House rules—and a coach decoy

greymule · #1 (**permalink**) Tue Jul 08, 2003, 01:59pm

On Sunday, I umpired a double-header for a men's modified pitch league I had never done before. Before the game, I asked if they had any special rules. They did:

1. Only a runner on 3B can tag up and advance on a fly ball. Other runners cannot advance on a caught fly of any kind. Even if they do tag up "properly," if they leave the base they can be put out on appeal. After a caught fly with runners on 2B and 1B, the outfielder can throw the ball into the stands but still no one can advance.

2. Runners can leave on the release, but it's a "force" out if after the pitch the catcher throws to the base and the runner is not back.

3. Runners get one base if an infielder throws the ball away, two bases if an outfielder throws the ball away. (How this would work exactly, I don't know, but it didn't come up.)

4. As long as the pitcher doesn't windmill, he can apparently do anything except throw sidearm (and some of them threw with FP speed).

Also had my very first instance of a coach running in what appeared to be an attempt to draw a throw. Runners on 3B and 2B, 1 out, ground ball to F4, who threw to 1B for the second out. Runner on 3B scored, runner on 2B went to 3B and stopped. Then the 3B coach ran home and touched the plate, drawing the attention of the defense. But since the runner on 3B didn't move (no possible play on him) and since there was no actual throw, I let it go with a warning. Looked through the book later to see whether there was any way I could have called an out, but I don't think there was. Too bad.

Dakota · #2 (**permalink**) Tue Jul 08, 2003, 02:39pm

Sounds like a Lewis Carroll version of the 10U rules! Weird, very weird!

MichaelVA2000 · #3 (**permalink**) Tue Jul 08, 2003, 03:14pm

Sounds like a poker game with jokers and wild cards.

Michael

whiskers_ump · #4 (**permalink**) Tue Jul 08, 2003, 04:23pm

Just your normal USFA rules....

glen

whiskers_ump · #5 (**permalink**) Tue Jul 08, 2003, 04:24pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Dakota
Sounds like a Lewis Carroll version of the 10U rules! Weird, very weird!

Cool
Where you get the cat Tom?

glen

Dakota · #6 (**permalink**) Wed Jul 09, 2003, 12:41am

Quote:

Originally posted by whiskers_ump
Cool
Where you get the cat Tom?

glen

From a Disney clip art link on a Lewis Carroll web site. It's a personal web site for someone (it appears), so we may overload it with the image link.

We'll see... if it craps out after awhile, I'll edit my message & delete the link (& you should do the same from your quote) to avoid bandwidth issues with the web site owner.