fair/foul

[umpjong]

You have the main premise wrong. Davidson didnt guess. He saw the ball foul and called it foul. No matter how many times you want to make your "guess" the correct call it aint changing it. From the video, I honestly think he got it right, and he had the best angle and didnt hesitate or show any doubt as to what he had. No matter how much you want to be right, I dont think you are changing anyones mind on this. Had there been any hesitation or signs of doubt you might have some credibility, but there is not and you dont.........

[jicecone]

There was NO doubt on Davidson part and I can't prove that it was any more foul than you can prove it was fair at the point of decision. You keep implying that Davidson should have take into consideration where the ball landed after it passed the bag. Too late, at that point his decision was made as it should have been. Might he call it differently the next time? Who knows, but right or wrong, he made the right call.

I still disagree with the doubt call. You make the call as you see it. If you don't see it, you dont have a call and look for player reactions or other signs to help you. If after the play has completed there are questions, you resolve it. Indirectly it may be the same but thats how I have always treated it.

Sorry, I may be not up with the rest of the world but I have no idea who Fieldin Culbreth is.

[David B]

Originally Posted by umpjong

You have the main premise wrong. Davidson didnt guess. He saw the ball foul and called it foul. No matter how many times you want to make your "guess" the correct call it aint changing it. From the video, I honestly think he got it right, and he had the best angle and didnt hesitate or show any doubt as to what he had. No matter how much you want to be right, I dont think you are changing anyones mind on this. Had there been any hesitation or signs of doubt you might have some credibility, but there is not and you dont.........

I can agree with that. You do the best you can and go on. Simply having TV at the ballpark only shows the difficult jobs that umpires have at all levels whether it is MLB or a HS game.

He was close to the call, he saw where the ball hit and he made his call. That's all he can do.

Thanks
David

[kylejt]

I don't mean guessing in a bad way. It's an educated guess, based on year of experience. There's no way to know if the ball did or didn't go over the bag from where he was standing. He's backing away, sees the ball coming toward him, years of experience tells him it's going to continue to curl foul, and he makes the call. But yeah, it's a guess.

But from the video I've been watching, it bounced fair both before and after the bag. Simple geometry will tell you it passed over the bag, right? But given the same circumstance, I would have probably called it foul too.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by kylejt

I don't mean guessing in a bad way. It's an educated guess, based on year of experience. There's no way to know if the ball did or didn't go over the bag from where he was standing. He's backing away, sees the ball coming toward him, years of experience tells him it's going to continue to curl foul, and he makes the call. But yeah, it's a guess.

But from the video I've been watching, it bounced fair both before and after the bag. Simple geometry will tell you it passed over the bag, right? But given the same circumstance, I would have probably called it foul too.

I have played third base and I have umpired at third base and I have ample personal evidence that batted balls don't obey the laws of geometry.

P.S. And I have to tell you, an umpiring buddy of mine just beat me again at a post-game pool match by making the cue ball curve around my ball before it tapped the 8-ball into the corner pocket.

So I actually believe that the way the ball behaved on Bob Davidson's curious call is indeed possible.

[asdf]

Originally Posted by kylejt

There's no way to know if the ball did or didn't go over the bag from where he was standing.

Trust me, his angle and clarity of the play is much better than the angle and the grainy picture that has been replayed time and again.

[Steven Tyler]

Originally Posted by asdf

Trust me, his angle and clarity of the play is much better than the angle and the grainy picture that has been replayed time and again.

Davidson butchered the call. It doesn't matter how good of an angle or clarity of the play he had.

[UmpJM]

Hmmmm....

What has been interesting to me about this thread is that it has clearly demonstrated that some people understand neither how to properly adjudicate the rules of baseball regarding fair/foul nor the limitations of video replay, some understand one of those things but not the other, and some understand both.

JM

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Hmmmm....

What has been interesting to me about this thread is that it has clearly demonstrated that some people understand neither how to properly adjudicate the rules of baseball regarding fair/foul nor the limitations of video replay, some understand one of those things but not the other, and some understand both.

JM

Okay, now let's move this thread foward by identifying who belongs to each group.

[asdf]

Originally Posted by kylejt

Simple geometry will tell you it passed over the bag, right? But given the same circumstance, I would have probably called it foul too.

Watch the path of the ball after each bounce.

The ball, when it hits after the bag is a couple of inches inside the line in fair territory. The next bounce is a direct hit on the line in the outfield grass.

How'd that happen ? (hint....arcs are a part of geometry)

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by asdf

Watch the path of the ball after each bounce.

The ball, when it hits after the bag is a couple of inches inside the line in fair territory. The next bounce is a direct hit on the line in the outfield grass.

How'd that happen ? (hint....arcs are a part of geometry)

Kyle said he was employing simple geometry.