Believe It or Not

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by tcannizzo

2. Sat 9PM game. Loser gets 5th place. Winner guaranteed 4th and still in it.
Game tied 1-1 after 7.
8th - neither team executes
9th - neither team executes
Top 10th - Vis gets 3
Bot 10th - Home gets 3
Top 11 - Vis does not execute
Bot 11 - Home has bases loaded with no out. 3-2 count on B4. Next pitch is Ball 4. BR goes into dugout to put bat away and then comes back out to the celebration at the plate. Defense is appealing BR did not touch 1B (which she never did). All 3 Umps run off field and get into the golf cart to get back to the house. Defense is pleading with the umps not to leave. 90 seconds later, they get the UIC who said he understood their position, but since the umps were already gone, there was nothing he could do about it. One of the umps was in the 2006 WCWS.

I have avoided this thread, because it seemed to me the basic intent was to rant about unqualified umpires, poor tournament management, and so-called pc umpire assignments. I'm actually surprised this has generated so much response, since it seemed to me to be one of those things that should not be dignified with a response.

Sorry, tcannizzo, everything you said may be objectively true, still, there is something unseemly about posting such complaints here, especially those that directly accuse the UIC of favortism. I recall a couple of years ago, an experienced member of the ASA NIF posted considerably milder criticism of a national held in the Atlanta area and had her ASA credentials withdrawn over it.

As I said, it seems to me you are accusing the tournament UIC of favortism and unethical behavior. What would you do with a coach who accused you of such publicly during a game?

As to the play I quoted above, it is not such a mystery and surely does not require Rule 10 to resolve. BR is out for entering the dugout during a live ball. One out. Any other runner who touched her next base cannot be appealed for an out. Any runner who touched home scores, unless at least two other runners did not touch and were properly appealed. Since the umpires left so quickly, no appeal was possible. Since the umpires had left the field, no protest was possible. But, getting into the appeal/protest issue can be completely avoided so long as R1 touched home and either R2 or R3 touched their next base. Run scored, game was over, nothing to appeal or protest that would make any difference.