What a weird way to start the year...

[teebob21]

Worked a Juco doubleheader yesterday, and boy was it the strangest two games I've ever worked. Multiple events that I had never seen before happened in the same game...some of which were recently discussed on the board here.

We had FOUR pulled feet at first base in a single game. I've never had more than one in a game. Every single one was close. I have always been taught that the sequence to sell the bang-bang pulled foot is (1, optional) Point at the foot; (2) Sweep the arms and call "Off the Bag!", (3) Signal safe. By the 5th inning, my partner commented that I was giving a clinic out there on this mechanic. Ironic, since one of my goals this year is to Improve Timing and SLOW DOWN, but I didn't point on any of them and on the first one, I did some sort of batwing safe signal with one arm ready to sweep and the other extended. D'oh!

A batter hit a near-homerun fly ball that failed to clear the fence by less than an inch. It popped up off the top of the wall and was caught by F9. I have never seen that in a softball game. The BR managed only a double because she was trotting.

A runner who left the base early on a fly ball was obstructed while returning...but there was no play on her and she returned safely.

I had to call the 5-second hands-together IP timing violation...and frankly, it was more like 8 seconds.

I have been officiating softball for 18 years, and I saw my first Fake Tag obstruction, ever, at any level.

Since we aren't supposed to have watches, I carry a Withings step tracker (like a Fitbit) in my pocket on the field, because it has a clock and I like to start on time. I lost it somehow during the 3rd or 4th inning, probably while selling one of those pulled feet. I figured it was gone. Between innings after the 6th, I looked down wondering if I should use my game fee to buy a new one...and there it was! Luckily I had not stepped on it.

Game 1 was extra innings, and Game 2 was halted for darkness in the 7th with the home team leading and the visitors rallying.

I gotta say, I'm looking forward to "boring" games the rest of the year!