Blown call gone bad....
 

I had "the game to remember" this weekend. Unfortunately it wasn’t one I am particularly proud of. I need a critique of the situation, to help me learn from my mistakes.

USSSA State Tournament, 18U, losers bracket game, I am PU, 5th inning. Visitors are up 3-0. I ask my partner, who is keeping the time, how much time we have. He says we have 9 minutes (we had had a clock stoppage the previous inning for an injured player so I wanted to get a feel for the remaining time). I am standing at third base line extended, by the visitors coach and I tell him, "Nine minutes, coach." Home team's coach is "motivating" his team and, as he passes behind the catcher, I tell him "Nine minutes, coach." Visitor's go down 1-2-3. Home team's first batter, LH batter, hits the ball, which takes a hop about two feet in front of the plate. The batter starts to run and releases the bat and the ball hits the bat in mid air and the ball rolls toward first, staying in fair territory. Visitor's coach comes out and says the batter should be out and I tell him no, she's not out, it's a live ball. My partner and I conferred and he said that the bat did hit the ball a second time and she should be out. I went with my own ruling and told the coaches that the play stands. (I know, I should have called dead ball, batter's out. I blew the call, I realized after the game, after I had time to think.) Of course, visitor's coach goes ballistic, argues the call and I end up tossing him ("Learn the rules, blue" was what got him tossed, how ironic.) We get the game back under way. The home team scores two runs, so it's 3-2 visitors at the end of the inning.

I ask BU how much time is left, expecting the game to be over, and he says 30 seconds, so I say we will play another inning. The visitor's coach (substitute head coach) says that I told him "this is it, coach" the previous inning and that the game should be over. I told him, "No, coach, I told the other coach "Nine minutes"; I never told you anything about the time." So he argues about when does the next inning start and I tell him after the third out of the prior inning and he doesn't believe me and wants to protest my blown call and the time expiring. During this time the ejected coach is behind the dugout yelling at me and his coach. I tell the acting head coach he can't protest either call. He tells me "You suck, blue." and I toss him, ball game coach, you lose by forfeit. In hind site, I should have called a forfeit when the ejected coach returned, but I wasn't proactive in that respect.

After conference with UIC, they upheld the forfeit and told the coach that, if he wanted to protest a rule interpretation, he should have done it after the blown call. And you can't protest the time expiring because it hadn't expired. But sorry, you both got tossed, no other coaches in the dugout, the forfeit stands. At the same time I am talking with my next game partner and he tells me I got the call wrong and the batter should have been out. I had forgotten the rule during the game and I feel I just didn't think it through. To me, it was a bang, bang play with a rule that I had never used before or had never seen used before. Sure, I have read the rule book cover to cover, but it was the heat of the moment and I blew it. I admit it.

So, do I chalk it up as a learning experience, and kick it around my head a few more days? Or do I go back to the rule book with a renewed dedication to memorizing every rule so they can be applied properly the next time around? I have chosen the latter.

The time to have thought about it was when you partner was telling you the correct call. If he was absolutely sure, and you weren't, why didn't you go with him?

You have made the correct decision in dedicating yourself to constantly studying the rules. I try to do so daily, which is why I am thankful for sites like this one. They force me to get into the rule books.

Couple of comments: If you had been in Seattle, you'd have called the game with 30 seconds remaining. They are notorious time-shavers there. ;) :D

Actually, and seriously, I wouldn't feel bad about declaring 30 seconds remaining as DONE, especially since you had an unofficial stopping of the clock earlier.

The coaches deserved the forfeit. You did not cause that with the blown call; they caused it with their reaction to the blown call.

Also, in timed games, whenever one side asked for time remaining, I ALWAYS give the answer either loud enough for both sides to hear, or individually to both dugouts. Not saying you did, but the coach accused you of telling them this would be the last inning or something like that. I never use words like that without couching them in a lot of uncertainty. "7 minutes remain coach. This might be your last up unless this inning goes quickly."

As to the blown call - learn to trust your partner. ;)

You can try to memorize every rule, but unless you have a photographic memory, you will forget rules again. Then at some point something will happen on the field that will etch the rule in your memory and you won't forget it after that.

I see the issue as perhaps inexperience for both you and partner. If your partner knew that this was a dead ball situatioin he should have killed the ball when he saw the bat strike the ball. PU will not always see the contact and BU should not hesitate at all to make the call. Same with foul off a batter's foot. An experienced BU kills the ball and doesn't let these situations devolve the way yours did.

I don't know if you have ever reversed your own ruling, but when you know you miscalled a play you have to come to terms with it and eat the humble pie on the spot. I'm not saying that you should have known then and there that you kicked it, but sometimes you know right away and have the choice to eat the pie and fix it or stand your (shaky) ground. What I'm saying is to do the former.

