LL Rules -vs- FED rules

[Buckeye12]

I was asked to umpire a Little League tournament this weekend played under "Official Little League" rules. I told the tournament director that I was unfamiliar with these rules but he said that he will go over main points with me before the tournament begins. I was wondering if anyone could help me out with some of the differences between LL and FED rules. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[bluezebra]

The TD should have given you a rule book to study. Going over differences in a few minutes before game time is probably going to get you in hot water later.

Bob

[Roger Greene]

Go to RightsSports.com home page and order the BRD by Carl Childress. It is only about 300 pages.
I hope you and the TD are planning a long pre-game!

Roger Greene

[Rich Ives]

BRD does NOT cover the special LL rules.

LL plays OBR with modiifications.

If you are doing 12U LL:

A: Cannot leave the base until pitch reaches batter. Must retrun to the base at the end of the play. If a play results

1) any outs stand
2) Batter can only advance as far as he would have under errorless play - UIC decides "real" value of hit.
3) after the batter's advance is determined, runners are returned to the closest base(s) to the batter. If no open base, the runs score EXCEPT: If, with the bases loaded, the batter hits/bunts the ball within the infield, and no outs are made, the batter gets first, R1>2B; R2>3B; R3 goes to the dugout but NO RUN SCORES. It's nicknamed the "poof" rule because R3 just goes poof.

B: Must slide or attempt to go around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag.

c: Pitchers cannot return to pitch after leaving the mound.

D: Pitchers removed can remain in the game.

Regular season and tournament sub rules are different.

[Marty Rogers]

Also, on a dropped third strike, the batter is OUT. No advance to first in any case.

Head first slides not allowed, unless player is going BACK to a base (at least in my area).

Special pinch runner allowed once each inning. Must be player not (and never was) in the game. Player does not have to enter game at that point. Same runner can be used more than one inning. Once all subs are used, no special pinch runners are available.

No on-deck batters allowed (no kid swinging a bat while waiting his turn).

No jewelry allowed.

Players are not allowed to leave their dugouts during the game (except wherever pitcher and catcher warm up). Warn them not to run out to Mom in the stands for water during game. One coach noticed an opposing player in the bleachers, said he had left the game, and by rule he was removed from the game (not nice, but true).

[Rich Ives]

"One coach noticed an opposing player in the bleachers, said he had left the game, and by rule he was removed from the game (not nice, but true)."


By what rule is he out of the game?

Reg XIV(b) confines them WITHOUT A SPECIFIED PENALTY.

Rule 3.09 prohibits mingling with spectators WITHOUT A SPECIFIED PENALTY.

The only time a player would be out of the game was if the umpire ejected him for leaving the dugout without permission - a truly BS act if ever there was one at this age group.

[Marty Rogers]

Rich: I agree that Reg XIV(b), 3.09, and 3.17 do not impose a penalty. UIC should just tell coach he must enforce these rules, similar to a warning.

Unfortuantely, I was told an ejection actually happened for this reason (maybe it was after being warned, I don't know).
Probably the umps just took someone's word for it that there is a penalty to eject player who broke these rules.
Definitely uncalled for at this age level.

[brandda]

Also, coaches are not allowed to warmn up pitchers under any circumstances.

[Rog]

what happened to all their regular volunteer umpires???

[GarthB]

Rog asked: "what happened to all their regular volunteer umpires???"

Excellent question. LL believes, as evidenced by their years of practice (after all, one wouldn't practice what one doesn't believe, would one?) that volunteer umpiring, is a superior system to paid umpiring.

In this case, where are all those superior umpires?

[ozzy6900]

Originally posted by GarthB
Rog asked: "what happened to all their regular volunteer umpires???"

Excellent question. LL believes, as evidenced by their years of practice (after all, one wouldn't practice what one doesn't believe, would one?) that volunteer umpiring, is a superior system to paid umpiring.

No disrespect intended, but have you ever seen some of these "volounteer" umpires? Gear on wrong (if at all) which invites injury. Calling the game by myths and made up rules which confuses the players. Allowing games to continue during lightning storms with no understanding of the consequences just invites disaster. This is what LL wants!

