Batters Box

[Andy]

Your daugher can certainly request a measurement, but I wouldn't hold my breath on actually getting one!

Once the lines are gone, it's the umpire's judgement on where the box is. If the umpire wants to nitpick over a couple of inches, so be it.

If there are no lines to reference, it better be pretty obvious that a batter is out of the box. Of course, I am speaking only for myself and cannot speak for any other umpires.

[CecilOne]

Remember, the OP is about NCAA.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Remember, the OP is about NCAA.

Pretty much the same outcome. NCAA 11.2.2 "If the batter fails to comply within 10 seconds, a strike is called. No pitch has to be thrown."

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Remember, the OP is about NCAA.

Or is it NJCAA?

[NCASAUmp]

I don't care what level you're calling. If the lines are completely gone, they're gone. It's now umpire's judgment, and any umpire who nitpicks over an inch or two about the back line is one who is probably constantly looking for trouble.

One of the local fields is notorious for getting the boxes wrong. Instead of 3'x7', it looks more like 2.5'x5-6'. The front of the box is clearly short, as the outside corners didn't even meet the foul lines. A few years back, we had this umpire who nitpicked everything to death. One night, it was towards the end of a very tight game, and I'm the BU in A. The lines are almost gone by this point, and this batter gives a short pitch a decent knock.

"DEAD BALL!!!"

The batter had stepped out of the front of the box by maybe a couple of inches. No more than 4-6" from my perspective. The batter, naturally, goes nuts, and the team, frustrated with this guy's temper and nitpicking, feed off of this.

By rule, yes, the batter was out of the box. However, by rule, the box was wrong, and had it been right, I know for a fact that his foot would have been in the box. Not out, not on the line, but in.

Regardless, a good umpire will take steps to head this off at the pass. If the boxes are wrong, I let the teams know before the first pitch. If they're grossly wrong, I'll let them know AND wipe them out myself (making sure the field supervisor sees me doing it - maybe someday, he'll get the message). In the sitch presented, if I REALLY feel the batter isn't in the box, I'd just calmly tell them to step in. I rarely have any problems with calls for out of the box.

Nitpicking, IMHO, is NOT a survival tool.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

By rule, yes, the batter was out of the box. However, by rule, the box was wrong, and had it been right, I know for a fact that his foot would have been in the box. Not out, not on the line, but in.

No, the box is the box, don't care about the lines.

Regardless, a good umpire will take steps to head this off at the pass. If the boxes are wrong, I let the teams know before the first pitch. If they're grossly wrong, I'll let them know AND wipe them out myself (making sure the field supervisor sees me doing it - maybe someday, he'll get the message).

Why dirty your shoes? Tell the first batter that you would appreciate him wiping out the line so you will not be tempted to call him out. They will be more than happy to help you out.

In the sitch presented, if I REALLY feel the batter isn't in the box, I'd just calmly tell them to step in. I rarely have any problems with calls for out of the box.

I find this more often when a batter wants to put their toes right up against the plate. I ask them to move back and usually it is not an issue. And no, I don't measure it.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

No, the box is the box, don't care about the lines.

You know what I meant, Mr. Silly Guy. Can you show me a box that doesn't have lines? I'm talking about the square box, not the dirty-minded box.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Why dirty your shoes? Tell the first batter that you would appreciate him wiping out the line so you will not be tempted to call him out. They will be more than happy to help you out.

Quite simply because I want the field supervisor to see me do it, not the player.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

I fint this more often when a batter wants to put their toes right up against the plate. I ask them to move back and usually it is not an issue. And no, I don't measure it.

Same here.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

You know what I meant, Mr. Silly Guy. Can you show me a box that doesn't have lines?

Absolutely. Every field in the state has two of them.

[argodad]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Can you show me a box that doesn't have lines? .

There's ALWAYS a batter's box. There may not be any lines, but there's always a box.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

I don't care what level you're calling. If the lines are completely gone, they're gone. It's now umpire's judgment, and any umpire who nitpicks over an inch or two about the back line is one who is probably constantly looking for trouble.

I learned long ago that what is "an inch or two" to a parent is often 6" to a foot in reality!

[Andy]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Or is it NJCAA?

Here in AZ (where RKB and I are) the JC's play under the NCAA rule book.

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Andy

Here in AZ (where RKB and I are) the JC's play under the NCAA rule book.

All NJCAA does. I don't believe that was his point. I think he was being....how to put this politely??....an educated donkey like animal.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

All NJCAA does. I don't believe that was his point. I think he was being....how to put this politely??....an educated donkey like animal.

Yeah, that is sort of the point of the emoticon

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Yeah, that is sort of the point of the emoticon

That was what I was thinking!