Little League World Series

[JC]

I spend my time at basketball, but I dabble in baseball, too. I just had to ask if anyone saw the 3rd base ump in the final game of the LL world series.
First inning I think, and a ball hits fair in front of 3rd base, then foul behind 3rd. Probably the toughest call U3 has. Very hard to tell on TV where it was in relation to the bag when it crossed the line. U3 immediately signaled foul, the 3rd baseman stopped, but then U3 signaled fair. B1 got a triple (on close play at 3rd)that stood after much discussion.
My first thought was that once U3 signaled foul, ball is dead, even if he then realizes he was wrong. What is the rule?
Would have been interesting if B1 had been thrown out at 3rd, to see if the batting team would have been arguing that it was foul.

[Jim Porter]

I did not see the play. I missed the first two and a half innings of the game.

From what I have read on the internet, these are the issues as I see them, and if someone can answer the questions that I have, please do.

Was F5 definitely the fielder who was most likely to make a play on this ball, or was it F7's ball?

Did F7 also stop as a result of the erroneous call?

Is it possible that the umpires believed it was F7's play all the way, and F7 was not affected by the erroneous call? Because if that were the case, the play was not affected, and it is conceivable that the umpires came to this conclusion.

The runner was safe at third, so the offense certainly wasn't affected by it.

If the word, "Foul," never came out of my mouth, I might be inclined to let the play stand if only the players involved in the play were not affected. I don't care what the third baseman did if the left fielder was closer to the ball, you dig?

Sincerely,
Jim Porter

[Mark Land]

The ball was about even with F5 when the "foul" call was made. It was F7's ball all the way. (F5 stopped, but he had no prayer.) The replays did not show F7 at the time of the "call," but he was VERY late getting to the ball. To make matters worse, UL got in his way.

Of course,a verbal call woiuld have no effect on F7 because U3 is faced the wrong way, a long way away, and the crowd noise.

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Take care,
Mark