Just Curious
 

I was just curious where some umpires come up with their own rules. For instance; allowing a runner to stand in foul territory and not in contact with the base for a right handed batter. I'm all for safety in the game but within the rules.

Has any else seen any silly "allowances" by "umpires".

Not in any of my games ... unless you count "ghost" runners. That's legal ... right? :D

Never heard of that one.
Don't even understand it.

I havent seen any to the extent you mentioned, but have seen some umpires that appear to make up their own rules regarding where the warm up circles can and cant be, anyone being even remotely close to the opening of the dugout and on dugouts with only a waist high fence have seen umpires tell the players they could not be at the fence.

The "safety" is big in slowpitch around here.

It's even in the league rules in two of the leagues I work. A runner on third can stand in foul territory with a right handed batter up to avoid a potential line drive down the third base line. When the ball is put in play, the runner must touch third before advancing.

In my observations, I have seen far more runners using "safety" be hit or almost hit by batted foul balls than they would have been if they just stayed on third.

Yeah, that idea only works when line drives in foul territory are banned! :rolleyes:

A runner not in contact with the base concerned about "safety"?

Wouldn't he be safer on the bench after I call him out?

It's a load of ****. Players get away with it because the umpire cannot watch everything. Then they come to Championship Play and, oops! "what do you mean I'm out?"

It's even difficult for a BU to see it from his/her position. However, put an umpire on 3rd and what else does s/he have to look at other than the runner on 3B? And there it is, "what do you mean I'm out? We do this all the time in league!"

The "but my guy hits the line" is weak. Why? Because it is YOUR guy! Got a fear of getting hit? Tell YOUR guy not to hit it there.

However, with the condition of the game with today's pretenders, I predict a proposal in the next couple of years to place a double-base at 3B expressly for the purpose of protecting the runner on 3B. Which, I might add ill provide a slight advantage to the offense.

This discussion is another reason why, in many cases, calling slow pitch is such a pain.

Which is why I haven't worked an "adult" (and I use the term loosely) slow pitch game in two years, and I don't care if I ever work another. The actual children in fast pitch are much easier to deal with.

+1000

Is the softball rule different? In BB you aren't out if hit by a batted ball over foul ground.

I did not mention a foul ball hitting him and calling him out. That rule is the same in both sports.

I would call him out because he is not on the base at the time of the pitch.

That part of the rule is not different, but beilng off the bag before the pitch is way different

I thought the discussion had morphed to one about leagues that allow the runner to be off the base for safety.