Why we umpires love baseball coaches--Part I.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I had a boys' H.S. jr. varsity baseball game last night (NFHS Rules). My partner is a good umpire and is the type you would go to "war" with if you get my drift and the bottom of the second (Part I)and the tops of the third and fourth innings (Parts II and III, respectively) were those types if innings. I am the PU and my partner is the BU, obviously.

Part I: One out, R1 on first. F1 delivers his first pitch (R1 breaks for second with the pitch) to B2 (who is a lefty), which is high and outside, but B2 swings, makes contact with the ball, and the ball goes directly back to F2 who catches it cleanly in his glove. While I am giving the foul tip signal and signaling a strike (I use the point signal, ) F2 fires the ball toward second base but the throw sails wide right of the base, behind R1 going toward second, and is caught by F4.

F2's throw causes my partner to turn so that his back is to the third base line. While F2's throw is headed toward F4, the third base coach (the Head Coach for the Home team) yells "foul ball"; R1 immediately stops about three feet short of second base and turns around and starts to walk back toward first base. My partner (Who told me during our soon to be conference in the middle of the infield, that he was sure of two things: 1) That I had signaled a foul tip and strike before he turned to watch for a possible tag, And, 2) he was suprised to hear me call out "foul ball", and that is why he pointed to First base and told R1 to return to first base.) pointed to first base and told R1 to return to first base, he then turned back to me at which point I called out in a voice loud enough for the infielders to hear: the ball is still live. This caused F4 to immediately tag R1 who was still walking back to first base, who was promptly called out by my partner.

Of course HC-Home was not happy because my partner had told R1 to return to first base. Which prompted the following conversation:

HC-Home: Your partner told my runner to go back to first base.

Me: The ball remains live on a foul tip.

HC-Home: But you made the foul ball signal with your hands your partner told my runner to go back to first base.

Me: I gave the foul tip signal after which I gave the strike signal; I never called out "foul ball".

HC-Home: But your partner told my runner to go back to first base after he had already reached second base.

Me: My partner had his back to us in order to watch for a possible tag when you yelled "foul ball". You yelling "foul ball" does not cause the ball to become dead. You yelling "foul ball" put your player in jeapordy, not anything my partner or I did or did not do. Your player is out and we are going to play baseball.

MTD, Sr.