illegal pitch (confession: good for the soul?)

[argodad]

Little Jimmy,

You are right. She was illegal. I probably would have called it early. But the point I'd like to emphasize is that the umpires that called her regular season games could have done everyone a huge favor by enforcing the rules correctly during the season. She would have corrected her problem, and you wouldn't be beating yourself up.

[MD Longhorn]

I think that after all this beating about ... we can agree this was HTBT. What I envisioned on the initial post sounded like nothing - but to others it sounded like something and it all comes down to how we are interpreting your words... I suspect that had we all SEEN the same thing, we'd be more consistent in our opinions regarding whether it was IP or not.

But to your original point - you felt that this was "too big a game" to make such a call. I think it's important that you get that idea out of your head. And reverse it. If it's a big game, it's either equally important or if anything MORE important to call everything correctly, certainly not less. Your mindset going into a game needs to be the reverse of what it sounds like it was.

[KJUmp]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

I think that after all this beating about ... we can agree this was HTBT. What I envisioned on the initial post sounded like nothing - but to others it sounded like something and it all comes down to how we are interpreting your words... I suspect that had we all SEEN the same thing, we'd be more consistent in our opinions regarding whether it was IP or not.

But to your original point - you felt that this was "too big a game" to make such a call. I think it's important that you get that idea out of your head. And reverse it. If it's a big game, it's either equally important or if anything MORE important to call everything correctly, certainly not less. Your mindset going into a game needs to be the reverse of what it sounds like it was.

Jimmy:
Taking mb's reply from a different angle....
You chose to pass on the IP for the reason you stated.
But what would you have done if the other team's HC started complaining that "she's illegal"? Do you now say to yourself..."He's right, it's an IP. I know it's an IP because I saw it myself before he ever complained. I better start calling it???"
See the corner you've boxed yourself into?

Is this something that could have been handled by saying something to her coach about it between innings; then calling the IP the next time you saw her not having her hands seperated? Perhaps. But as many have stated, it's a HTBT sitch.
The sitch aside, you've started a good thread here....many thought provoking replies, opinions, and points of view on something that we all have had to deal with at some point.

[Rachel]

Any time an umpire doesn't call the IP it just sets up the next one for the grief they will take when they do. The best way to make them throw legal is to call the IP and then call it again until they fix it. That is an illegal pitch.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by argodad

Little Jimmy,

You are right. She was illegal. I probably would have called it early. But the point I'd like to emphasize is that the umpires that called her regular season games could have done everyone a huge favor by enforcing the rules correctly during the season. She would have corrected her problem, and you wouldn't be beating yourself up.

Besides, we forgive you.

[Little Jimmy]

Besides, we forgive you.

Thank you, father.