Can't find the ball!
 

13& under game.

Pitcher attempts to pick off runner at first but the ball is overthrown and goes past the first baseman and comes to rest up against a fence in high grass (about 6 inches tall) in play. The runner began to advance to second as soon as he saw the ball get past the first baseman and then stops at second to observe whats going on. The first baseman cannot locate the ball in the grass and raises a hand hoping to get some kind of relief from the umpire. The umpire positions himself (doing game solo by the way) near the middle of the field and just observes with no call being made. The runner now realizes that he might as well just start running and makes it all the way home.

The ball was found in the grass after the play, not stuck in the fence, still in play.

No questions that there was definitely poor grounds crew work on the field.

The manager from the defensive team went ballistic and the offensive teams manager trying to calm things down offered to send the runner back to 3rd.

What would you call?

If the umpire does not call time, then play on. It is too bad that the first baseman cannot find the ball. The run should count and go to the next pitch.

Peace

Provided the deep grass was in play, play on. Maybe it will get mowed next time.

Yes, the defensive coach should use his energy more wisely than to go ballistic on the umpire. He should get out there and mow the grass before the game.:) I mean, didn't he notice how tall the grass was when hitting outfield?:D

Once the plate meeting is over, the coaches have thereby agreed that the field is fit for play - its in the PU's hands after that. The coach's chance to b!tch about tall grass has thus passed by....

"The manager from the defensive team went ballistic and the offensive teams manager trying to calm things down offered to send the runner back to 3rd."

I particularly like this part.

You didn't allow this to happen, I hope.

yep...count the run...don't make up rules.

Manager simply needs to learn the rules. Often in youth tourneys we will even tell the coaches, "ball under fence, keep them running - we can always put them back etc., "

If you call time then you give the defense the advantage - could be a trick play ...

Thanks
David

The rest of the story...
 

When the defensive teams manager went crazy he chest bumped the umpire who was then quickly ejected. Then the rest of the coaches went bezerko and would not calm down. The umpire eventually gave warning that if they don't calm down they forfeit. Well, they kept going crazy and he called the game right there.

My team was the offensive team and apparently our manager discussed play with the leauge commissioner the next night and they decided we are going to pick up the game at a later date where it was left off. And... we have to put our runner back on second base.

Someone in one of the post said not to make rules up and that's exactly whats going on here.

You've got to be kidding me!!!! Are they going to take away the ejections and any penalties that would have happened for the coaches. What a nutso move. I can't say that I haven't seen just as stupid stuff happen around here. One team pitched a illegal pitcher in a Cal Ripken game here and now they are just going to have them replay the game instead of the forefit being given. If you have rules why not follow them?!!!!!!?:mad:

I wonder how they'll play without any umpires. I certainly wouldn't go back and finish it.

Xtopher, you need to show them this thread and let them know that they are making the wrong decision here.

To restart a forfeited game is a miscarriage of justice, as is putting the runner who legally scored back at second base.

The coaches agreed to the playability of the field when no mention of the tall grass was made when going over the ground rules.

The umpires who worked this game should refuse to rework this game, and the association they work for should refuse to furnish umpires to do the game as well.

It's BS like this that gives all of kiddie ball a bad name, and makes it difficult to find competent officials to do their games.

kiddie ball....competent umpires? :D I keed

I watched my youngest son's coach-pitch game last night. They had a LL-certified umpire 'calling' from behind the mound. I knew he was good, because he wore a ball bag out there......hanging directly over his front beltbuckle like a loincloth.

Did he do Lance's patented Hop, Skip and Jump move to cover the plate?

Wow. I keep learning WHY everyone (ok, not everyone but many) disdaines LL.

Yup. Either all these fantastic stories are lies, or these umpires repeatedly agree to be beaten like rented mules by coaches and administrators, and wonder why they are treated like dirt. I don't think there's a whole lot of value in giving advice here---they know its wrong, we tell them its wrong (even thought they knew it at the time, and when they posted), but they'll go right back to the field and let coaches pull this sh!t over and over like a battered wife returning to her husband. :rolleyes:

Just like Oprah sez, baby, you gotta be willing to walk away, no regrets.

In my sordid past, I served as the trainer and assignor of umpires for the local PONY folks. They hadn't had anyone other that a coach doing the job for years and some on the board thought it might be a good idea to bring in someone with umpiring experience.

I worked for them for four years and increased the number of umpires from 18 to 46, all of whom attended 12 training sessions annually and passed three rules tests.

The last season I was affiliated with them a coach bumped and knocked down one of my umpires. I went to the board and demanded some disciplinary action. The good ol' boys on the board decided that the ejection from the game was enough and one even said that the umpiire probably deserved it. I appealed their decision.

The next week, while I was evaluating umpires at a tournament, a coach bumped an umpire and then spit in his face. Knowing the support I'd get from the board, we called the police. The coach was arrested for fourth degree assualt and was later convicted. He lost his school coaching job, but the PONY board kept him on.

After my appeal to the board of the first incident was denied, I walked away. I told them I could not in good conscience assign umpires to games in which their safety was in question and in which they would have no support.

Life is to short to work with a$$holes.

AMEN... Way to go GarthB!

We are working so hard in our area to get good qualified umpires to do these games. I can rember when all you got was Dad out of the stands are one of the local High school teams players who usually were pretty good with ball,strike,safe and out but no clue about any other rule. Now we have three umpires that have training and do everything from Fed to Legion,along with three more guys who have passed their Babe Ruth test and are really working hard on their rules and mechanics. For a league that only has 15 teams and play on eight different fields( one field is home for 5 teams) this is not to bad.
The BIG problem is that the other fields that only have one team are still all just using someone they've picked up and is officiating from what they know from watching TV or playing the game. I've gone to games to watch and been asked if I would do the bases and when you call obstruction or almost anything else that is not common knowledge to people not umpires the crowds go nuts and the other umpire goes,"Huh?"
Yes it might not be great baseball and the fans and coaches might not have a clue but darn it doesn't someone have to step up and say we will change this for the better.We will play these games by the CORRECT rules and be fair to both teams,we will start the change to make the officiating better for all concerned.:o OK I will now crawl off of my soapbox and come back to reality.

But did he use his plate brush to clean the rubber between innings ??? :D

I'm not sure he knew what a pitcher's plate was. He did scream, "FOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLBAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWLLLL! " on every foul, no matter where it was, though.

I'm done on 'coach spit in my face, should I rescind his ejection?' posts, however.