Third Base Ump sleeping @ LLWS
 

Anyone see the Arizona - Maryland Game on Saturday when the third base umpire fell asleep.

R1 & R2, batter swings and misses the pitch and the ball goes back to the backstop. Plate umpire signals swinging strike and turns to watch the catcher play the ball. The runners then break to steal, catcher throws the ball to F5 who tags R2 out by 10 feet.

Everyone then looks at U3 and he's signalling foul ball. Time is called, U3 tells the defensive coach that PU called a foul ball. TV picked up the conference which went something like:
U3 - You called foul on that didn't you.
PU - Nope. Kid had a full swing but didn't touch the ball.
U3 - Well, then I'm calling a foul.

There was some discussion but no heated debate, probably because the score was already something like 7-1.

Next pitch was a three run homerun.

Didn't cost Arizona the game but umpire still screwed up BIGTIME.

These are the best umpires they can find???

No. They could find better. The trouble is they don't look for better.

But, hey, as a LL Rat said recently, the answer is changing the channel or turning off the TV. Apparently the new motto is "Little League, take it or leave it."

I did not see the play but in your opinion did R2 STOP / SLOW Down because of the FOUL call by U3?

The reason I ask is that LL already set a precedent for changing a FOUL call to FAIR. In fact it was Andy Konyar himself who made the call.

Therefore, if R2 DID NOT REACT to the FOUl call by U3 then the PU or UIC could have changed the call and recorded the out.

Pete Booth

Pete,

R2 didn't slow down because of anything the umpires did because none of the umpires did anything. The PU simply signalled swinging strike and U3 was standing there looking at the play the whole time. As F5 tags R2 with the ball(some 4 or 5 feet from third) everyone turns to U3 and waits for the out call.

U3 stands there for half a second and then puts his arms up and says it was a foul ball. Defensive coach can be heard saying there wasn't a foul ball and to check with PU.

That's when the two umpires conference and U3 says, "I'm calling a foul ball and sending the runners back."

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Was U3 the UIC?

If not then all the "evidence" should have been gathered and it is the UIC who makes the Final call not U3.

Now if none of the "other" umpires were in position to see the out call at 3rd base - that's a different story

It would have been interesting if the coach protested

Pete Booth

What would he protest?

He can't protest that the ball wasn't foul if the umpires say it was foul. That would be protesting a judgment call.

When two umpires make conflicting calls, they can come to a consensus what to finally call it. Apparently the PU had no objection to U3 calling it foul. Therefore, it's foul.

You can't really protest improper umpire mechanics or protocol.

It seems to be an unprotestable situation.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN