Where was the UIC?

reccer · #1 (**permalink**) Mon Jul 02, 2007, 01:00pm

Kicking butt against one of those 18U college exposure teams with paid for ex college players as coaches. They decided to pencil whip me in the final moments of the game claiming illegal substitution rules and that myself and (most importantly) my stud pitcher should be ejected.

I had ten players in the line-up and had properly noted a DP and a flex. The DP always batted and the flex was always on defense. The DP was indicated in the 2 hole on the line-up and was also my pitcher. The 6 hole in my batting order never played on defense, and it was everyone else's opinion that my line-up had incorrectly identified the DP (they say it should have been 6 hole) and that I and my illegal player (in position #2) should be ejected.

I of course told them any 10 of those players on my lineup could play defense. If I didn't want the 6 hole hitter to play defense that was my prerogative. The only defensive requirement was that my flex had to play.

My game was held up 45 minutes because neither the opposing coaches nor the two umps on the field nor the (approximately 6) other umps who joined in the discussion understood the dp/flex rule. I was told (by the umps) that 1) the DP and flex could not play defense at the same time and 2) the DP could never play defense. The latter point was made by an older Blue who I suspect was dredging up an old rule that has since been modified.

Anyway, the UIC was umpiring a game and was not able to straighten out the mess till his game was over. So, here is my question for you UIC's. I'm sure sometimes you are pressed into game service, but don't you have some type of mechanism in place so that you can stop your game and rule on the other game so the tourney can continue moving forward?

This morning I printed out all of Emily's cactusumpires.com lineup management sheets that discuss dp/flex. Please continue to go over flex/dp at your clinics. Umps in central Texas do not understand it.

Andy · #2 (**permalink**) Mon Jul 02, 2007, 01:09pm

On non-championship play tournaments, we often have the site UIC working games in the scheduled rotation. If a situation arises on a field that the UIC is not working, the UIC will suspend his/her game and deal with the situation.

It is understood that there had better be a d*mn good reason to involve the UIC because two games have to be stopped to deal with the situation.

If one of our umpires stopped a game and sent for the UIC in a simple situation like the OP, you can bet there would be hell to pay....

reccer · #3 (**permalink**) Mon Jul 02, 2007, 01:24pm

Andy, I suspect you are right that there was hell to pay. All of the umps working the 18U level were sent home and we had two umps working 12U come over and work the championship game against the same team we had a problem with earlier.

Or, maybe it was nothing. The other blues were from out of town and the blues who worked the final two games were local.

azbigdawg · #4 (**permalink**) Mon Jul 02, 2007, 07:00pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy

On non-championship play tournaments, we often have the site UIC working games in the scheduled rotation. If a situation arises on a field that the UIC is not working, the UIC will suspend his/her game and deal with the situation.

It is understood that there had better be a d*mn good reason to involve the UIC because two games have to be stopped to deal with the situation.

If one of our umpires stopped a game and sent for the UIC in a simple situation like the OP, you can bet there would be hell to pay....

What Andy said. If Im a working UIC, and someone comes to my field with that....there will be issues......stop one game while you remember a rule....I can live with it...come get ME because you dont know DP/FLex.....not good.

And the Lineup management presentation at cactusumpires.com is the best one out there. Download it. use it. And if you ever have a chance to see Emily present it live..... be there.