Trapped fly balls video review.

[MikeStrybel]

Originally Posted by LilLeaguer

I'm not sure those cases are parallel. A batted ball going through a gap is a mandated 2-base award. No umpire judgment in placing anybody. Also, "just keep running" is probably bad advice to a coach on a catch/no-catch controversy.

Obstruction is a closer situation, I think, and we have years of practice and some official guidance for many particulars there. Even so, we still have longish threads on forums such a this one about rarer situations. The MLB umpires may be making it up as they go along, which will be interesting.

1) We have some crazy fields and equally wierd ground rules. I have had caoches claim that they have a pole down right field and if it hits or goes into the protected area, it is three bases. That is just one example and we have had threads dedicated to others. We use our judgement and so will the MLB guys.

2) I don't see a problem with replay reversing a catch or vice versa. If the guy tagged and is thrown out on a play that, after review, is ruled no catch. He is still out. If the guy doesn't tag and there is a catch, after review, he chose to leave early and is penalized for his bad judgement.

3) I'm pretty confident that the MLB guys will have guidelines and be skilled enough to handle the drama. Being second guessed for exercising judgement is part of the game.

[UmpTTS43]

Originally Posted by MikeStrybel

If the guy doesn't tag and there is a catch, after review, he chose to leave early and is penalized for his bad judgement.

How can you penalize a player for his actions when it was the umpire's initial call that provided the necessary information? No tag up is required when a ball is not caught. Bad idea.

R1. Fly ball hit to F9 who dives for the ball. R1 goes half way to second. Ball is ruled "no catch". R1 advances to 2nd, BR to 1st. Replay overturns the call and it is now ruled a catch. What do you do with R1?

Calling him out on appeal for not properly tagging up would be an idiotic and unreasonable thing to do.

[MikeStrybel]

Originally Posted by UmpTTS43

How can you penalize a player for his actions when it was the umpire's initial call that provided the necessary information? No tag up is required when a ball is not caught. Bad idea.

R1. Fly ball hit to F9 who dives for the ball. R1 goes half way to second. Ball is ruled "no catch". R1 advances to 2nd, BR to 1st. Replay overturns the call and it is now ruled a catch. What do you do with R1?

Calling him out on appeal for not properly tagging up would be an idiotic and unreasonable thing to do.

You are probably correct about replay being unfair to those who aren't clairvoyant or more observant than the umpire who made the original call.

FWIW, players are penalized for bad calls all of the time. Ask Armando Galarraga, Mike Napoli, Michael McKenry, Michael Barrett, Josh Paul, Ron Gant, Chuck Knoblauch, Jorge Orta - the list goes on with infamous calls that would probably qualify as idiotic and unreasonable.

I could live with an umpire not penalizing the runner who didn't tag when the ball was initially ruled "No catch". The runner may have reacted to the call rather than the play itself. However, I have seen more than a couple runners take off thinking that the ball was dropped only to have an out called. Those runners anticipated the call and didn't wait for me "to provide information". It even happens in the MLB and more often than not involves my beloved Cubs.

Happy holidays.

[Steven Tyler]

I have a landmark decision ground rule double. We have one field with a short RF porch, but it has about a 30' ft. high fence to about CF. However, there is a tall light pole just inside the fence in RCF.

Well, someone hit a shot that hit about 20' ft above the fence, but hit the light pole. I then stopped the player at 2B, because the ball hit an object that was inside the playing field before it went over. Needless to say, an interesting argument ensued.

Now the outfield had the yellow tubing all along the top of the fence. The OC's big argument was that the ball hit above the yellow tubing, so therefore it should be a home run. I had to explain to him that the ball hit an object that was in the field of play before it continued over the fence, thus a 2B award.

Long story short, they now have a little 6' ft. fence around the pole with yellow tubing on the top of it. Now if you hit the pole above the yellow line, but appx. 20' ft. below the top the outfield fence, it is a 4B award.