball loose as malicious contact then by all means you should have tossed the kid.

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by bellsjc
I am confused as to why you say it is the BU call on the play at second base. In our association the mechanic for a 2 man is the out-safe call at second is the BU call but the int./slide call is the home plate umpires call. Am I off base on this? If you considered the knocking the ball loose as malicious contact then by all means you should have tossed the kid.

PU only has the interference call at second after the throw to first is released (because BU must now turn toward first for theplay there). In the play presented, there was no throw; the call belongs to BU.