If you're just not sure what the rule is, I'd say stop the clock and get the UIC to help. As much as UIC's may not like this, I think that USSSA will like it less if they get a reputation for poor officiating and teams avoid their tournaments.

Ok...you blew the call. You know it now, but you went with what you thought was right at the time. Bet you won't ever miss that call again! :D

Both ejections sound alright to me...don't have quite enough detail to comment about the first coach, but "You suck, Blue" definitely earns a tour of the parking lot.

I'm glad to hear the UIC backed you up on the forfeit - I've been around situations when that did not happen.

Chalk it up as a learning situation...As far as continued study of the rules, I like to focus on some of the rules concerning stuff that you don't see that often. That seems to be where a lot of umpires get themselves into trouble by trying to make up rulings on the spot instead of knowing the rule and enforcing it correctly.

We don't worry about seconds. If I saw my watch and it wasn't on the minute it's supposed to be to end the time, then we play.

Just one question. Why were they calling you "blue"? :rolleyes:

I'm confused why you think you blew this. I had understood (and could easily be wrong again) that bat hits ball: dead ball batters out. Ball hits bat: (unless we have intent to interfere) live ball which is what you called.
________
CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT

You have receive good advice already. Will only add that when asked how
much time is left, I just reply, "Coach, you have under X minutes left." If
the opposing coach wants to know, he will ask.

Your explanation is true for a bat already on the ground. If the bat hits the ball a second time in the air (over fair territory) after leaving the batter's hands, it is interference, dead ball out. Simply put, the batter can discard the bat almost anywhere; if it is discarded into a fair ball, that is interference.

I agree with informing both coaches "X minutes left, coach", as the OP did, so that communication is consistent. If you tell one coach and not the other, you are begging for an incident.

Because the shirt color doesn't matter. Umpires are always "blue."

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate it.

I really should have listened to him, would have made this all go away. I don't know why, maybe it was because he wasn't adamant enough.

A lot of the coaches around here play both ASA and USSSA and get confused with the time issue. I try to stress USSSA rules when they are playing USSSA, even letting them know that the DP/flex isn't used in USSSA (DP/DH) when they hand me their lineup cards. Just one of those things I try to "go by the letter of the rule."

Yeah, especially in NM where we wear cream shirts. No red, unless your partner only has red. Boy those light colors are nice!!!! In 2009 we in NM will wear cream shirts and black hats in the daytime, black shirts and black hats under the lights. No red!!!

Expanding on my earlier point about the BU needing to step up in this type of sit...

I worked a Senior LL playoff game a couple of weeks ago. It went into extra innings. Both teams had played hard and well and I as PU didn't want some type of avoidable mess up to ruin a good game. Before the 8th inning started, knowing my 2 partners were releatively inexperienced, I got them together and said "if you see a foul ball off a foot, don't assume I saw it also; KILL IT IMMEDIATELY!"

I'd never do that in a million years with experienced partners, and the guys I was working with were not exactly rookies (I think about 1-2 yr each of mostly LL work), but I was unsure of their experiene in this type of situation and decided to try to prevent a problem before the fact.

This is a hardball example but the point is still appropriate.

You are officiating a state tournament and you are not aware of that rule?

I'm not so sure that ejecting a coach because he says that you don't know the rules was justified, because you obviously did not.

The only other matter I would find fault with is extending another inning with less than 59 seconds on the clock. Call the thing and the coaches would never know. Trust me.

Coaches should only be on a need to know basis when it comes to time. It would be in your best interest to tell them how much time left only if they ask.

Other than that, I would chalk it up to a learning experience and know that when you are calling a higher venue of ball, more will be expected and required from you.......

Even if you make a mistake, there's no justification for being disrespected by a coach. We're human, we make mistakes. There's no reason for him to criticize you in this fashion.

TEXASBOCK:

You stated:

"The only other matter I would find fault with is extending another inning with less than 59 seconds on the clock. Call the thing and the coaches would never know. Trust me.

Coaches should only be on a need to know basis when it comes to time."

That is totally irresponsible. IF we are playing a game with a clock, then we play with a clock. Last out made with 0:01 remaining means THE NEXT INNING HAS STARTED. You do not have the right to stop tha game.

Cool your heels my friend. I said that under the assumption that the official clock is on the stopwatch in my pocket. And if you stand by your statement in light of that, you are naive.

While technically true, I've umpired in very few fields where there was a game timer on the scoreboard (only one site in the MSP metro has that AFAIK), so keeping time is up to the umpire. I most certainly do NOT resolve game time down to the 0:01 resolution. I round DOWN in all communications with coaches... coach asks how much time remains, I look at my timer, and it reads 16:48.98 (yes, it goes down to the .01 second!), I tell the coach "About 16 minutes.) If the last out is recorded with ~ a minute or more remaining, we play again. Less than ~a minute remaining, and we are done. Notice the "~" - I have no hard and fast round-down limit. Good, sharp playing teams in a close game will get more of the benefit of the round down errorthan sloppy teams or a team being vastly out-played. Also coming into play here is how long an inning has been taking. Teams that have been taking 20-25 minutes to complete an inning are NOT starting the 4th inning with only a minute or so left on the clock!

