Batter awarded 1st base?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by greymule

I want to end a state tournament with this call:

Bases loaded, 2 out, 3-2 count. Bottom 7, tie game.

Batter fouls a ball off the backstop. As F2 retrieves it, F3 goes to the circle to say something to F1. From the backstop, F2 throws the ball directly to F1 in the circle, but F3 sticks out her glove and catches it.

Ball 4! Hooray! Gave over! Great call, ump!

And here I thought you were smarter than that. Steve has already addressed this.

Speaking ASA. The rule is not in effect with runners on base or when the batter becomes a BR. (6FP.7.B, 6MP.7.B, 6SP.6.B, 6SP16".6.B)

At a meeting last spring, our state UIC himself gave us (county UICs) an example of "bad judgment" (his term) that involved calling a game-ending ball 4 or illegal pitch in a state tournament. I wish I could remember exactly what it was, but I think it involved a resin bag or a replacement glove or some other technical violation that nobody in the park had ever heard of. In essence, what he was saying was, "Ignore technical violations in crucial situations. Don't end a tournament on bull****." My own thought was, "Better not to write the rule in the first place."

Well, there is a team in the other dugout that is supposed to be playing by the same rules. What about them? Does a red traffic light only apply to those who slow down when they see an amber light or everyone?

That said, an intelligent umpire will use preventive umpiring to avoid some of the dumber things that occur on the field. However, some people just aren't smart enough to know when they are being given a opportunity
to not do something stupid.

Unfortunately, there are too many coaches AND umpires who look for that "gotcha!" out. And, no, I would rather a game NOT end on a controversial call or some super double-secret rule that only umpires remember. However, it isn't the umpire who ends the game, it is one of the teams on the field.

Personally, I'd like to see the umpire given wider discretion. On things like F2 not throwing to the pitcher, my king-for-a-day rule would be simply that the catcher shall not delay the game by failing to return the ball directly to the pitcher. The book could recommend that the umpire give a warning and call a ball for future violations, something like calling a ball for stepping out of the box.

The only problem with that is the "discretion" often becomes a GAGA crutch for some umpires. And all of a sudden, a rule is never enforced by some no matter how often or ridiculous it becomes on the field. This also can turn into a disservice to the teams and other umpires when a team runs into a situation where some of the antics or previous allowances are not available without repercussion.

The umpires that understand the game know when and where certain things should be handled one way or the other and unless a serious injustice toward the opposition is the result of such discretion, it is often accepted and, that too, can be reliant upon the level or class of the game being played.