More Illegal Pitching

[streamdoc]

Sorry for the long dissertation, but I like to explain the situation thoroughly.

Situation:
HS Varsity Playoff game, visiting team is the 2004 4A State Champs, and is leading by 2 runs in the 6th. Home team pitcher is leaping on some of her pitches, some worse than others. I did not call it because evertime she would do it it would catch me off guard, and I'd tell myself to call it next time - you guessed it, she'd be legal for several pitches in a row. Home team puts in a new pitcher who is crow hopping, I call IP on the 2nd pitch. Home bench asks for reason, which I give. From that point, she is making a real attempt to maintain legality, and in this type if situation, where IP could really be called on every pitch, I felt it was best to pick my spots, and only call it when it was very obvious. Fast Forward to 6th inning. Visiting starting pitcher gets injured and replaced. I watch the new picher and don't see anything illegal. Home coach tells me that she has not pitched in a while, and to watch her for IP. On her 2nd pitch, both feet are so far off the ground that I literally can see daylight under them. Out comes the left arm. Ball on the batter, runners advance 1 base, scoring the 2nd run. Visiting coach is all over me with "you picked a nice time to get in the game blue" "you could have called IP on them anytime, but you do it to me with a runner on third", etc. I let him have his say, then tell him that I did not pick the time for IP, his pitcher did and to go sit down, we are done discussing it. Home team ends up tying the game 3-3. In between innings, as visiting coach makes his way to the 1st base box (he had been coaching 3rd all game) he starts in on me again. I tell him "1 more word and he'll be sent to the bus".

Question:

Do you pick your spots for calling the IP based on game situation?
Do you give pitchers that are IPing every pitch some leeway after calling it once if they are making an effort to be legal?
Should I have jacked the coach for bringing the situation up again in between innings after my declaration that we were done discussing it on the field during the 6th inning?

Now, I know that I will get flack (and deservedly so) for giving the home pitcher some leeway, but really, when she would do it, it would catch me off guard. When I was really looking for it, she would not do it - uncanny.

Let's have it! BTW - visiting team won 4-3, everyone both head coaches shook my hand after the game.

[Edited by streamdoc on May 25th, 2005 at 04:45 PM]

[bkbjones]

Plus....home team is the team that lost in the state finals.

And...
Home team had this pitcher last year that damned near set a record in one game with 12 IPs (This is a girl who is #2 pitcher for a team in the Super Regionals this year...playing vs. Michigan). And of course you'd hear the same old crap, "No one else has called this," and other bullspit. Hell, I called one on her late in the season last year and I thought she was going to cry. "I've really been working on it blue."

"That's good. I can see you're doing better. Keep working."

Kudos to Streamdoc for calling it when he did - or calling it at all. There are too many gutless (did I just say gutless???) folks who would not call one in a situation - or a game - like this.

(Of course none of those folks read this board!)

[streamdoc]

I didn't know about the rest of the story with the Home Team. I do feel that I should have called the Home Team's 1st pitcher, and even though I gave my reason for it not being called yesterday, I should have paid more attention to it. It did make calling it on the Visitors with a runner on 3rd all the more noticible - she was just so high off the ground. The thing that I failed to mention was that the visiting team was borderline leaving bases early (almost every runner on every pitch) and I'm still working on watching that while making sure the pitch is legal. Any pointers for a relative newbie on how to go from pitcher to runner to batter with the eyes, to make sure I'm catching everything would be appreciated. Thanks.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Do you pick your spots for calling the IP based on game situation?

Any one who claims they don't either 1) hasn't been in any games with situations, or 2) is lying.

Do you give pitchers that are IPing every pitch some leeway after calling it once if they are making an effort to be legal?

Somewhat, yes. If they are close to legal, and working at it, absolutely. But, when they relapse, or if they can't get close, it has to be called.

Should I have jacked the coach for bringing the situation up again in between innings after my declaration that we were done discussing it on the field during the 6th inning?

Depends. If it was a conversation, not an arm-waving demonstration, he was doing his job; give him that freedom. If he can't let it go, let him go.

[Little Jimmy]

I made a specific point this year to call the illegal pitch when I KNEW it was illegal. No guessing. No wondering. I called three this year and each one I was 100% sure about it.

I'm going to say it even if some don't believe it: the game situation doesn't come in to play. The last one I called walked in the go ahead run (early in the game thank goodness). I'm not saying that I don't brace myself for more flack in the tight situations. But if we call it the first time we see it then maybe it won't come up as much in the rough times.