Injury

[LDUB]

I copied this off the softball page. It is under "the lights went out".

Originally posted by Dakota

I agree with the semantic distinction - I suspect the original question would have been better phrased "should play have been suspended..."

I don't believe play should have been suspended in mid-play except in very unusual exceptions (e.g. injured player). Another example: sudden lightning strike; other safety issue (can't think of one off hand).

But just because you let the play conclude doesn't mean you would always live with the result. In the example cited, I'd say the result stands since the defense did make the play in spite of circumstances. But, in greymule's example, play was suspended after the play (more or less), but the "completion" of the play was by umpire judgment. In other circumstances, umpire judgment as to what "would have happened" may be applied, or the league officials may decide on a do-over.

But, to reiterate what I said above, the wording of 10-8E and the included exception means, to me, the umpire may suspend play while playing action is on-going under certain conditions - safety being the obvious reason.

So I said this.

Originally posted by LDUB

So lets say R1 on first. Ball is hit to outfield. R1 passes second and halfway to third falls, and breaks his arm badly, I mean the arm is totaly bent right in the middle of his forearm. So oviously it is a badly injured player. So you would call time? Then what do you do? Award the runner third? Call him out? You can't call him out because the ball is dead. Either way you got an argument coming from one of the teams. You're stuck once you stop play. You should allow the defense to tag out R1, and then if the BR is not trying to advance, then call time. Do not call time for a injured player.

I wanted to hear what all the baseball guys had to say about this. You guys agree with me?

[GarthB]

At the levels I work, I agree; do not call time for an injury until the conclusion of the play.

I suppose at younger levels, say 9-10 year olds, I would expect the umpire to use some descretion with a serious injury and I could forsee the possibility of time being called prior to the end of play to allow junior to be attended to.

It would then be up to the umpires to place runners, etc. to minimize any advantage/disadvantge resulting from the calling of time.

[Carl Childress]

Garth:

Don't forget the National Federation of High Schools rule 5-2-1d Exception.

[GarthB]

Originally posted by Carl Childress
Garth:

Don't forget the National Federation of High Schools rule 5-2-1d Exception.

Initially I was speaking of OBR based baseball as that is my mind set this time of year. But I utilized the FED exception as my guideline for lower level ball.

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by LDUB
I wanted to hear what all the baseball guys had to say about this. You guys agree with me?

I've never had to call time for an injury, and I hope I never have to. The only time I would is if play proceeded in a way that could further jeopardize the injured player.

I have allowed coaches on the field to begin to run toward the injured player, while play was going on. As long as they don't interfere (and they haven't), there's no penalty.