Batter won't even come out of the dugout!!!!

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Dholloway1962

Above responses are "by the book". The forfeit is overkill, not needed, and not the spirit of that rule (that's strictly my opinion). All that is going to do is make a bad situation worse.

If you want to do the right thing for this particular situation, you did it. Call her out and move on (once again my opinion.

I agree with you and the OP as the right thing to do.

[bkbjones]

Call 'er out, switch sides, play ball, and don't forget: only six more outs and it's Miller Time.

[LIIRISHMAN]

You could even say she's injured and take the out right there. Nothing in the book says that a injury needs to be a physical injury. This girl has bigger troubles then a softball at-bat to worry about.

[IRISHMAFIA]

I think some of you are missing the point. It isn't the player.

It is the coach's job to manage the team. Most are talking about addressing the player. It is the coach's job to have a batter in the box. It is the coach's job to control his pitcher and rest of the players.

You don't call the batter to the box, you tell the coach you need a batter. If the girl refuses to bat, it is the coach's job to get her or a substitute in there. If he refuses to do that, there is no reason for him/her to be in the dugout.

It is not the umpire's job or position, to insure the batter bats and the pitcher pitches. If the coach refuses to coach, what is the umpire to do? The coach IS the team. HS umpires know that if you toss the coach and there is not another adult associated with that school present, the game cannot continue.

I'm not looking for a forfeit and I agree that is a very drastic option. However, depending on the situation, you may not have a choice. If there are issues, what happens the next inning when another player balks at approaching the plate? Or maybe a pitcher refuses to throw to a certain batter? If the pitcher will not pitch, the rest of the team cannot play.

Not taking a particular position as every scenario can be different. Just offering food for thought.

[NCASAUmp]

The OP had mentioned that the coach had already used up his subs and couldn't sub the girl out. The player, for whatever reason, had tied the hands of the coach.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. If she refuses to bat at that moment, what's a coach to do? He can't force her to bat. He can boot her off the team after that game, but in those 30 or so seconds it takes to call those 3 strikes, there's nothing he can do.

In this scenario, I think things were handled appropriately.

[Dakota]

I can see this escalating to a forfeit. Take the OP. No need for the umpire to know or care about the reason WHY the batter does not enter the batter's box.

Umpire: "Batter up"
(nothing)
Umpire: "Coach, I need a batter"
(no batter - whats left of the 10 sec expires)
Umpire: "Strike 1"
(no batter - 10 sec expires)
Umpire: "Strike 2"
(no batter - 10 sec expires)
Umpire: "Strike 3. Batter up"

Now, in the OP, I'd guess the next batter appears. If not, ...

Umpire: "Coach, I need a batter. If your team is not going to play, I will be forced to declare a forfeit."

Then whatever happens, happens. This has taken a minute or less longer than declaring the forfeit right away, and allows for the possiblity of one player having issues of some kind rather than the whole team.

I do agree with Mike that each situation is different. The delay rule called strike and the forfeit rules are tools to be used when the situation requires it.

[Dukat]

He could BOO. At least then he could be OK for following directions of getting a batter in the box. The only way this would hurt him any more than taking the original out is if the other team says something while that batter is batting and then he is just back in the same situation he was in to start with.

Not a great option but it is an option for those who said he had none.

[NM FP Ump]

Thanks for the replies. My evaluators (yes, I got evaluated on this game) said that I handled it well, but they would have used the ten second rule to call the batter out. (What would have happened last year, when we didn't have the ten second rule????)

So, after I called the batter out for not appearing, the teams switched sides. I am in my position, back to the visitor's dugout, watching the home team get done with their short huddle, when I notice only 4 players taking their defensive positions (pitcher, catcher, 1st and 3rd). I turn to HC and ask him, "Where are the rest of the players?". He responds, "They don't want to take the field!!!" I tell him, "You have one minute coach." and I start counting. After about 30 seconds, I tell him, "Let's go, coach!" and he says, "Heck, just call it." I grinned, walked behind home plate and announced, "Ball game."

Both evaluators told me they had never seen anything like that before. I guess I get to talk about my game situation at the next meeting.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

The OP had mentioned that the coach had already used up his subs and couldn't sub the girl out. The player, for whatever reason, had tied the hands of the coach.

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. If she refuses to bat at that moment, what's a coach to do? He can't force her to bat. He can boot her off the team after that game, but in those 30 or so seconds it takes to call those 3 strikes, there's nothing he can do.

In this scenario, I think things were handled appropriately.

The coach can go shorthanded. There doesn't need to be a reason to go shorthanded as long as it isn't an ejection. Of course, he loses the player in the field, but it is either that or go home.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by bkbjones

.....and it's Miller Time.

And that is incentive.....how????

Now if you had said Sierra Nevada Pale Ale time or something along those lines, you would have had my attention.

[Dakota]

Uh oh... here we go again.

Summit Pale Ale. Or Pedigree Bitter.

[MichaelVA2000]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

And that is incentive.....how????

Now if you had said Sierra Nevada Pale Ale time or something along those lines, you would have had my attention.

I lean more toward the beers Samual Adams, (Well Rounded; Clean Fruit Finish; Great Everyday Beer!) and Chimay, (Dry yet Lightly Sweet; Richly Flavored; Herbal; Strong Alcohol; Fantastic Head! Powerful Ale!)

[Mid-Mich. Blue]

Great post and very thought provoking. I have a question: For those who took an out and continued, would you guys just take another out and continue if her spot in the lineup came up again?

[SRW]

Originally Posted by Mid-Mich. Blue

Great post and very thought provoking. I have a question: For those who took an out and continued, would you guys just take another out and continue if her spot in the lineup came up again?

That depends... did she stay in the dugout again, or did she come to bat like she's supposed to?

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by Mid-Mich. Blue

Great post and very thought provoking. I have a question: For those who took an out and continued, would you guys just take another out and continue if her spot in the lineup came up again?

It would depend on why she's out. If the coach pulled her from the game and went shorthanded, then yes. If I called 3 strikes for not taking a stance in the batter's box, then it would depend on what she did the next time she came up. If she comes up to bat, she bats. If not, she's out again.