Great advise.

Varsity game last week. I called the runner safe at first. Hard sell, very loud. Jog out to B and low and behold home manager is coming out to see me. He gets up close and says "What did you see". I responded “Batter touched the base before the ball got there". He looks at me for about 3 or 4 seconds and starts walking away. He gets about 15 feet away and turns and says “You want to know what I saw". I said "Nope, not interested". Next time I'll just say no.

Thanks for that answer; I found it very helpful because I had the same question as did Paul L (but I didn't have the b*lls to ask).

If the pitch is high but over the plate--Paul L's scenario, and the pitch hits the batter's hands, I'm not buying the idea that the check swing is a result of the batter trying to avoid getting hit. More likely the swing wasn't really checked, and it is therefore a strike.

Guess you had to be there, except it was a hypothetical situation to begin with!:)

Cricket ?
Anyway..., Good call.

Just declare an LBW and go home.

No way, RichMSN! Hawkeye shows the ball was clearly missing off-stump.



Edited to say: Unless you've seen cricket on TV, you'll have no idea what that meant. Trust me, though: it was funny.

In cricket, the hands are considered part of the bat.

What is the difference in your response of only in cricket, coach.

vs. the posters response of


I asked him when he bought the bat did the batters hand come with it.

Both are smart a$$ answers. When someone asks a smarta$$ question they deserve a smarta$$ answer.

Months ago Garth (btw I hope your are doing well Garth - if you still "peak" in from time to time" ) gave us a link to a conversation between Haller and Earl Weaver. Talk about smarta$$ comments.

Pete Booth

Earl: You see in 5 years who's in the hall of fame
Haller: You're going to the hall of fame? For f****** up World Series?
Earl: I've won more than I lost.
Haller: Oh no you haven't....
Earl: Games! count Games!

Classic argument.

As unprofessional as it may be these days, I love that video, especially when Haller goes "BOOM!" as he ejects Weaver.

My oldest son, MTD, Jr., is a senior in H.S. and became an OhioHSAA Class 2 (jr. varsity and below) baseball umpire this year. Two weeks ago on a Sunday afternoon he was umpiring a boys' 14U travel team baseball DH at a diamond close (2.5 mi) to home while our assigner had me umpiring a girls' 12U ASA fastpitch softball DH not so close to home (25 mi). At the family dinner that night he told me how he handled the offensive head coach on a bang-banger at first base where he called the batter-runner out: The OHC asked him what he saw and Mark, Jr. calmly told him that he saw an out. The OHC stopped dead in his tracks and couldn't think of anything else to say. And the game resumed post haste.

By the way, Jr. made $80 for his DH, while his bald old geezer of an ol' man made $60 for the softball DH. There is no justice in this world, except that his monthy room and board fee went up $20. :D

MTD, Sr.

Ha! <i>