Ump Intentially Hit By Pitch?

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Steven Tyler

Wow, I can't believe you didn't run the F1 and F2 if you knew it was intentional. Don't worry about the timing. Worry about getting your senses under you and making the right decision. I had F2 call time and go out and talk to his pitcher. The next pitch clipped me in the mask as the catcher let it go over his glove. It took me a couple of seconds to gauge the situation and I let the coach know he needed to replace both in the game as they had just been ejected. He started to argue, but I let him know right quick I wasn't in the mood and that he could go right with them if he so desired.

I might cut a little more slack on the arguing phase of the game, but when it comes to malicious contact or deliberately throwing at players or umpires, I pull the string quick and suddenly without any warning.

Blaming your partner for your failure to eject is a cop out in my opinion. I didn't worry one iota about my partner or his backbone. I made my call and earned much respect from my peers in doing so.

Well, I've never been one to shy away from an ejection before, and I certainly did not need to earn any respect from my peers as I have had that for many years now.

I knew it was intentional by instinct, not by anything else. As I said, it was not an obvious thing, and everyone there would have told me I was overreacting had I ran them. If the battery had conspired as you described, or gave some Masonic signals to each other prior to the pitch, I would have run them. To everyone there, those who weren't even paying attention to the play at the plate the inning before (or making the connection between the two events), it had to look like an accident, because the participants made it look accidental. The story that this thread is about was obviously not accidental. In this case, F2 took a dive. You know that F2 didn't dive because he got crossed up. He dove to make sure he didn't get in the way. In my case, the ball just flew past the catcher's target by a couple inches. Very different situation.

It certainly is good to see that you now are ejecting people. I was starting to worry. Keep it up and you'll catch up with me in 10-20 years.