Good ole home town honesty

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by canump

then a bunch of the spectatores who were sitting in their seats right behind the fence got up and started talking with the group on the field thru the fence. You could actually see them point to the hole and nodding their heads that yes the ball passed thru the hole.

Under the same situation would any of you guys changed your call or would you have stuck it out?

By the way, next batter hit a 2 run shot well over the fence basically the same area.

If you are sure you were wrong.
Spectator comments are not necessarily sure evidence.

Even if the home team fans were saying that the home team should only get a GRD instead of a HR I would not change the call unless a replay in my mind told me that there was a very good chance that what I initially saw was wrong.

Did they ever fix the hole? Did they or could they do it right away? In this type of play can the umpire(s) hold up the game until the hole is fixed?

[NCASAUmp]

If I had solid information from a reliable source that I may have missed something, I'd be willing to consider changing my call. I don't know if I would take the word of spectators, but let's say it's a outfielder who admits the ball tipped off his glove and over the fence, knowing full well that it will be a 4-base award. That kind of honesty should be respected, and I believe that kind of confession should be taken into account when reconsidering a call.

[wadeintothem]

If I could change a clearly wrong call to a good call... definitely maybe.

[canump]

To be honest I don't know if the diamonds were checked prior to the start of this mini tournament, but I would assume so. ( course you all know what *** u me means.) These were all Level 5 umpires, 2 of which are going to the games in China.
The outfield fence in this park are made of a material that resembles a vinyl, plastics type. They are very light and are made to be adjustable, depending on who's using the field, Ladies fastball, men's fastball or slo-pitch. They are about 10 years old and they say the sun is breaking them down. Last year during the men's ISF Worlds a pitcher actually put a ball thru one section while warming up.
As per the sit mention in the opening post, they are not sure if the batted ball just went thru a weak spot in the fence or if there was actually a hole there according to a local sports enthusist.
Some one has said that there is plans in the works to purchace a different type of fence for this complex within the next 2 years.

[wadeintothem]

Who cares if they were checked. You dont go check home run fences and have them repaired before the game unless the wind is blowing them down. A hole in a fence is a non issue.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

Who cares if they were checked. You dont go check home run fences and have them repaired before the game unless the wind is blowing them down.

You never walk the field before the game?

[whiskers_ump]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

Who cares if they were checked. You dont go check home run fences and have them repaired before the game unless the wind is blowing them down. A hole in a fence is a non issue.

Come on Wade, you know better than. Checking fence lines, unusual holes,
wires, poles, etc. That is part of our job.