When is "too late?"

[KJUmp]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

The difference between your situation and mine is that there is a rule that explicitly tells me the status of that batter, who has now instantly become a batter-runner by being awarded 1B. The rules clearly dictate what happens in this specific situation, and I'm obligated to enforce them as written.

In your case, however, there is nothing in the ASA rule book that covers a "proper" coin toss. Do you flip it with your thumb? Toss it from your hand? Who calls it?

Should there be something written in stone from ASA? No, of course not, and I don't believe there ever should be. Use good judgment out there. If they immediately correct their mistake, I'm not going to force them to stick with the first thing they said.

Besides, doing so could come back to bite us. If a runner from the visiting team overslides the base and you initially call "safe," then call the runner out on a tag, I guaran-damn-tee you the "away" coach is going to have a few words with you about sticking with the first thing you said.

As I said in an earlier reply, "For all I know I could have been 100% wrong." However I do not think for a minute that I did not "use good judgement out there." Something went askew. I had to make a decision at that moment (without having knowledge of any ASA recommended procedure or interp to guide me) using judgement that I felt would be fair to BOTH teams. I don't think you'd get any argument from coaches that a large percentage of the time being home team provides them a distinct advantage.

I think that perhaps at some point, it would not be a bad idea at all for ASA to have a paragraph somewhere in the rule book, the rules supplement, or the clinic guide, that lays out the proper procedure for a coin flip. I mean heck, they sell the darn ASA flipping coins.