Hidden Ball Trick

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by truspartan

Well, personally I think it's a bush-league play anyway so I'm going to keep an eye on this particular team and anytime there's a meeting of the infielders I'll just call time ... that will force the pitcher to take the ball to the mound

As an umpire, I am not going to grant you time just to protect your base runners.

[waltjp]

Originally Posted by truspartan

Well, personally I think it's a bush-league play anyway so I'm going to keep an eye on this particular team and anytime there's a meeting of the infielders I'll just call time ... that will force the pitcher to take the ball to the mound

Excellent. You've found the solution to the problem that I've seen just once in 20 years of umpiring.

[MD Longhorn]

Guys ... he's a coach, not an umpire. He says so in the first post. Nothing wrong with what he said. (Although I'd rather see you teach your team to be aware so that it doesn't work rather than resort to time outs).

[asdf]

I hope his request for time out is not automatically granted.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by truspartan

Well, personally I think it's a bush-league play anyway so I'm going to keep an eye on this particular team and anytime there's a meeting of the infielders I'll just call time ... that will force the pitcher to take the ball to the mound

What you meant to say, coach, is that you will request time, not call time.

[DG]

Originally Posted by jicecone

Bob, not that it matters for this thread, but isn't NCAA changing or proposing a change on this for 2010 Rulebook. Thought I read this somewhere.

I think NCAA went to two years between rules changes, thus 2009 rules are 2010 rules. And, the normal college season is best 2 out of 3 from being over. Did you mean the 2011-2012 book?

[jicecone]

What I meant was, I believe NCAA was proposing a change to the rule from on the rise of the mound (dirt) to OBR's on or astride. In the next rulebook to be published.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by truspartan

Well, personally I think it's a bush-league play anyway so I'm going to keep an eye on this particular team and anytime there's a meeting of the infielders I'll just call time ... that will force the pitcher to take the ball to the mound

Just tell your runners to stay on the base whenever you see this type of meeting.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Just tell your runners to stay on the base whenever you see this type of meeting.

Yup. The hidden ball trick cannot possibly work against runners who have been properly coached to remain on the base until the pitcher toes the rubber.

[LMan]

Originally Posted by truspartan

Well, personally I think it's a bush-league play anyway so I'm going to keep an eye on this particular team and anytime there's a meeting of the infielders I'll just call time ... that will force the pitcher to take the ball to the mound

You knew this was coming.

[truspartan]

Originally Posted by LMan

You knew this was coming.

Of course ... I'll admit it sucks getting burned on it (even though we didn't truly get burned because the ump didn't know what to do either so called it a dead play), but it's important for me to know the rule so I can coach my runners appropriately

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Just tell your runners to stay on the base whenever you see this type of meeting.

And that's exactly what I'll do now that I know the rule

[truspartan]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

What you meant to say, coach, is that you will request time, not call time.

Yes, that is what I meant My players do understand that you don't get time until the ump gives it to you. Sometimes the ump gives it too early to a requesting coach and that really peeves me...but what can you do other than politely ask that they wait until the play is stopped/over/etc

[truspartan]

Originally Posted by asdf

Talk about a game stopper.....

You sound like a partner that grants a time out request so the shortstop can throw the ball to the pticher after a base hit....

It's not like it happens all the time so it wouldn't be a game-stopper per se. Truth be told, I'll coach the runners to wait until the pitcher takes the mound to take their lead ... that's the right thing to do ... that's the smart thing to do.

[truspartan]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Guys ... he's a coach, not an umpire. He says so in the first post. Nothing wrong with what he said. (Although I'd rather see you teach your team to be aware so that it doesn't work rather than resort to time outs).

Agreed on all accounts I get the feeling that coaches are not liked too much around these parts

Like I said, I started coaching to get my kid into the game. He grabbed on to it and enjoyed me coaching so I stuck with it. This is the first year coaching at this age level where all the exceptions aren't in place like they were for younger kids ... so I'm doing everything I can to understand the rules and it frustrates the heck out of me that our umpires don't know them and everyone stands around after a play not knowing what to do or how to call it.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by truspartan

Agreed on all accounts I get the feeling that coaches are not liked too much around these parts

You'd be surprised then as we do have a few coaches that frequent this forum. So long as you're not here to dump on the umpires from your last game and have an interest in trying to better learn the rules, then I say welcome.