No! I'm sorry. Umpiring is part of the game and should be done by people who love the game enough to take the crap! By people who understand the rules and are willing to stand toe to toe with a coach or a BOD member. By people who show up at the game with full equipment, ready to do the plate, the bases or even work alone. And if that means that we get paid for our time, then so be it!

[Rich Ives]

LL doesn't claim they are superior umpires.

The basis for LL (where not full time) is volunteers - from DA down to beginning tee ball coach

Therefore they do say they prefer (require at higher levels in the tournament) volunteer umpires.

[brandda]

Originally posted by ozzy6900
No disrespect intended, but have you ever seen some of these "volounteer" umpires? Gear on wrong (if at all) which invites injury. Calling the game by myths and made up rules which confuses the players. Allowing games to continue during lightning storms with no understanding of the consequences just invites disaster. This is what LL wants!

No! I'm sorry. Umpiring is part of the game and should be done by people who love the game enough to take the crap! By people who understand the rules and are willing to stand toe to toe with a coach or a BOD member. By people who show up at the game with full equipment, ready to do the plate, the bases or even work alone. And if that means that we get paid for our time, then so be it!

This may very well be one of the most offensive posts I have ever read. Just to get this straight, I do a great deal of volunteer umpiring, have my own equipment which is top of the line and which I wear properly, love the game, study the rules dilligently and understand them, go toe to toe with coaches et al on a regular basis, take a ton of crap, and will work under any conditions including triple headers with temps over 100 and humidity in the high 80s. Plate, field, alone, I don't care. I have never once allowed the children's safety to be overridden by a desire to see the game played out. Guess what, I'm not unique.

The reason that little league does not pay their umpires is that they do not have tax dollars to pay them with the way high schools do. It is a simple matter of economics and if you jack the price on the players to cover umpires, then most leagues would see a significant drop in participation as they would price themselves out of the market.

One more point, where do you think that most umpires who move up to paid status come from? They start out as unpaid volunteers and, if they have an aptitude and an affinity for it, move up. You would remove that?

I agree that it is not a perfect system but to say that everyone who does volunteer umpiring is an incompetent buffoon is absurd.

[Roger Greene]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by brandda

Originally posted by ozzy6900
[The reason that little league does not pay their umpires is that they do not have tax dollars to pay them with the way high schools do. It is a simple matter of economics .

I come from an area where even the schools do not get tax $ for the umpires. Most of the county fields are donated/financed by members of the community. When I was a coach I raised money for the umpires with cake/potted plant/craft raffles to the fans, taking up collections from the parents of the players, or out of my pocket.

I've prepared fields, used my tractor and equipment to grade driveways/parking lots, and built and maintained concession stands and scoreing boxes.

I've donated a batting cage to the my high school, worked at chicken dinners, and buy countless meals and raffle tickets from school and community booster clubs. I've made donations of money and suppliles to each. I'm far from being alone or the most generous in the community.

Tax money is not needed to hired qualified trained umpires. Only the wish to have properly offficiated contests!!!

Roger Greene

[Striker991]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Roger Greene

Originally posted by brandda

Tax money is not needed to hired qualified trained umpires. Only the wish to have properly offficiated contests!!!

Roger Greene

You are so full of yourself, and anyone that believes that all volunteer umpires are bad is also full of themselves, among other things. We have a very good organization of umpires in our area that is NOTHING BUT VOLUNTEER. They do nothing BUT Little League. They organize training, supply umpires, and assist with tournaments. They make sure that their umpires are trained properly, wear the proper and well-pressed gear, and support our community. Many umpires from the paid associations volunteer several games throughout the year through this local volunteer association, WITHOUT GETTING PAID.

By the way, I have seen many, many umpires that are paid call games very badly. Payment does not insure competence. The umpires from this local volunteer association are VERY competent, know the rules and the flow of the game, keep coaches in check VERY diplomatically, and let the kids play, especially at the younger levels.

So, forgive me, but I, like Mr. Brand, take great offense at this concept being passed off as truth.

BTW, Mr. Greene, because you don't get paid doing all the field work you do, I assume it's inferior. So why don't you stop doing it and let someone who is paid to do it take care of it. They would certainly be much more competent at it than you. Okay?


[Edited by Striker991 on Jul 19th, 2002 at 11:20 AM]