My amazing partner
 

JV HS game I have the plate. Runners on 1st & 2nd (doesn’t matter for this situation).

Foul tip, I signal foul tip/strike as the runners advance one base. F2 is just standing there holding the ball watching the action. Suddenly my partner throws up his arms and yells “foul ball” and tells the runner to go back to their bases. I see the offensive coach turn red, then purple and head for me. I quickly indicate to my partner that we need to talk. The coach sees this and stops his charge. I ask my partner “What are you doing?” He tells me that F2 dropped the ball. I said “NO, he caught it cleanly and just stood up holding the ball.” My partner said “From the way he was acting I thought that he dropped the ball.” I said “Did you see the ball on the ground?” He said “No, I guess I blew it.” I didn’t say anything else to him, I had some additional things to say but………

So I put the runners back on the bases that they had reached before my partner called ‘Foul Ball’. Here comes the defensive coach. “He called “Foul Ball, how can you give them a base on a foul call?” Thanks partner.

In between innings the defensive coach says “My catcher said it was a foul ball.” I said “Did your catcher tell you that it went directly into his glove and he caught it?” His reply “I saw that.” I said “Then coach it’s a foul tip and runners can advance at their own risk.” He didn’t know that……and he’s coaching HS JV.

The Gods of Baseball must have been angry at me :)

Nope, you're just umpiring in the twilight zone that is High School Baseball.

That's a rough one, but since your partner called foul, you gotta eat it and put the runners back as if it actually was a foul ball.

It's a tough one to swallow, but that's what you should have done (as the rule states).

They're all over ............................
 

My partner last night on three different occasions stayed in "A" on an extra base hit. Also, several times stayed in "A" with runners on base.

And, was questioned about an obstruction call, said there was no obstruction, comes to me later in the game to tell me that yeah, he saw the obstruction, but that team had scored enough runs that inning. BTW, that team lost by a run!

I must have done something bad in a prior life:D



Doug

Not again
 

I feel your pain once again.... different partner

Today, I was working bases in a 14U tournament game. The best teams from cities as far as 200 miles away.

Bases loaded, grounder hit to shallow RF, great throw to 1st base....I signal out and give a loud "Out" verbal. F3 throws to home but the runner gets under the tag.

"OUT" shouts my partner. The offensive coach says "He clearly came in under the tag". My partner says "Yes he did but it was a force play". Oh crap....... please God's of Baseball let this pass.......

My partner explains that F3 missed the bag so the BR was safe at 1B and the runner from 3B was out on the force. I talk to my partner and say "Bob, I had him out at 1B." "No, he stepped over the base, so he's safe at 1B" says my partner. He again tells the coaches what his decission is. Offensive coach "That's crazy, he called the BR out, I'm going to protest this game."

I calm the coach down and take my partner to the side for a second meeting. I say "Bob, right or wrong from my angle I had the kid out, you can't change my call." "Okay, you explain it to them" says my partner. "Coaches, the BR was out at 1B so the force was off." "The runner got under the tag and was safe at home, score the run."

After the inning was over the defensive coach says "Good call Blue, my guy had him at 1B." Coach, where were you when I needed you? :)

Three 9-inning Adult League games scheduled for tomorrow. I will make an offering to the God's of Baseball tonight......maybe they will forgive me for whatever I did to anger them.

I have never and will never PLAN to work 3-9 inning games on the same day. I did work 3-7 inning games once last year that ended up being 24 innings because the first game went 10. You don't have to accept everything that comes your way..

Huh ?
 

bossman72,
Which rule is that ?
Why would you go with your partner's call, which was not only wrong but the call was made after the plate ump went "foul tip"?
It seems the catcher made no play and then BU made the incorrect call so late that the play wasn't affected at all.
I'm with Justme on his call, which was timely and correct. I don't think there is anything to swallow from behind the plate.
mick

I'll tell you, there's no way that I can accept everything that comes my way. I work 6 or 7 days per week and a couple of evenings after the HS games. I really enjoy the Adult League games, some pretty good players. What I didn't mention is that these games are limited to only 2 1/2 hours each (not drop dead, no new inning started).

If I wasn't working baseball I'd have to work off the things on my wife's 'honey-do' list..... Baseball is a lot more fun for me, plus after I take out my expenses we use the money to sponsor familes for Thanksgiving & Christmas.

PWL:

It's been a long day.... 3 games then my wife forced me to take her to dinner and an early movie, I'm tired and old......maybe that's why I didn't understand your post. Would you please take the time to explain it to a tired old man? :confused:

Thanks

Just worked 3 - 7 inning games today......by myself. 21 innings in the dish. Sunburned, sore, got nailed by fouls in the gut under the protector once in EACH game (I want my new CP!), started at 9 and got done at 10 till 5 this evening.

I love baseball.

I know, at least in FED ball, that if the umpire calls "foul" inadvertantly, it's foul and you gotta eat it (unless it was a fly ball, then it's a catch).

The calling umpire did not call foul inadvertantly, he made the correct calll, foul tip/strike. After the play was over a brain dead partner made a phantom call. Umpire error. Keep the runners right where they rightfully belong.

They're smiling again!
 

The God's of Baseball must have accepted my offering to them and are once again smiling upon me. Three umpire error free games with two good partners. Baseball doesn't get much better than this.......I just hope that my neighbors won't miss their cat too much :cool:

Just my opinion, but you are spending too much time trying to cover the rumps of your incompetent partners. "Calming the coach down" on calls you DIDNT blow and all these side-meetings....remember, you can't fix stupid.

Fix obvious errors that affect the game (if you can), but otherwise let these bozos take the ***-chewings...they bought and paid for them, let them enjoy the pain.

There was a time when I would have agreed with you. But not anymore because right or wrong, good or bad we are a team. As a team we all suffer for the mistakes of our partners. I want to restore order as quickly as possible, understand the facts, and get things right.

In my second situation my partner was 70 something years old. Once a fine umpire but now clearly not as sharp as he once was. Both coaches were on him hard and he was only getting more confused.