Illegal Pitch

[LIUmp]

Originally Posted by Plate Man

KJ, after reading some of your posts, i think you're a complaining little.01i34=5cmk3u4.

I was just tring to figure out why the umpires are not on the same page about illegal pitches. After watching the Montogmery game today, it proves my point, both pitchers are replanting..."That was for KJ"...When we go to the state meeting this year we might want to put more emphisis on illegal pitches...

KJ you threw the first stone,,,,,,,,No reply needed by you,,,

Very professional....

[UmpireErnie]

In a first round game at the WCWS, a pitcher from USF was called for several IPs, all for leaping. ESPN had many camera angles on it, and the IPs called were pretty obvious. It was not a question of if the pivot foot was off the ground, the only question was how far off. In any event definitely IPs.

But everyone gets in an uproar over calling IPs. The logic is often "she has not been called for it all year and she is being called for it now" so obviously the umpire calling it is in the wrong, even when video clearly shows that it's not even close. That was certainly the case with the USF game in the WCWS. Jessica Mendoza went on for quite some time lamenting the fact that these IPs were being called in such an important game when they had not been called all season. Was she at all of USFs games this season? She even acknowledged that yes, the video shows it's an obvious leap even in real time. But somehow it's wrong to call it? She seemed to believe it was unfair to this pitcher to actually call the IPs because she could not fix it in the middle of the game. Except she did, every time it was called the next pitch was perfectly legal. Hmmmm...

These kinds of arguments are often used on the field and the result is some umpires are hesitant to "see" an IP because they don't want to deal with the whining. Which of course just fuels the fire when it is called.

The game is for the players and fans, not the umpires. If those who play the game want to allow leaping (as in Men's ASA fastpitch) then change the rule. Until that time, I'll call the IPs I see. I called four this weekend in our State HS tournament. Nobody said a word.

[SpringtownHawk]

Well here we go....

I was one of the four umpires that got pulled from the LCM v Montgomery 4A Regional Final Series, I worked Second Base on a 4-man crew. LCM pitcher was a re-planter and the Montgomery pitcher is a leaper, big time. In the first game of the Regional Final the Montgomery pitcher wasn't effective from the start, so she got pulled. Her replacement, while a good foot dragger, but appeared to be stepping on and bringing her hands together without simulating the taking of the signal from the catcher which was confirmed when I watched the 3rd game of the series that decided the team moving on the the State Championship, she takes the signal, steps on and in one motion brings her hands together while raising her head up to look at the catcher. To the credit of the PU on that game, she did call an illegal pitch for a quick pitch, but just one.

An earlier point someone raised, was we need to put more emphasis on calling illegal pitches at the next state/regional meeting, well, I attended the TASO State Meeting and Rules Clinics last year held in Austin and by golly, they had an entire session on calling illegal pitches and made it a point of emphasis to call the obvious illegal pitches.

All I can say is, call what you see and if you get scratched by a coach, don't get post season assignments or don't get the opportunity to work at the State Championship so be it, you've done your job. After watching what you see on an annual basis, do you really want to be associated with that system?

Last but not least, from behind 2nd base from the right-hand side of 2nd, I called an illegal pitch for stepping outside of the 24. It looked like she was stepping toward the dugout on the 1st base line. For the crew, the 3rd base umpire called the balance of the illegal pitches, all for re-planting.

I can assure you that none of the crew that got pulled from the LCM v Montgomery Series was happy, but in hindsight, the LCM coach most likely had a, "Watch what you wish for moment" .... which came back and bit her since she at least had the toe dragger. Just say'n?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by SpringtownHawk

Well here we go....

I was one of the four umpires that got pulled from the LCM v Montgomery 4A Regional Final Series,

I don't recognize your handle ... just curious - were you the one who worked the USFA tourney 2 weekends ago in Cypress? PM me if you don't want to say here.

[SpringtownHawk]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

I don't recognize your handle ... just curious - were you the one who worked the USFA tourney 2 weekends ago in Cypress? PM me if you don't want to say here.

Wasn't me at the USFA Tourn in Cypress unless you appreciated how I called Illegal Pitches..... But I have called at Dyess on ocassions for Nick.