Umpire Interference

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

It sounds like the offense got a break, so it would be the defensive manager who would have a protest.

Right you are Bob.

[RPatrino]

Shouldn't this have been called 'umpire obstruction', and how is it scored?

[LMan]

its not called anything really. IIRC there are only 2 specific instances of 'umpire INT' in the rules, and this is not one of them.

Forest, you should have expected this reaction when you bring a Eteamz topic to this board

[johnnyg08]

Originally Posted by RPatrino

Shouldn't this have been called 'umpire obstruction', and how is it scored?

Sorry...I'm not on this board to judge the good questions and bad questions...I simply answered how the play would be scored...don't bite my head off....

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by johnnyg08

Sorry...I'm not on this board to judge the good questions and bad questions...I simply answered how the play would be scored...don't bite my head off....

Most of us recognized the question as facetious. No sweat, you didn't know. For umpires, the rule book only goes from 1-9.

[Rcichon]

In a related point; I had a game last nite where the Coach thought it was ok warm up the pitcher.

After advising him that it was not ok to do this, he replied, "the last Umpire we had told us to get out there and get the pitcher warmed up, we have a game to get underway [words to that effect]".

This Umpire also advised him that balks would be enforced, no warnings.

This was LL Majors.

Sorry for piling on but it cannot be stressed too much: Don't leave a mess for someone else to clean up.

[blueump]

Originally Posted by Rcichon

This Umpire also advised him that balks would be enforced, no warnings.

And in a varsity FED game last night, I called a balk on a pitcher who stepped off with the wrong foot. The response I got was "What? Don't we get our warning first?"

How does one "balk" in LL majors anyway? I thought the runners could not leave till the ball crosses the plate? I don't do that level of ball, so this is a serious question.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by blueump

How does one "balk" in LL majors anyway? I thought the runners could not leave till the ball crosses the plate? I don't do that level of ball, so this is a serious question.

There aren't any balks at that level, just illegal pitches. There used to be balks but LL took them out of the LL rules, which I think was a good move.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Welpe

There aren't any balks at that level, just illegal pitches. There used to be balks but LL took them out of the LL rules, which I think was a good move.

When did Little League majors have balks? It must have been before 1968 when I played, because they sure didn't call balks then. I have been umpiring since 1986 and know of no such balk rules, only illegal pitches. What was considered a balk, since no lead-offs have ever been allowed at that level? I mean, just who is the pitcher trying to illegally deceive?

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

When did Little League majors have balks? It must have been before 1968 when I played, because they sure didn't call balks then. I have been umpiring since 1986 and know of no such balk rules, only illegal pitches. What was considered a balk, since no lead-offs have ever been allowed at that level? I mean, just who is the pitcher trying to illegally deceive?

When I was playing Little League in the early 90's there were balks called and when I started umpiring in '97 (at the tender age of 13), balks were in the rule book. I remember one game where my partner and I called a combined 4 balks against one pitcher over the span of a couple of innings. If I remember, it was for the pitcher failing to pause while pitching from the set with runners on base. That was a crappy game and I learned a couple of good lessons there.

I remember a few years later when they changed the rules (I want to say that was '99 or 2000) because it was a big deal during our pre-season umpire meetings.

That said, you're right, there is no point in having the balk rule at Majors or below and I'm glad they did away with it.