What was I thinking????
 

Two big brain farts this weekend....ASA girls tournament, I'm PU in both cases.

1. R1 on third, R2 on first, outs not important. B3 gets a base hit to left field, R1 scores, R2 advances to second. F7's throw to third skips under F5's glove, R2 takes off for third. F2 sees that the ball has gone past F5 and moves to retrieve it and runs directly into R1, who has scored. My brain, recalling the long blocked ball thread from last week, and determining that F2 would not have had any chance the get R2 at third, killed the play and sent R2 back to second base. Not one person (even my partner) questioned the call. Looking back, I should have called interference on the former R1 and called R2 out.

2. R1 on second, R2 on first, no outs. B3 hits a ground ball down the third base line that hops just inside the line about halfway between home and third and is curving toward foul territory. I watch the ball and yell FOU....just as the ball clips the corner of third base! :eek: My partner said I then yelled NO and pointed fair. I remember thinking "Oh SH*T!" and pointing fair, but not yelling "NO". Both runners advanced one base, the BR got to first and the defense retrieved the ball. I did not see anyone react to my call. My partner started smirking at me, so I called her over and asked if she had seen anyone hesitate as a result of the call... she said no and none of the coaches or players were saying anything, so I decided to let the play stand. I was prepared to eat the call and take the grief if necessary.

OK...let me have it.....

What were you thinking??? :D

Actually, though, the "fou.." then fair call could have been prevented by just slowing down.

It happens. I called a ball fair a couple of weeks ago. One of those medium speed rollers down the 3B line. I'm watching it thinking to myself that's rolling foul, rolling foul, rolling foul, all of the sudden it clips the front part of the bag. I think "thats fair" and I think it outloud!! I continued loudly and clearly saying "it's fair it's fair". All runners went one base which is what would have happened if I had just pointed, if anyone hesitated it was the runners. DC came out and all I told him was that I said fair, don't know why I said it but I did, we aren't supposed to say fair but I did and all play stands. He looked at me, shook his head (because he couldn't think of a comeback after I admitted my goof) and walked off.

1. In this one it seems to be a HTBT. The runner can't magically go poof...Credit to Irishman for that. Or was the runner fooling around and got herself mixed up in the play after she scored ? I don't think that is an automatic call either way ...

2. My first varsity game I'm PU. Shot down the line I come out screaming "fair ball". Everyone stops and looks at me. I did a pretty good job of cleaning that up if I remember correctly......Stuff happens. A personal POE for myself this year has been to slow down in all areas of my umpiring.

My assignor for ASA ball tells us every year that you don't have to call a ball foul until before the next pitch.

Obviously he is exaggerating, but the point is to slow down. Rushing a foul call doesn't make it more or less foul. Wait until it meets the definition of foul and then announce the ruling.

A few years ago in Petoskey, MI in a tournament, the batter hit a little looper that landed about 7 feet behind first base-about three feet fair and bounced foul. I threw up my arms and said-FOUL BALL...if it is possible to realize a goof before you do it, that is what I did. I could not beleive I had done it.

The DC came down from thrid base and said---WHAT DID YOU DO? I said, Coach, I think you already know what I did-I messed up real bad. HE shook his head and said, I can't argue with you there. The next pitch, the batter hit a double-WHEW.

Joe in Missouri

About WHEW. I know that feeling. Yesterday, a batter convincingly claimed CO, but neither of us saw any contact so we had to keep her at bat. Two pitches later, she hit a triple. :)

Couple weeks ago I had the oddest spin on a hit.
Ball hit by batter and first contacted the ground literally behind the batter's box (yes, in the catcher's box). Spin had it bounce over the batter who was tryin to avoid it. The next bounce went between the batter's legs. Then the ball finally landed and came to rest in fair territory about 3 feet in front & to lhe left of the plate. Never touched catcher or batter.
Had my "FOUL BALL" trigger pulled about 3 times, but luckily, never pulled it. Simply pointed fair and amidst all the shouts from players, coaches, fans the catcher picked ball up and fired to first for the out.
Wish I had a video of that 1.

Mark - you're absolutely right. Watching umpires yell "Foul ball" before it is actually foul is one of my pet peeves. I always say that one time, it's gonna jump up and bite you in the *ss!

Fortunately, mine jumped up but missed taking a bite! :)

Over a couple of adult beverages, these will become pretty amusing. No need to "let you have it" since you've already done that.:D

I had a brain fart I beat myself up pretty good over... my 10th game of the w/e, a semi.

R1@3B, times out, games tied, home team up.. 1 Out "trouble" hit to F6 who fiddles it a bit then throws to one for the banger. She was safe, i called her safe.. but didnt sell it... to me, the call didnt matter, so I called the play kinda lazy, run scored.. game over... and I'm walking to 1B dug out to get my stuff and leave..

What the heck!! Half of every one going nuts.. I realize why.. there were actually 2 outs... not 1. This would have sent it to tie breaker.

Just stupid of me.. had I not goofed up on outs I would have sold the crap out of that call and not had to listen to that... knowing that I screwed up and didnt know the outs.

My bad.. ugh, terrible.

Umpires for the next game both said I got the call right .. but still, thats the difference between calling it correctly and not.. knowing you made an error in the call.

Andy..your UIC will probably make fun of you next time he sees you (he told me he was going to)...but other than that... no big deal...

In case anyone wonders...Andy is a good umpire..... kind of funny looking..... but good...:cool: