Partner not allowing proper appeal

[NSABlue]

I was working an NSA fastpitch tournament last weekend. Our association from MD sent a few folks over to VA to help out. I was working with a Partner who I had never met. I was wondering what you think of the following play and how you would have handled it. I am the PU.

R1 on 2nd, R2 on 1st and two outs. Batter hits a triple to the right/center field gap. R1 and R2 both score. I watch runners tagging third and home. My partner has 1st and 2nd base responsibility. After play ends, defensive team calls for a time out (Which I grant) and makes a legal dead ball appeal to my partner that #5 missed 2nd base on the play. He told the coach that by saying #5 had missed the base and not properly identifying her as "the first runner around 2nd or the 2nd runner around, that he had errored inhis appeal and would not allow the appeal. (I was amazed) The coach proceeded to have a small argument with my partner which ended quickly. He asked me for an appeal and I directed him back to my partner and told him that his appeal should go to him. He then appealed to my partner and asked him to get help. When my partner and I confered (away from the coach), I told him that identifying the player by number was a perfectly good appeal and he should rule on whether or not she actually missed the base. He told me that he didn't care whether or not she missed the base, that he wasn't allowing the appeal based on his earlier ruling. He announced it to the coach. The coach asked me for help again and I told him that the call stood but he had the option to protest. Put up the $75 fee and his protest would be heard by the TD. He decided to let it drop and play on.

Has anyone ever heard of not allowing an appeal for this reason. Any other options on my part? Am I missing something here?

We had a discussion after the game but I know I didn't change his mind. I'm sure I'll never work with this guy again because we work in different associations. He was a nice enough guy and a reasonably good official from what I saw. I just thought he was wrong on this appeal play.
By the way, I don't know if the girl missed the base or not, I was watching third and home.


"Corrected for Bob"-Thanks

[Andy]

Wow.....do you think that he really thought that his interpretation was the rule or do you think he was covering for the fact that he either missed or did not see the runner in question touch the base?

If he truly thought that this was the rule, hopefully someone will show him in the book that he is incorrect. If he was covering, he really opened a can of worms and ended up taking a lot more grief than if he had simply ruled "safe" on the appeal.

It doesn't sound as if there is much more that you could have done, you can't rule on the appeal, you can't tell the coach that your partner is wrong in his ruling, you gave the coach the option of the protest with the fee (which I hate, BTW, but that's a different discussion).

About the only other thought I have is to offer to pull out your lineup card for your partner to try to identify #5 to help determine which runner she was and rule on the appeal.

It's no wonder that parents and coaches come up with strange rule interpretations and myths after hearing about stuff like this.

[bluezebra]

...rule on weather...

1..What did the weather have to do with whether or not a runner missed a base?

2..Coach: "Number 5 missed 2B".
Blue: "Coach, I don't look for numbers. Which runner missed 2B, the first or second"?

3..Your partner was a schmuck.

Bob

[CecilOne]

There are only two possibilities, R2 and BR. Easy to figure out which, but if he was ducking the issue, he still will.

[NSABlue]

Originally Posted by bluezebra

...rule on weather...

1..What did the weather have to do with whether or not a runner missed a base?

[2..Coach: "Number 5 missed 2B".
Blue: "Coach, I don't look for numbers. Which runner missed 2B, the first or second"?

3..Your partner was a schmuck.

Bob

Bob,
you're pretty close, the appeal went something like:

Coach:"Hey Blue #5 missed 2nd base."

Blue: "You have to properly identify exactly which player you're appealing. Since you errored in your 1st attempt, you have lost your right to appeal"

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by NSABlue

Bob,
you're pretty close, the appeal went something like:

Coach:"Hey Blue #5 missed 2nd base."

Blue: "You have to properly identify exactly which player you're appealing. Since you errored in your 1st attempt, you have lost your right to appeal"

I don't know if ducking out of this was the right thing to do. Partner is misapplying a rule (or making one up entirely) - and you have the obligation to correct the situation. This is not simply a judgement call that you have to hold your tongue on - it's a rules misapplication.

Pop up to CF. CF juggles, catches and throws home. BU rules that since CF juggled the ball, there is no out on BR. You'd fix that, wouldn't you? Same thing in the initial sitch.

Before tackling it, though, and before even intimating to partner that you might be doing so, I'd ask - "Just so I know ... did she actually miss the base or not?"