Management
 

Whiskers, Thank You. Have not had a chance to get the book out myself yet. I personally believe that as an umpire you are part salesman and part manager yourself. If the umpire has a feel for the game and manages it within the guidelines of the book and fair play you don't have this problem and you don't have to quote the book in this instance. I'm not a control freak or a control nut as an umpire but I'm still steering this puppy they call a softball game and if I'm doing my job, the issue of a coach manipulating this particular rule never comes into play and the coaches respect me more as an umpire.

Bandit,

I did attempt to talk to the coach. I ask if he knew
the penalty of applying these tactics. He told me to
get back to my job. I did!

Glen,
Brain cramp here...
In your story, the home team is up to bat and down by one run. They are using tactics to speed the game up to go into another inning before the time limit? Why? What is their advantage? Did they have better hitters due up in after these three hitters?

Your ruling was to forfiet the game and award the game to the visitors. Did I get that right?

-Rick

Several Replies
 

I thought I did the right thing...although the same team won that would have with the "shortened" game. It set us back about 30 minutes.

It was the loser-bracket championship of the double elimination portion of our 10U "A" state championship. Two really good teams. And I am lucky I caught this one before all hoo-ha broke loose.

Final game was 16-0 in 4.

Had a dad catch me as I was walking by asking for the most "knowledgeable umpire here". Told him, "Doesn't matter who knows the most, I'm the UIC, it's mostly my call." Same dad found me every time his daughter was caught looking at strike three to complain about the umpires not calling consistent zones (and the two he complained about work Big Ten games, for crying out loud).

What happened in Pannell-land? Let me know, Dave.

Now FU.....Everybody knows that us Big Ten umpires are not worth our weight in salt. Just ask that "Coach"(Term used lightly) from Ohio that I ran into.....I'm sure you will find him in a parking lot somewhere. :)

FU,
We had an illegal pitch call on a pitcher whiping mud off the ball then going to the glove and pitching. Illegal for adding a foreign substance to the ball. That one was fun. Didn't end up affecting the game other than the 15 minute delay to protest. I posted about it earlier in the week, something like "would you call this illegal".