What I Never Want to Hear

[stiffler3492]

Rec league softball tonight. I know, it's not basketball, but I think this instance covers all sports.

My team is down by 20 or so. We actually have something brewing, runners on and the heart of the order up. One of our guys hits it, and there's an eventual throw home. The ball gets away from the catcher, and crosses the threshold of our dugout area, clearly out of play, as was described to me in the pregame conference.

The umpire refused to call the ball out of play, and never gave us a reason why he didn't call it out of play.

After the game I asked him why, especially since the same play happened to us a couple of weeks ago, and even though we were down by 15 in that game too, the umpire called it out of play.

His response to me? "Eh, I didn't think it would have mattered." I just walked away at that point, and our league commissioner will be getting an email in the morning about this umpire.

I hope that none of us ever use that line with a coach, especially a losing coach, no matter the time, score, or situation. I think it's one thing to let a close foul go, or to widen the strike zone, but it's a whole other deal to not make a call on a black and white rule.