Asking for Help

[UmpJM]

Originally Posted by Spence

Thanks. Good info.

One more scenario: Tag play. You ring up the runner. Other coach yells "he dropped the ball." You didn't see him drop it. Do you ask your partner?

Spence,

The sitch you describe is one of "the NCAA seven" AND "the MLBUM six" - situations where the non-calling umpire may offer his unsolicited input if he is 110% certain that the ball was not securely possessed through the tag AND his partner did not see it come loose. It is still the calling umpire's responsibility to decide whether or not he wants to change his call.

If a coach asks me to check with my partner in this sitch, I just say, "I already did."

JM

[APG]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Spence,

The sitch you describe is one of "the NCAA seven" AND "the MLBUM six" - situations where the non-calling umpire may offer his unsolicited input if he is 110% certain that the ball was not securely possessed through the tag AND his partner did not see it come loose. It is still the calling umpire's responsibility to decide whether or not he wants to change his call.

Basketball official here as well. Would you mind spelling out what are the 7 situations for NCAA and 6 for MLB?

[UmpJM]

Geez,

Don't you basketball guys know how to look stuff up?

The NCAA 7:

C) In the situations listed below, a partner who is 100 percent certain he has additional information unknown to the umpire making the call should approach unsolicited and alert the other umpire to such information.

However, the ultimate decision to change a call rests with the calling umpire.

1) Deciding if a home run is fair or foul.
2) Deciding whether a batted ball left the playing field for a home run or ground-rule double.
3) Cases in which a foul tip is dropped or trapped by the catcher.
4) Cases in which a foul fly ball is caught or not caught.
5) Cases when an umpire clearly errs in judgment because he did not see a ball dropped or juggled after making a tag or force.
6) Spectator interference plays.
7) Balks called by an umpire who clearly did not realize the pitcher's foot was off the rubber.

The MLBUM 6:

(3) In a limited number of situations, a partner may have critical information that is unknown to the umpire making the call. When the partner is certain that the umpire making the call could benefit from such additional information, the partner should alert the other umpire that there is additional, important information that should be shared. While the mechanics of bringing this information to the attention of the umpire who made the call is left to the crews (walking towards the partner, inconspicuous signal, etc.), crucial, potential call-changing information should not be withheld on a play that has clearly been missed. As noted in the Official Baseball Rules, "Each umpire team should work out a simple set of signals, so the proper umpire can always right a manifestly wrong decision when convinced he has made an error."

Nevertheless, the ultimate decision to change a call rests with the umpire who made the call.

Plays such as the following lend themselves to the philosophy described above:

- Deciding whether a fly ball that left the playing field was fair or foul.
- Deciding whether a batted ball left the playing field for a home run or a ground-rule double.
- Cases where a foul tip is dropped by the catcher, causing it to become a foul ball.
- Cases when an umpire clearly errs in judgment because a ball is dropped or juggled after making a tag or force.
- Spectator interference plays.
- Balks called by an umpire who clearly did not realize the pitcher's foot was off the rubber.

JM

[Chris_Hickman]

You are going to "own" that call. It is one thing if you are in the B or C... but you are standing right there. You cannot ask your partner to bail you out on that one.