I have wrestled with this call too much during the past 2 days & nights. The discussion on this board helped a lot. I'm starting to draw the following conclusion:

According to the NFHS rule book, I believe that the call was "technically" correct. He didn't move. He seemed to be prepared for the impact. It nailed him squarely on his upper arm or shoulder. No doubt about that. But he also didn't do anything to try to get hit (and he probably could not have avoided getting hit, even if he had dove (dived?) head first into the dirt). What has caused me so much consternation is that I directly affected the outcome of what had been a great game up to that point. Two good rival teams in a very well-played game. 2-1 game... deciding moment... bases loaded, the meat of their order batting, 2 outs, late in the game. In such a situation, maybe this is the kind of borderline call that should be ignored unless it's blatant. It's not one of those calls that always has to be made (like a close play at a base, or a close pitch... You have no choice but to make those calls.)

I don't know. That's they way I'm leaning. I'm interested in your views. Should the game situation ever affect borderline calls such as this one? In football & basketball, it appears (to me) that there are certain non-critical calls (especially infractions that didn't affect the outcome of the play) are sometimes ignored in certain game situations. Is this true? Is it appropriate?

The rules are the rules. There's no time to go over the game situation before making a call. Call it as you see it, or the next crew may pay for your "missed" call.

tribefan1952,
So, you feel the call was technically correct. Then quit beatin' yerself up.

Let's play some "What if".

You have a tight game, good rivals and the batter stays in and takes one. He ends up scoring the winning run, and then jokes with the entire baseball community that he got away with one.

Now how much sleep you losing?

Be well.

DIK,

Please elaborate on how the next crew may pay for what is perceived to be a "missed" call.

ST

The only one I had this year (other than a couple at 10U) was on a batter who tossed her bat back to her dugout as the pitch hit her. It was so slow that she had time to see it, decide to let it hit her, and ditch the bat before it got there. No one complained at all.

Which, of course, is different from NCAA...

I was working the CCIW Tournament a couple weeks ago and had the elimination game (a.k.a. padded room game)--those are always fun, NOT--between Augustana College and Elmhurst College. Elmhurst is trailing 16-10 in the bottom of the 9th and they're up to bat. Augustana walks the first guy then hits the second guy, and now we've got runners on first and second with no outs. Great. The game's already past 3 hours.

The next guy comes up and on the first pitch he gets plunked. The pitch was clearly well inside and he just stood there and watched as it glanced off his left upper arm. I award him first and the bases are loaded with nobody out. Augustana's head coach comes out and yells at me, "He's gotta make an attempt to get out of the way of that pitch! He can't stand there and let it hit him!" Of course, I calmly explained to him that when the pitched ball is within the lines of the batter's box, which it was, he does not have to avoid the pitch; he just can't lean into it.

Elmhurst scored 4 runs and wound up short as I rang up a batter for the final out--SOMEone had to end that damn game--final score 16-14.

I try not to think about how a call will affect the game, tribefan. I think one sets oneself up for trouble if he or she considers the situation before making a call. Let me tell you what situation I was faced with a couple of weeks ago. 11/U F/P softball. It was the last inning and the score was 4 to 3. The home team was up with bases loaded and two outs. This game will determine who plays in the championship game the following week. The girl batting was my next-door neighbor for about 8 years. I watched her grow up. Her dad and I were her coaches in T-ball and coach-pitch. Now here she stands at the plate with perhaps the most important at bat of her life. The count went full. I hear her dad (who is also her coach) say "Protect the plate Emily". Here comes the pitch. A walk ties the game, a hit could win it, and a strike ends it. Emily did not swing at the pitch. It was close to being high and close to being outside but I judged it to be a strike. It was close enough that I could have sold the call either way. Emily turned to look at me and as I looked her in the eye I called out... Strike three!

Game over. And her Dad went right over to the other coach and said "Wow, what a game!

I don't ever let the situation determine my call. If I did that and the other team ends up winning I wouldn't like myself very much. Yeah, I could have called a ball and Emily's team may have won the game after that but would that have been the appropriate thing to have done as one who is to be impartial?

Wow! Great story. Tough situation. Thanks for sharing that. Like you, I could have very easily said that, in my judgement, he had made an effort. It would have been an easy sell. There would not have been any lasting controversy. Most people just figure that you are nearly always entitled to the base.

But I guess calling games to minimize controversy isn't really what we are paid to do.

I wasted no time leaving the field. While I was taking my pads off in the parking lot, a guy walking past sort of grinned at me. I mumbled something about it being an unpopular call. He said, "Well, it sure was a gutsy call!" I guess I nodded and quickly got out of there.