Speaking of being ready for certain levels of play....

[Skahtboi]

...the 18U Gold thread got me thinking of this. Did anyone here watch the USA/Australia Olympic FP game yesterday? Do you all really think that the PU for that game was ready for that level of play? While her mechanics were crisp, and her appearance neat, she made several novice mistakes, most notably the out that she nulled and voided by erroneously calling a foul. I didn't even need an instant replay or the inane commentating of Kostas and Smith to let me know that she blew that one. Another thing that was very apparent was the inconsistency in her strike zone.

[DaveASA/FED]

I wouldn't have wanted to call that game with all the camera's but I did happen to tape it and rewatched some of it. With the pause button it is SO easy to see some of the pitches that clearly hit the outside corner!! But again it is awful easy to pick someone apart sitting on my couch replaying it over and over!!

[SF]

I would agree that the ump in the Australia game, but did anyone catch the U.S./Japan game (I taped it)? It was great softball, and Osterman was excellent, but the home plate ump made some interesting calls in the 7th and 8th innings. In particular, the Japanese pitcher threw what appeared to be a strike for the last out of the inning. Of course it's easier with a VCR remote and the dozen camera angles, but it seems to me like there have been some noticeable mistakes throughout the Olympics.

[BigUmpJohn]

I watched the Japan game live. I agree that the PU in the USA/Japan game was a little tough on the Japanese pitcher, not allowing anything above the belly button it looked like.

Question for anyone who might know. What is the ISF rule on obstruction? If it's like the current ASA rule now, on two steals to second base, Japan's F4 looked really close to getting an obstruction call--the first steal a definite call from me.

I've actually had no problems with the commentary from Matt Vasgergian and Michelle Smith. Maybe the fact that the game is on at 5 in the morning might make it sound ok. Maybe not.

I believe the U.S. plays at 2:30am on Tuesday morning (which is an hour from now). Not sure who they're playing.

[mach3]

Yes, the ISF Obstruction Rule is the same as the ASA rule.

Sec. 53. OBSTRUCTION.
Obstruction is the act of
a. A defensive player or team member that hinders or prevents a batter from striking or hitting a pitched ball.
b. A fielder, while
1. not in possession of the ball, or
2. not in the act of fielding a batted ball,
which impedes the progress of a runner or batter-runner that is legally running bases.

Raoul

[mach3]

Does anyone know what happend during the game between Australia and Chinese Taipei?

ATHENS, 16 August - Comments from Australian player Tanya HARDING after the 1-0 win against Chinese Taipei.

Tanya HARDING (AUS) - Pitcher

On her pitching:

"I think I did well in containing the hitters. They have got some good hitters in there and we have faced them a lot this year."

On the controversial winning run:

"We were confused as to what was going on as well. I know they called obstruction but they called obstruction on the fielder not on the runner. You have got to feel for (Chinese) Taipei."

On sportsmanship related to the controversial play:

"It was not bad sportsmanship. That is just their culture. That's just the way they play. I am sure if it had happened to us we would have protested and done as much as we can to have got the score changed. That is what happens. Sometimes you get the calls sometimes you do not. You just have to go with it."

On the win:

"It is a bit of a relief. Realistically, coming into this tournament, winning every game would have been a tough task. Our goal still is to finish in the top two."

ATHENS, 16 August - Comments from HUANG Hui Wen (TPE), CHEN Shi Kwei (TPE) CHEN Jye Yen (TPE) and NI Chao Liang.

HUANG Hui Wen (TPE) - leftfielder

On the third loss:

"The loss happened only because of the (umpire's ruling). It is unfair to the Chinese Taipei team."

On the next games:

"We will play as usual. We will treat the next game as all the other games."

CHEN Shi Kwei (TPE) - technical administrator

On the controversial winning run:

"They cannot judge like this. When the Australian runner ran from second base to third, this should have been judged as a defensive interference because it was a dead ball. Instead (the umpire) did not do anything."

CHEN Jye Yen (TPE) - assistant coach

On the controversial winning run:

"Canada has already lost two games. Maybe the chief umpire wanted to give some chance to (the Canadians). These mistakes are not supposed to happen."

Ni Chao Liang (TPE) - head coach

On the controversial winning run:

"The quality of (the umpire) is questionable. The Olympic Games is the best tournament and in this tournament there should not be this kind of a mistake."

We don't get any pictures here in Germany so maybe someone can help me here.

Raoul

[SC Ump]

Originally posted by mach3
... " but they called obstruction on the fielder not on the runner."

And y'all were saying the umpires didn't know what they were doing.

[IRISHMAFIA]

I would like to proudly point out that when watching the USA games, you are not seeing the umpires from this country.

And, just so you know, ISF runs clinics and schools around the world, but the local umpires are still trained locally. There is no guarantee that the umpires sent to the Olympics by other nations have equal access to the training that we have in the states. I'm sure that Pollard and Butler run all the umpires through a clinic before the games start, but as we all know, the umpires really needed to know what it going on before they got to Athens.

BTW, Raoul and others not located in the US, please note that I am not questioning the abilities or commitment to the game of umpires outside the US, I just don't know if you have the training as easily accessible as there is here.

[SC Ump]

Originally posted by mach3
Does anyone know what happend during the game between Australia and Chinese Taipei?

According to http://www.athens2004.com: In the bottom of the forth inning, with Wyborn(AUS) on second, the batter singled and Wyborn ran into the shortstop Wang Ya Fen (TPE) on her way to third. The box score notes that she scored on the play, and I presume that it was the result of being award home on the obstruction, since Chinese Taipei protested.

[mach3]

Originally posted by IRISHMAFIA

BTW, Raoul and others not located in the US, please note that I am not questioning the abilities or commitment to the game of umpires outside the US, I just don't know if you have the training as easily accessible as there is here.

Mike, no problem.
Since Germany didn't qualify german umpires are not present at the olympics. It's not us either!

But in general You are right. We have clinics in germany too but what also adds up to it is the amount of games we get to call during the season since here we only play an weekends. But that differs from country to country, but as a rule of thumb we do not get to call as many games here.

Coming back to AUS-TPE: that's what I got from the boxscores as well but I was hoping anyone has seen it.

Raoul

[bluejay]

It is Dot Richardson. Not Michelle Smith. Smith is doing LLWS.

[Dutch Alex]

Originally posted by IRISHMAFIA
BTW, Raoul and others not located in the US, please note that I am not questioning the abilities or commitment to the game of umpires outside the US, I just don't know if you have the training as easily accessible as there is here.

I'm also not offended, Mike! I think I agree with Raoul when he says that you guys in the States get more experianced by the number of games you CAN work in a year. My season starts early april (sometimes late march) and last until the end of september (start october). I got mostly 1 double header a weekend, sometimes a game extra on wednesday or friday. So I have far less games then you have to work. Making mistakes AND learning from them, makes you better. Therefor one needs the games; which we haven't a much as you do...
Training and clinics, in Holland, are given in spring and winter, very easy to go to. BUT as you guys have those umpires who know everythting already, who won't learn a thing; we also have those men...
It's a small world! A**holes you find everywere...

Then there's another thing: Olympic sports must be played all over the four continents. Umpires and officials must come from the participating countries, preferaible women to women-sports and men for men-sports. So this means that a number 6 ranged softball umpire, who happened to be a women will go to the Olympics, leaving her 5 male better umpires at home. If the dutch team would have qualified (it's a shame they didn't...) our best umpire should go. She is super!
I know some of you might have met her at the W.C. 2002 in Canada (or her husband at the W.C. men in New Sealand -last winter-).

Alex