Little league question
 

My nephew is playing as we speak in the little world series in bangor. They are in the fifth inning and Venuzuela has stopped the game with some sort of question about a substitution. My question is not what the rule is but the announcers on the radio are saying that the LL officials on site are calling the Little league home office in Williamsport and their are rule books being pulled out and such.

My question goes to how they are handling itself. I do football and basketball and cannot imagine pulling out rule books and calling home offices while a game is going on, Is this a baseball thing?

It's a LL World Series (and the whole LL post-season) thing.

Thanks Bob. Obviously it must be acceptable. It's just that it's something I don't think could ever happen in a basketball or football game. You have your on site refs/umps and site managers and their decision stands and that's it. It sounds like Venezuela has issued a formal protest. So they've stopped the game until it's resolved. It's something about leaving the game as a pitcher and then re-entering as a pitcher.

By the way do you think Gary is ever going to get the other board up again?

After about a 25 minute delay they ruled in favor of Tulsa.

This is pretty funny. When they resumed Venuzuela had a runner on first. Tulsa pulled a hidden ball trick and tagged the runner out at first before any pitches were thrown.

I guess that's a good way to stick it to them for the delay.

That would be pretty hard to do, although possible if there was an intervening pickoff attempt or something like that.

WHAT?

Did the umpire start play without the ball in the pitcher's hand?

And why did the runner step off at all in LL?

I think this is the Senior League World Series, and if this is the case, the umpires screwed the pooch by putting it in play without the pitcher having the ball.

The umpiring doesn't improve at the higher level, unfortunately.

This is the Senior League(15-16) World Series, not Little League Majors that is on TV.

I'm not sure of the answers to your questions. I was listening to it on the radio over the internet and may have missed a detail or two. But I'll ask them first chance I get and let you know. For al I know I may have posted it wrong. They did however pull it off somehow.

In two words, IM POSSIBLE. The ball cannot be put back into play until the pitcher has the ball in his possession and ready to pitch, the catcher is in position to receive the pitch, and the batter is in the box. If the umpires allowed a hidden ball trick, they need more schooling.

Bob

I assume the ball was dead during the 25 minute delay and to make it live the pitcher has to toe the rubber with the ball, batter in box, catcher in box, and umpire say play. If the pitcher toed the rubber without the ball it is not legally live even if the umpire said so. Hidden ball trick is impossible after a dead ball.

At Babe Ruth tournaments there is a protest committee, generally 3 people, one designee from each side and the TD or designee. If there is a protest this committee decides after hearing the issue. Decision is final.

After time has been called it is not impossible for a hidden ball play to be done before any pitches are thrown. It is very possible that the ball was made live correctly before the play.

Please elaborate, I would love to learn something new. How do you make the ball live again legally if the first baseman is hiding it in his glove?

Who said the pitcher never had the ball?

Umpire says PLAY. Pickoff to first. Ball never returned to the pitcher as pitcher pretends to tie shoe. Runner leads. Out.

Where's the pitch?

Not IM POSSIBLE.