Last tournament of the summer.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I just got done posting and obstruction play that Daryl H. Long and I had in the ASA girls' fastpitch tournament that MTD, Jr., Daryl, and I were umpiring. The tournament was the last umpiring (baseball or softball) for the summer for the three of us and we a couple of amusing plays and one scary play.

The scary play first. Daryl was the BU and I was the PU in a 12U game, when the batter ground out to F5, but not before her bat broke right where the handle and barrel meet and the barrel went flying past F1's head and landing on the fly next to 2B.

Now for the fun play, which for the exception of one play, were all in games that Junior and I were working together.

1) Top half of the first inning of the first game of the tournament (12U) and I am the PU. 1B is unoccupied and B1 has two strikes on her when F1's pitch lands about two feet in front of HP. The ball bounces up and across HP. B1 swings and misses and F2 catches the pitch. R1 starts running for 1B and F2 throws the ball to F1 instead of trying to throw B1 out at 1B. The Defensive HC comes out of his dugout and wants to know why B1 is on 1B. I told him that she could advance on an uncaught third strike. He looked at me and told me that F2 did indeed catch the pitch and that it was not a "dropped third strike". I explained to him what was an uncaught third strike but he told me that I didn't know that rules and that he would bring out the rule book to show me. I told him that he really didn't want to do that because of the rule of unintended consequences, . They got mercied, 16-1.

2) Same game as (1); same inning to be exact. Same team on defense. 1B is unoccupied and B1 has two strikes on her. B1 (RHB) swings and misses for strike three. The pitch bounces off F2's chest onto HP. I did not see any contact between B1 and the ball, but the Defensive HC came out and wanted B1 called out for interference because she stepped on the ball as she started to run toward 1B. I had to explain to him that unless B1 intentionally made contact with the ball it was nothing. He didn't believe me but didn't put up much of a fight.

3) First game of the day on Sunday, a girls' 14U. Junior on the Plate. Bases load with two outs. RHB up to bat with two strikes. B6 swings and misses, F2 does not catch the ball, and B6 just stands there. F2 picks up the ball and steps toward B6 and is standing between B6 and 1B and tags her out (I know she could have stepped on HP for the third out) to end the inning. B6's HC comes out of the dugout to argue that B6 was obstructed by F2 when F2 stepped between B6 and 1B to tag B6 out. Mark, Jr., said he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

4) Back to the first day of the tournament and a game with Daryl and me and the poor put upon defensive team in (1) and (2). I am on the Plate and once again this team wins the toss just like in (1) and chooses to be the Home team; and I think that is the only thing the team on all weekend. Keep in mind that no new inning can start after 1:40. The Home team takes the field to start the game and: Takes 33 (yes you read that correctly) minutes before it gets an opponent out and the entire top half of the first inning took 47 minutes to play. They lost 27-1 in two innings when the time limit took effect. Mark, Jr., later found out that half the team was made up of ten year olds. Tough sledding for them to be playing 12U's.

Well, that's it for the summer. Good luck to all of the Big Dogs still working the Big Tournaments.

MTD, Sr.

[tcannizzo]

Same ASA State that I wrote about yesterday.
None of these is particularly funny, but you don't see it that often:

a.) Visitors are up by 15 going into bottom of 3rd. Home scores 1.
On to the 4th. Visitors are up by 12 going into bottom of 4th. Home scores 1.
On to the 5th. Vis coach is a friend and I said, "You'd better hold 8!"
Vis won by 14.

b.) Top half of 1st inning takes 21 minutes with a total of 2 runs scored.
Bot 1st takes 16 minutes. 2 runs scored. Yep, 37 minutes for 4 runs. No time outs, no delays of any kind. 90 minute time limit expired in top 3 with home team ahead. 6-4. 2 1/2 innings!

c.) Foul tip hits catcher's mitt, pops up about 10 inches and C catches it. There was only one strike on B, so no great call to make here.

Oh, and Mike:
d.) R1 on 1B. B hits ground ball to P. Ball deflects off P's glove and right to F4. The moment after F4 fielded the deflected ball, R1 makes solid contact with F4. BU calls "DEAD BALL - R1 OUT" and B safe at 1B.

I was not in the game, but my other two partners were working it.
Neither coach was happy with the ultimate ruling.
> Def coach argues that it can't be INT because F4 had already fielded the ball and therefore was not hindered fielding a touched batted ball.
> Off coach argues that there would have been a tag-throw DP and that B should be Out also. BU said that he didn't think there would have been a DP.

Now, I don't know if I saw anything that the INT was really intentional, but I would have called INT also. And I would have ruled B out also because there was an "opportunity" to make a DP.

So, my question is why do we still have "intent" with certain forms of INT?

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

1) Top half of the first game of the tournament (12U) and I am the PU....

Y'all play softball in halves and not in innings??? Must make for a short day!

[BretMan]

Originally Posted by tcannizzo

Now, I don't know if I saw anything that the INT was really intentional, but I would have called INT also. And I would have ruled B out also because there was an "opportunity" to make a DP.

So, my question is why do we still have "intent" with certain forms of INT?

Since this was a deflected ball, you can't rule interference unless you judge whatever the runner did to be intentional. Since you say it didn't appear intentional...no interference. (8-7-J(4)).

You need more than "an opportunity" for a possible double play. You need to judge that whatever the runner did was an actual part of an intentional effort to prevent a double play. Again, you said you didn't see anything intentional...(8-7-J(3) "EFFECT").

Why is "intent" still in some rules, even after it was removed from others? I think that it is because the removal of "intent" from some rules was more of an editorial change than an actual rule change, or change to how we actually umpire these calls. The removal of "intent" seemed to be a concession to those that argue "we can't be mind readers" and thus could never possibly know a player's true "intent". It got removed from a couple of the rules that come up most frequently and cause the most controversy (like "intentionally" interfering with a thrown ball) but didn't get removed from others just because those others come up less frequently and probably weren't the focus of the discussions.

It's common for people to say, "They removed "intent" from the rules a few years ago". But they actually removed "intent" from just a couple of rules. There are plenty more that mention intent that were never touched!

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.

...2) Same game as (1); same inning to be exact. Same team on defense. 1B is unoccupied and B1 has two strikes on her. B1 (RHB) swings and misses for strike three. The pitch bounces off F2's chest onto HP. I did not see any contact between B1 and the ball, but the Defensive HC came out and wanted B1 called out for interference because she stepped on the ball as she started to run toward 1B. I had to explain to him that unless B1 intentionally made contact with the ball it was nothing. He didn't believe me but didn't put up much of a fight....

Definitely in the running for my least favorite ASA rule...

ASA 8-2-F-6
The batter-runner is out... when the batter-runner interferes with...(Fast Pitch) a dropped third strike.

Since you didn't see it, it is moot, but your explanation to the coach was incorrect (but that SHOULD be the correct ruling, IMO.)

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

Y'all play softball in halves and not in innings??? Must make for a short day!

Oops! I gues I have some editing to do.

MTD, Sr.