booted the call

[Thane Yennie]

Seattle and CHW Game three, Drag bunt and the batter is definitely out of the box and stepping on the plate. No call Olerud scores from third game over. Hey the guys at the Pro level ARE human. Watched a HS football game last night about froze my can. I much prefer baseball, we get to play when the weather is a little warmer.

[Thane Yennie]

I didn't see the later ESPN "review" so I was not aware of what else transpired. Oh well I'm glad I've never missed a call. (Big Grin)

[Jim Porter]

Originally posted by Thane Yennie
Seattle and CHW Game three, Drag bunt and the batter is definitely out of the box and stepping on the plate. No call Olerud scores from third game over. Hey the guys at the Pro level ARE human. Watched a HS football game last night about froze my can. I much prefer baseball, we get to play when the weather is a little warmer.

It was actually Ricky Henderson who scored from third. He replaced Olerud at second.

We all know how difficult it is to see a foot out of the box. But during a bunt? That's exactly when I'd expect an umpire to be watching for those feet.

Let's not be too hard on Tim, though. He might've been blocked out by the catcher. The foot was behind the plate making it very tough to see. It's not like the foot was out of the front of the box - that's one an umpire should never miss.

[GarthB]

Still photo published in Spokane Spokesman-Review was taken at point of impact of bat and ball. Photo shows one foot in box and the other foot out of box, but off the ground a time of the hit. Guillen was already beginning his move to "drag" the bunt up the first base line when contact was made between bat and ball.

In slow video replays one can see him beginning this motion to his right which takes his foot off the plate just as the bat hit the ball. Legal hit.






Good no call by ump.

GarthB

[Edited by GarthB on Oct 8th, 2000 at 11:31 AM]

[PeteBooth]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Thane Yennie
[B]Seattle and CHW Game three, Drag bunt and the batter is definitely out of the box and stepping on the plate. No call Olerud scores from third game over. Hey the guys at the Pro level ARE human. Watched a HS football game last night about froze my can. I much prefer baseball, we get to play when the weather is a little warmer.

What I noticed most was that none of the White-Sox Players were screaming or yelling at the Home Plate Umpire. I did not see the post game interviews so I am unaware if any of the White-Sox Players said anything about this after the game.

If that were say Billy Martin / Earl Weaver and probably Lou Pinella himself - they would have come storming out of the dugout to question the PU.

If this were a LL / FED or even a college game - Boy we would we have heard about it. Imagine if our assigner was watching the game.

One would expect more from a Pro Umpire as umpiring is their "full time occupation". It's not like most of us who have our regular jobs and umpire "on the side".

Yes as PU we are to watch the pitch right into F2's mitt, but on a bunt play we are also taught to watch the batter's foot as the batter is more likely to be out of the box on this type of play. Out of the box on a bunt play is common in amateur ball.

Again, it was surpirisng to me (especially the catcher of the White-Sox) that no-one on the White-Sox complained.
Bottom Line however is the White-Sox didn't play very well.


Pete Booth

[cmcallm]

I had lunch yesterday with a dozen experienced college-level umpires, and this play came up. I was amazed that the split was 50-50 toward IGNORING the batter being out of the box "in this game-ending" situation. My side said "We're there to see it - someone gains an advantage if it's seen and not enforced". The other side said, "It's one of those situations, then, where WE are deciding the game". They liken it to ignoring the foul on the last second shot in a basketball game so WE don't decide the game by putting a player on the line.

As you see, we were literally AND figuratively "chewing the fat".

[Alligator Bag]

We are paid to make decisions and the decision that should have been was that the player stepped out of the box. We aren't deciding the outcome, we are doing our job. Batter does his by staying in the box.