The bat becomes part of the field when it is discarded and we do not pick them up.

Ok, and how about this play I had completely forgotten about until today. A game my daughter played in years ago, opposite side of the coin.

Runners on 1 & 2, slower runner on 2nd. Batter drives the ball over F7's head and base runners are on the move. F7 gets the ball at the fence just as lead runner is touching 3rd base with trailing runner almost on her heals. Plate umpire decides to clear the bat laying on the 3rd base line and bends over to pick it up. At same moment, pitcher for whatever reason runs across the 3rd base line colliding with the lead runner, knocking her flat on her butt and causing the trailing runner to pass her on the base path. Base umpire has seen nothing as he had the batter runner going into 2nd base. Plate umpire saw nothing because he was too busy clearing the bat and looked up just in time to see the lead runner laying on the ground with trialing runner passing her. Of course he can only call what he witnessed, which was to call the trailing runner out for passing another runner, and then the tag out of the lead runner still laying flat on her back.

Now tell me how you explain to the offensive coach how you completely blew the call and not only screwed him out of 2 runs but also called 2 outs on him? All because instead of watching the play like you are suppose to, you decided to "clear the bat for the safety of the players".

Leave the bat alone which by the rules becomes a part of the field once it is out of the batters hands and do your job by watching the ball and action on the field.

What I tell the MILF is nothing. Maybe you like to talk with fans during the game. Maybe that's ok in your area. I don't have anything to do with fans while on the field. As for what I tell the players & coaches - OUT.
By rule, that discarded bat is a part of the field. If the offensive coach wants it moved, there's an on-deck batter to handle that - without interfering) If the defensive coach wants it moved, the catcher can do that. Seems to me that Esq (& his other made up pseudonyms wants a rule change) - OK - submit the change suggestion to the proper folks. Until then - follow the rules that exist - without homegrown mechanics or interpretations.

I don't tell the MILF anything because talking to her is just as wrong as altering the playing field.

Yeah, you would say "wow" because you would be watching an umpire do his job. You might want to take notes.

I'd tell her to talk with her daughter's coach and walk away.

If you are more concerned about what you would say to a spectator than you are about properly calling a game, perhaps it is you who should re-consider your calling to the job of officiating.

There are just too many things that could occur while the umpire is moving a bat. First off, as has been stated, once the bat is discarded/dropped, it becomes part of the playing field. If the umpire moves the bat, the umpire has then altered the playing field, and unless this can be done consistently and repeatedly, without causing any difference to the game it should be avoided. If you move the bat for one team, you must move the bat for every team. And at some point in time, you will find yourself in a situation that requires you to devote your mind, eyes, ears and body to the play before you, and not be concernced whatsoever about a bat.

Officiating requires consistency in all situations and circumstances. This consistency includes application of rules and mechanics. If you cannot provide that consistency you should find another line of work.

WOW. This tells me everything I need to know about you.

Officiate the game - don't invent crap to appease people you shouldn't be paying attention to in the first place.

In other words, you didn't really want to read all of the tripe in this thread, correct?! :D

xtreeamump
 

First, Officiating to me is not work. It is a privlage, I have been taught to Officiate in a way when the game is over I have a sence of self worth. Only being on this Forum for 10 days now I can see that there are 2 bullies on here that I really want to Umpire a game with. I love the game, & the kids. When you lose touch with reality you become hard to deal with behind a Handle on a forum.

What does this even mean? It's a throw away comment and I infer it to mean you want to take some kind of moral high ground by using it.

I can't tell if he's trying to say he uses officiating as a self-esteem exercise, or if he's implying that the rest of us (who are performing as per instructions from thousands of different instructors, clinics, books, etc) should label our performance as worthless.

I'm also puzzled by the idea that 7 pages worth of responses telling him he's wrong somehow equals the more vociferous of us being labelled as bullies. (And wondering if I'm one of the two! :) )

You're always a bully, mb. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X8evilzsW0

Did anybody else catch the irony in this statement.....

Well bullying is wrong. Haven't you seen the latest anti-bullying campaigns?

(borderline) interesting reading ...

my take is ... if an ump wants to clear the bat and can do so and not miss anything else - so what? I've always been taught not to touch equipment and thats what I'll continue to do ... but if my partner in a game clears a bat I dont give a crap as long as he's doing everything else he should be doing. :cool:

Not that I have a horse in this fight but he actually didn't call you that. What he wrote is not what you read.

And that's enough beating a dead dog...or something like that.

[feed troll]
So what about the discarded catcher's mask?
Now the PU is carrying a mask in left hand, plus a bat and a helmet in right hand.
Hope you don't end up with a sell-safe call at the plate. :eek:
[/feed troll]

Probably has a mask hook on his belt. :rolleyes:

Well there's the solution!!!!!!
If you are going to wear one hook on your belt, why not three?

http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/2x..._CBR001863.jpg

And just who is gonna fill that hole in the batters box that the poor runner must navigate through? Guess I'll bring my own rake.

I see the red jacket.

Must be a u-trip thing!

What I want to know is what does the YSISF umpire manual say?

I heard that it calls for the BU to sever the hand of the PU if he touches any players' equipment.

Forgot about the YSISF... :D

What if: when you are clearing the bat, you see it is an illegal bat?
:):D:)

Used by an ineligible player reported on the line up card :D

:D Are you trying to cloud the issue? :p

I don't have eyes on my feet. ;) :D