The Official Forum - Fair or foul

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I once served on a three-umpire team whose job was to cover one field throughout a SP softball tournament. Teams from all over the northeast. It was autumn, and the fences had been taken down and replaced by a chalk line 300 feet from the plate, so we rotated from plate to bases to "fence." The fence ump's job was to sit in a lawn chair outside the center field chalk line, and on long drives get up and check out whether the fielder stepped over the line, whether the ball traveled over the line, whether the ball hit the fielder's glove and then went over the line, and so on.

So there actually are games you umpire from a lawn chair.

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Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Garth at one time this was ruled a balk but later changed.

To correctly relate historical fact, that statement should read:

"Garth, at one time this was incorrectly ruled a balk by an umpring crew, only to be later corrected by their supervisor."

There has never been a rule that penalized this action as a balk, just a terrible decision similar to the one being suggested in this thread.

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Originally Posted by PeteBooth

Garth at one time this was ruled a balk but later changed.

Here's a little history FWIW

Jerry Remy of the BOSOX will be forever remembered in the umpiring community. Jerry did something during a game that baffled the umpires, and sparked a controversy that led to a ruling still in effect to this day in baseball everywhere.

During a game in the early 80's, with F1 on the mound and in contact with the rubber, Jerry entered foul territory to back-up an appeal attempt at first base.

Now, the umpiring crew that day knew what Jerry had done was illegal. At the start of play all fielders other than F2 are required to be on fair territory. Jerry was clearly on foul territory. But what the umpires didn't know was exactly how to penalize it. With no other feasible option, the umpires declared a balk.

That ruling rocked the umpiring world. They essentially created a new rule right there on the spot. It caused a grumbling at the highest levels of baseball officiating. Eventually the Director of Baseball Umpire Development at the time, the late Barney Deary, issued a ruling on the play. He declared that any play occurring with a fielder (other than the catcher) on foul territory should be nullified. It should not be ruled a balk.

The idea of nullifying play with less than 8 fielders in fair territory created one of the only, "do-overs," in baseball rules. And it was all because of Jerry Remy.

Pete Booth

When I went to umpire school (years ago) had a similar situation on the first rules quiz we were given. I missed it, because the classroom instructor had told us in earlier in class that we should, for the most part, "screw the team who screwed up". The test question had to do with "Team A has 8 defensive players on the field, and the leadoff batter for Team B hits a homerun. Then it's noticed Team A was missing a left fielder. Ruling?" I figured "screw the team who screwed up", so I counted the run. Of course the rule book said "...the defensive team must have 9 men on the field". It was one of only two test questions I missed out of 234. Probably cost me a shot at the Bigs...;)

JJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJ

Or maybe not. However, isn't the rule enforced as such? This generally applies to F3, but also to any player. If one team complains that a fielder other than the catcher has a foot in foul territory, it is enforced for the remainder of the game for both teams. The next player who fails to heed such warning is ejected.

I don't have rule book to reference, so correct me if I'm wrong.

I often thought of becoming a violin

and I think it is a balk too The rule says it's a balk.... we can't just act like gods out there we have to follow the rules! Even if we don't agree with them... that's just the way it is!!!!!!

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