Run Ahead Rule
 

This cracked me up and I had to share.

ASA
Youth 18U Fast Pitch
Championship (if game) for Division Tournament

During pre game, we make sure to go over the mercy run rule. Both coaches repeat it back.

I am working the plate and at the bottom of the 6th the home team goes up 8-0. There is one out. All play is over. Time is called. I look to both benches as my partner is coming off the field and let everyone know to line it up. Home team fully understands.

As I am walking off the field the away coach is saying wait a second. I asked what was needed. She said we got the run rule wrong. I was confused and asked how that was. Is the score incorrect? Nope, she said we continue to play the entire game because the run rule only says after 5 innings and 8 runs ahead the game is over and because we are in the 6th, we play the rest of the game.

Did I say 18U Championship game? I let her know we are after 5 innings and the rule is met. She decided against filing a protest. Put another one in the book for a good chuckle.

Hope y'all are having a good season.

No, no no! You should have insisted the coach file the protest.;)

Or maybe someone needs to explain the definition of "after" to her :D

Sounds like the Men's FP tournament game I was doing last year...

Run rule of 10 ahead after 4, 8 ahead after 5.

Top of the 5th inning, visiting team scores a 3 run homer to go ahead by 11 runs and starts to come out of the dugout to shake hands with the other team. I ask what they are doing...they reply that they are ahead by 11 runs and it's after the 4th inning, so game over...right?

I calmly explain that we do have to complete the inning and the home team does get their turn at bat....

Thats funny...the ONE thing the idiots around here understand are the run rules...

I do hate though, when the various leagues decide the ASA book rule is somehow flawed - we have ModFP leagues that have 12...13...even freaking 15 run mercy rules...makes u want to tear your hair out....

The better one I've experienced was in a Men's SP game with a simple 10 after 5 run rule. Team A is winning 6 - 1. In the bottom of the 6th, Team B hits a 3 run homer to make it 6 - 4. Team B comes out and high-5's the home run hitter, then both teams start giving each other high-5's. I'm standing there wondering WTF, so I ask the coach of Team A what's going on?

"It's a 10-run rule, Blue. 6 plus 4 is 10, so we win."

Amazed, I just walked away and waited for the second game of the double header. Unfortunately, that game went the full 7 - the score was something like 3 - 4.

Thank God it wasn't a grand slam as that would be eleven and you would probably have to play the entire seven. This isn't a casino employee's league, is it?:rolleyes:

In any tournament I am UIC in I try to get the host to give the umpires the Protest fee if the team loses the protest. The team is usually or tacitly, questioning the umpire, not actually the rule.

This was the rule in a tourney I worked years ago when a protest on my field was not allowed. When I got back to the umpires room, everyone was talking about me buying the beer. I had no idea what they were talking about, but when the UIC gave me my half of the $500 cash protest fee I started to figure it out. The only problem was that I was 19 years old at the time, someone else had to go and buy the beer for me:D.

Don't believe in "protest fees". This process is part of the game.

Maybe not in tourneys, but definitely in league play. Too many idiots out there believe that by filing a "protest," they're filing a complaint against the umpire. They just don't understand the process.

I had one "coach" attempt to protest my ejection of her husband. I had tossed him for USC (in the league's playoff finals), and she wanted to protest my judgment that his actions were unsportsmanlike. Basically, she just didn't like me (oh no!), and she just wanted to be a b1tch.

I told her to get back into the dugout and come back to me when she had something real to protest. :rolleyes:

In a perfect world, I agree with you.
On the other hand, in travel ball tournments (where I see protest fees), I see a funtion being served.
Believe it or not, I have run across more than one coach who would protest things rules with out any backing.
The fee is kind of a "put your money where you mouth is" and helps prevent wasting time (which seems to be the an issue with tournaments)
I've seen a wide range a fees charged - I would prefer the charge not to be ridiculous - but enough to make the coach think....

