Coaches who know umpiring

[WhiteHat Ref]

There is an old saying that the tie goes to the runner, however what I was taught years ago when I started umpiring, is that the tie goes to the umpire and call the runner out. This way keeps the game moving.

[lawump]

I am NOT a physics major...nor have I tested this. But I was taught by a umpire who subsequently became an MLBer that:

If the umpire perceives a "tie" at first (that is he sees B/R's foot hit the base at the same instant he hears the ball pop into the glove of F3 (or whomever)) it actually isn't a tie.

Why?

Because light travels faster than sound. Since the sound of the ball hitting the glove took longer to reach your ear than the time needed for the light to travel to see the play at first, if you perceived them to occur at the same time, the sound of the ball hitting the glove actually occurred first. Thus, call the runner out.

Now, I have sat in outfield bleachers and watched a game and have clearly noticed (as I'm sure we all have) that the "Ping" sound of the ball hitting the bat reaches us significantly after the actual contact was visually seen.

However, I'm not sure if I'm buying that the difference in velocity is great enough to make a difference (considering where BU is standing) for a play at first. But maybe it does...as I said I'm no physics major.

But in any event: I love the theory: Call the B/R OUT!

[DG]

Originally Posted by lawump

However, I'm not sure if I'm buying that the difference in velocity is great enough to make a difference (considering where BU is standing) for a play at first. But maybe it does...as I said I'm no physics major.

Light travels much faster than sound so if it looks and sounds like a tie, it's an out. Of course quality of the play is a bit of a factor also. Good plays are rewarded and bad plays are not. It's physcological and I have never had an argument on a safe call on a defensive play that was poorly made and it is rare to have an argument on an out call on a defensive gem.