I see your points, but my point is IF IF IF we use a clock, we need to use it. Would you do the same an any other timed sport (well.................. except for the ever silly, phantom clock in soccer) Game is on until horn sounds.

In Indiana NSA ball, we have the clock on backstop for all to see. Which is how it should be - again - IF IF IF we say we use a clock. Otherwise, we should say, game is about 75 min, or 90 min, or whatever.

We expect the coaches to manage their time accordingly, so we cannot penalize for good (within the rules) game management.

Example - Home team down 5 runs and batting as time approaches. They ralley and score 3, but now have 2 out and 0 runners. 60 seconds remaining, batter steps on plate and bunts. Dead ball. Next inning. Home team bought themselves another shot - well within the rules. No way I say sorry coach, 0:49 seconds rounds down to 0. I simply say, bummer - we got a good coach and another inning to play.

It's funny that you say you haven't ever seen this play. I have had this play at least 5 times this year in all three FED/ASA/USSSA. Believe me it is a rule that you will not forget.

I've had the sit where the batter is still in the batter's box and there is a double hit, but never when the bat and the ball collide while in mid air. And you're right, I won't ever forget this rule.

As for the time issue, you can debate all you want, but if I am going to call the batter out for the ball hitting the bat twice (one rule) I am certainly going to allow an inning to start with time on the clock (another rule). Reminds me of a comeback to a complaining coach, "Which rules DO you want me to enforce, coach?" I guess with experience, comes wisdom. ;)

Let's not forget that adding a clock to a softball game is unnatural. The rules do not get into "clock management" at all except for a vaguely-worded rule about "tactics" resulting in a forfeit. The timed softball game is a tool to manage multiple scheduled games on the same field, nothing more or less. This can be to keep a tournament on schedule or to not have the 10:00 pm slowpitch game not get started until 11 because of some 12U rec game that started at 7:00 didn't finish until 9:15 because, by gosh, there was 0:02 left on the clock for teams that took 45 minutes to complete the last inning!

The rule exists to control use of the field, not to make sure some team is not cheated out of their chance to score another 12 runs while their opponents throw the ball around on every play.

Which is why the time + 1 inning is the best way to resolve this issue when a clock is needed to keep a tournament moving.

You need to beat yourself up about it a little because this was on you. Bad rules application combined with poor game management to cause enough ejections to equal a forfeit.

We all make mistakes. So you need to go on and learn from them.

So ask youself..
What could you do better next time to make sure this doesnt happen?

This mistake doesnt make you a bad umpire. Learning from this is what will separate you from the bad umpires.

What? Are you joking? Showing up an ump is grounds for ejection no matter what the situation.

I disagree. There are no absolutes when it comes to grounds for ejections. That is certainly not written in any rulebook that I have read.

I'm just pointing out that it is possible that one could have become trigger happy given the facts of the first ejection. I was not there. If further detail revealed that this coach said it loud enough for the world to hear, then I would say it is possible he might need to go. But, personally I would do everything I could to at least give the guy a warning before I tossed him.

I agree with Texas with the exception on the "warning." Apparently some rule sets call for "warnngs?" I simply do not give them - well............ I do not use that particular word. I feel it paints you into a corner of absolutely NO tolerance after that. Kinda like tellin the kids if they spill their milk again, they will be grounded for a month. Guess what they WILL spill it again eventually.
I prefer:
Thats enough coach
We're done coach
We're playin ball
Lets get a batter
Etc

Funny come back a few weeks by Coach to a fairly young umpire:
Ump says "One more word and you're gone"
Coach's predictable response in a soft sarcastic tone............."word"
Yes he was tossed.

My funniest coach comeback after a "warning" came a few years ago. Fans of one team were becoming outragesouly obnoxous, taunting the opponents, etc. It was just me and the 2 coaching staffs and the parents - no TD, site admin, etc. So I said to the coach, "Coach, one of your jobs is to control your fans. Do you know what happens to a coach who doesn't do his job?"

So, the coach goes over to talk with his fans. Soon, I hear a big cheer and lots of applause from the fans. The coach comes back and says, "Blue, I told them that if they did not behave you were going to eject me. They all cheered!"

(They did settle down, though...)

I had a funny post ejection comment.

I tossed 3rd base head coach. As he starts to plead his case on my deaf ears the 1st base coach comes flying over to me. I think oh boy..........
Well C1 yells "Blue, is C3 out of the game?" I reply in the affirmative and he says "Cool, I got third - Bill (Coach on bench) take first base, lets go"
We preceeded without incident.