Okay, but so what? Let them go and complain however they please. Cannot file a protest if you will not accept it prior to continuing play.

Coach: Hey, are you the UIC?
UIC: Yes, sir. How can I help you?
Coach: I want to file a protest.
UIC: What game on what field?
Coach: We finished on Field #3 ten minutes ago.
UIC: You will have to file an eligibilty protest with the TD.
Coach: No, I want to file a protest against that umpire.
UIC: Did you announce your intentions at the time of the call?
Coach: Sure did!
UIC: How did the umpire respond?
Coach: He told me I couldn't protest because it did not involve the interpretation of a rule.
UIC: Well, that is true other than a player eligibility issue.
Coach: But he sucked! He threw out my player and coach.
UIC: Have a good day!:D

Well, if we're talking league play and they have a complaint against me, I say, "fine, go right ahead. There's the field supervisor. I won't stop you." The coach usually responds, "oh, I will," but they never do.

Shaddup, coach. ;)

If a coach has a legitimate beef with one of my rule interpretations, I more than welcome a protest. It's their right, and it's possible that I may have pooched a rule. It happens. But if a coach thinks they're going to waste my time, the scorekeeper's time and my UIC's time because they just don't like me or how I call my games, they've got another thing coming.

Had a pretty good protest this weekend...

Before pregame Coach refuses to play because the pitchers dig a hole in the circle and he wanted the fields fixed so the pitchers couldnt dig a hole, before he would allow his team to play.

I know the TD fairly well and I was pretty sure how this protest was going to go, so I confirmed he wanted me to go get the TD to protest the field before start of play.

So I track down the TD and thus commenced a pretty one sided protest .. which consisted of the TD walking on the field and asking him in no uncertain terms if he was forfeiting "no I'm not forfeiting"
"Well its my understanding you are refusing to play so thats a forfeit"
stammer stammer..
So after a little berating, the TD has the ground crew push some dirt around and stomp around the pitchers plate, and he tells the coach to get the pregame done right now then to get his team on the field or he was done 7-0. He doesnt have his line up done so hes all dicked up fumbling around and rushing, I do my part in helping rush him.. and of course, since it was very hot, I was nice enough to make sure during the pregame that he really wanted to play and not forfeit - which unfortunately he had a change of heart so we played...

Had a manager try to protest a run-rule on me once, during a slow-pitch tournament. I called the game on the 15-run rule (this was before USSSA went to flip-flop) after his team gave up the runs that caused it (home team won it). Conversation went like this:

Manager: You have to give us an opportunity to make up the difference so we can play more.
Me: No, home team just made it a 15-run differential, therefore game is over.
Manager: You're a load of s**t, you're wrong! (at this point, I'm walking off the field as he's yapping in my ear)
Me: I'm heading over to the TD to report the score. You're more than welcome to talk to him about your concern.
Manager: CONCERN???? It's a f**king PROTEST!

By this point, we arrived at the picnic table that was serving as the TD's base during the tournament, and I reported the score. The manager starts yelling at the TD and the UIC that I was wrong for stopping the game when I did. Somewhere in that rant was the accusation that another umpire didn't stop the game when they had a 15-run lead and they ended up losing the game. After the manager rants for about 2 or 3 minutes, the TD and UIC looked at me and asked what I had. I said, home team took a 15-run lead in the bottom of the 3rd, game over. The TD and UIC asked the manager for his scorebook.

After about 5 minutes of reviewing, they had determined: 1) I was right in my game; and 2) the other umpire was right in his game. The situation was reversed in that game because the whining manager's team was actually the visiting team and the home team had yet to bat in the bottom of the 3rd. The TD sternly told the manager another load of crap like this would cause the manager to be watching the tournament from some other location than the complex itself. Kid didn't have another peep the rest of the tournament.

Right here! This is the point where you should have ejected the manager. And I don't care the game was complete, you need to document this behavior and are not doing anyone any favors by not doing so.