"Tie goes to the runner"

[UmpJM]

ozzy,

It's kind of like herpes. It may go "dormant" for awhile, but there's always the risk it will "flare up" again.

JM

[IowaMike]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Tell me why we are still debating this "Tie goes to the runner" for the 4th time since last season? Every year we deal with this idiotic myth yet it keeps coming around like a boil on your butt!

There are no ties in baseball because all ties go to the umpire and the umpire always calls the out!

If a play is that close I call them out. I had a varsity coach tell me a story last year about an older veteran umpire who worked one of their games. There was a banger at first and the ump called the runner out. The first base coach said "C'mon, tie goes to the runner." The ump told him "You've been horribly misinformed son, ties go to the umpire and I called him out." The first base coach busted out laughing. Some coaches do actually have a sense of humor.

[Simply The Best]

Originally Posted by TwoBits

Granted, in my last umpteen years of officiating, I have never judged a tie, and doubt that I ever will. However, should the "myth" in the title really be considered a myth?

You may not have judges a tie and perhaps you may never actually expereinced a tie but in terms of sight and sound, and the visceral faults in each, "ties" are a fact of umpiring life.

The question is how to you adjudicate a tie when you believe you have one?

"Reward The Better Play".

[Simply The Best]

Originally Posted by IowaMike

There was a banger at first and the ump called the runner out. The first base coach said "C'mon, tie goes to the runner." The ump told him "You've been horribly misinformed son, ties go to the umpire and I called him out." The first base coach busted out laughing. Some coaches do actually have a sense of humor.

Forunate for this umpire. Foolish one-liners more often irritate than humor, cause unneeded attention to the play, the call and the umpire and, in the end, too often makes the clown officiating look like a clown.

Only short the red rubber nose and oversized floppy shoes.

[BSUmp16]

Wow - that's two in a row in which I completely agree with "Simply the Best" Should that make me worried?

[Chris Viverito]

Tie goes to the umpire.

[Chris Viverito]

Originally Posted by BSUmp16

First - those who say "there are no ties in baseball" are simply reciting a platitude. There are ties everywhere in the known universe and the laws of physics do not cease to exist on the baseball diamond.

In every instance involving 2 different events there are 3 different things that could happen: A occurs before B; A occurs after B; A and B occur at the same time (a tie). Even though there are 3 possibilities, the rules of baseball give you, as an umpire, only 2 choices: safe or out. In THAT sense, there are no ties in baseball.

However, if you define a "tie" as the equivalent of "too close to call", an ESPN study determined that in MLB there is, on average, at least 1 play every 6 games that is too close to call even with the aid of instant replay!

So while you can argue whether the OBR states that ties go to the runner (it does), and you can disagree on how to make the practical decision on the field when a play is too close to call, it is indisputable that there are ties (plays too close to call) in baseball.

As proof positive, check out the last 40 seconds of this video:

YouTube - Goofy "How To Play Baseball"

All this specificity. All this detail. All this predicate logic. Impressive.

Are you sure that "OBR states that ties go to the runner "?

[JJ]

Originally Posted by mbyron

I don't know what makes an event "random," but simultaneity is possible within the time frame of human perception. Events occurring within about .04 seconds of each other are not discriminable by the human eye.

Ah, but we're NOT humans. We're umpires. We are expected to make rulings within that .04 second timeframe.

JJ

[Mrumpiresir]

Get an out. Just be consistent with it.

[jicecone]

OK gentlemen, we are way past goofy now.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by ozzy6900

Tell me why we are still debating this "Tie goes to the runner" for the 4th time since last season? Every year we deal with this idiotic myth yet it keeps coming around like a boil on your butt!

There are no ties in baseball because all ties go to the umpire and the umpire always calls the out!

Exactly. There are ties...we just don't call them ties, we call them "outs."

It always reminds me of a story an umpire associate used to tell about this guy who had a banger at 1st base and called, "Two!!!" really loudly. When the puzzled 1st base coach asked what he meant by "Two!!!" the umpire told him, "too damn close to call!"

[BSUmp16]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Exactly. There are ties...we just don't call them ties, we call them "outs."

It always reminds me of a story an umpire associate used to tell about this guy who had a banger at 1st base and called, "Two!!!" really loudly. When the puzzled 1st base coach asked what he meant by "Two!!!" the umpire told him, "too damn close to call!"

Actually, that was a quote from Jocko Conlon, the great Hall of Fame umpire. Jocko was behind the plate and the count was one ball and one strike. Next pitch comes in, appears to shave the corner of the plate, and the umpire shouts 'Two!' The batter says, 'Two, what?' Ump replies: "Too close to call." Great story.

[BSUmp16]

Originally Posted by Chris Viverito

All this specificity. All this detail. All this predicate logic. Impressive.

Are you sure that "OBR states that ties go to the runner "?

Yep - 6.05j. Runner or base has to be tagged before the runner touches first base for an out. If the runner and tag/touch occur "at the same time" (a "tie") then the tag/touch didn't occur before = runner's safe.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Simply The Best

You may not have judges a tie and perhaps you may never actually expereinced a tie but in terms of sight and sound, and the visceral faults in each, "ties" are a fact of umpiring life.

The question is how to you adjudicate a tie when you believe you have one?

"Reward The Better Play".

Originally Posted by BSUmp16

Wow - that's two in a row in which I completely agree with "Simply the Best" Should that make me worried?

I know, it's like on Sliders with the alternate parallel universe.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by BSUmp16

Actually, that was a quote from Jocko Conlon, the great Hall of Fame umpire. Jocko was behind the plate and the count was one ball and one strike. Next pitch comes in, appears to shave the corner of the plate, and the umpire shouts 'Two!' The batter says, 'Two, what?' Ump replies: "Too close to call." Great story.

Wow, that sounds really similar to the story this associate used to tell about this base umpire who did the same thing on the bases! Incredible!