Opinions needed, OBR rules

[dash_riprock]

I don't see how awarding (in effect) 1st base to the batter is getting it right. Did the pitch get past F2 or did he just drop it?

[jkumpire]

Originally Posted by dash_riprock

I don't see how awarding (in effect) 1st base to the batter is getting it right. Did the pitch get past F2 or did he just drop it?

Dash, I did think about this as I talked to the umpires. BTW, thanks for your thought.

Don't know what happened to the ball, and to my way of thinking, it does not matter. F2 heard a vocal out call, and responded by going to the dugout and not throwing the batter out at 1B. How can you throw the batter out at 1B if he's been called out?

Like I said, I would eat the call. The PU in this game wanted to get it right, and he admitted he missed it after meeting with his partner and getting more information.

[mbyron]

What a mess.

I'm interested in your thought process as advisor. You say you would eat the out call. So would I (and have, which is why I don't say "batter's out" any longer ). But you told him to go ahead with his reversal of the out, and then to award bases.

What led you to advise him to do something other than what you would do? As umpires, unless we're being paid to do so we should be leery about telling umpires on the field that they're wrong. Was that your thought? Or were you trying to help him find a solution that worked for him?

If he's a younger umpire, he now thinks that you would handle this situation as he did, which isn't true. I think that the right lesson here is one about "living and dying with a call," rather than thinking that there's always something you can do with runners to fix a bad call.

Turns out this might be as much of a learning experience for you as for them, jk!

[BK47]

wouldnt you treat this situation just as you would if an umpire called a fair ball foul? someone is going to be pissed while someone is getting a break. you live with your mistake, take your a$$ chewing and hopefully you dont do it again. like byron, I too used to say "Strike 3, batter out" until something like this very thing happened to me. I overheard the coach tell his batter no matter what you run to first anyway on a dropped third strike and force the defense to make a play. Thats when I knew I had to stop saying "batter out" on any third strike.

Now on a questionable strike three I will say this instead "Strike three, and thats a catch" or "Strike three, no catch, no catch".

[bob jenkins]

In FED rules (I know, not what was requested), the umpire can "decide" whether BR would have likely made it to first or not. If so, then award as jk suggests. Otherwise, keep the out anyway.

Under the OBR "get it right" philosophy, I'd likely do the same thing.

[jkumpire]

Well, these reponses are very interesting, and thank you for them.

Points:

1. My first post was not clear, so let me restate: The PU and BU met, and the PU decided he missed the call. He wanted to get the call right, so he admitted his mistake. Four years ago, my adivce would have consisted of: "Try BBQ sauce as the call goes down. For better or worse, things have changed.

2. In OBR these days as I understand it, and as I believe Bob is suggesting, the proper proceedure is to fix what you can make it right. So yes, maybe I should have asked about where the ball was after F2 dropped it. Still, I am not totally sold this was germaine to the problem at hand.