Just one of those nights.
 

I had one of those nights today. JV DH, on bases first game, plate the second.

3rd inning of game 1, visiting team is hammering the home team. Home team pitcher steps on with the hands apart, brings the hands together, separates the hands, brings them back together, then pitches. I call her for an illegal pitch. (I had warned her earlier, but apparently she didn't understand the warning. I explain to her what is called and she really has no clue, so the coach comes out and I explain it to the coach. Finally the pitcher understands what is going on, and corrects the action, but starts something illegal on subsequent pitches (more on that later). As soon as we finally get the pitcher understanding what she is doing, the visiting coach says I want a courtesy runner for my catcher. He comes the CR, who is wearing a nose ring (which I had asked her to take out before the game when she handed me a bat to check. Now we have a warning for the nose ring, to the team. The plate ump, catcher, and batter are all laughing because everything is going on.

Finally we get back underway with the nose ring out, and the pitcher getting the first part of the motion correct, but now she brings the hands together and separates them almost instantly. I finally say I'm just not going to call it and will tell the coach, since it was a 15 run mercy at the end of that inning anyway.

The second game went ok with me at that plate except for those dreaded words from the catchers "this is my first time catching" Only one foul hit the face mask (off the catcher) and only a couple missed pitches hit unprotected areas.

It also didn't help that the game time temp for game 2 was 42 degrees with 15 Mph winds.

Final combined score. 6 innings played total, visiting team 36, home team 6 (5 of which came in the top of the third (teams switch home and away designations for the second game of a DH).

Long cold night.

As a BU, why are you calling the hands violation?? That should be your partner's call. Not yours. ESPECIALLY in a 15 run game.

Per the association meeting Sunday evening, BOTH umpires should be looking for illegal pitches, and both can call illegal pitches. I will defer to them, and the fact the association is run by college umpires with substantial high school experience as well over you telling me it is not my call. Sorry.

Of course both umpires CAN call it...the point is, why isn't your partner and why ARE you? Why, in a 15 run rule type game, are YOU looking to call this in the third inning? You mean the entire game she hadn't done it, and you or your partner hadn't discussed it up until this point? And now YOU are calling it? Seems OOO.

By the way...don't care who is running your association. (As of your previous illegal bat post, I didn't think you HAD an association). What they say is correct. Both umpires can call any illegal pitch they see. My question is why are you (the BU) calling THAT type of illegal pitch?

Seems like you're 2 for 2 with partners this year. Guess you're not working with any of those "college umpires with substantial high school experience".

You're talking a JV game that has reached a run rule and you as the BU are calling a hands violation as an illegal pitch. You yourself admitted that you didn't call this until the third inning, when mercy had basically been reached. I'm willing to bet half the girls at the JV level are in some way illegal. So, in this situation you presented, if I were your partner, I'd not be too happy with you.

If you care to know my credentials, I'm a college umpire with substantial high school experience, and my county's high school rules interpreter. So I'm not talking out of my rear here. But blow me off if you want to. If you have any doubts, I'd tell your situation to one of your "college umpires with substantial high school experience" and see what they think.

To clarify, I'm not saying to "defer to me" over your association heads. But I bet if you ask them, they'd say the same thing I am saying. This is a call that SHOULD be made by the PU. If he/she is not, I'm questioning why they saw it and chose to ignore it - and in a 15 run game, in the third inning, I'm not "looking" for this, unless it's obvious; and then I go back to asking why my partner isn't making the call. You mentioned that "you warned her earlier in the game" - that's not your job either. An IP is an IP, not a warning. You either call it or you don't. And your partner should spend less time laughing about the girl wearing jewelry and more time being on the same page with you.

I'm only trying to help you.

Leave the hands to the plate umpire. As the BU you have enough to look for.

Another reason why we shouldn't be addressing players. The pitcher doesn't know what you're talking about. The jewelry-wearing player didn't listen.

BRING IT TO THE COACH'S ATTENTION AND LET THE COACH ADDRESS IT. IT IS NOT OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO COACH PLAYERS OR ORDER THEM TO DO THINGS.

The jewelry wearing player was brought to the attention of the coach, and the coach thought she had taken it out. It was also brought up at the coaches meeting as well because she was one of the team captains.

You know, the PU cannot always see whether the pitch is in contact with the PP when she starts playing with the glove or ball and it is quite possible that what the PU thinks is happening behind the PP is actually occurring while in contact with the PP and an IP.

And, IMO, anyone who blows off an observed violation (and I'm not talking about a guess) because that "isn't my call" or the perceived assignment of areas or bases isn't doing their job.

NFHS 3-6-16 Penalty: "If minor, the umpire may warn the offender and eject if the offense is repeated."

NFHS 6-4-4 Penalty: "The umpire shall warn a pitcher who delivers a pitch with excessive speed."

NFHS 8-1-1d Effects: "Otherwise, the coach or captain of the team at bat, after being informed by the plate umpire of the obstruction..."

NFHS Case Play 1.5.3B Ruling: "The umpire shall inform the on-deck batter that she is limited to two bats..."

NFHS Case Play 1.6.1B Ruling: "The umpire shall instruct the appropriate individual to secure a legal batting helmet..."

NFHS Case Play 1.6.2B Ruling: "In (b) and (c), the umpire informs the player that she is not to remove her helmet during a live ball..."

NFHS Case Play 1.8.4A Ruling: "The umpire should inform the defensive players that they are subject to obstruction if they continue to discard their face protection..."

NFHS Case Play 3.2.12B Ruling: "The umpire will instruct B1 that she must remove the ring or she will not be permitted to play."

I could go on and on. The fact is, NFHS instructs umpires to talk to players when necessary. True, it's better to let coaches deal with infractions, but to say it's not our responsibility to order players to do things is not accurate.

I guess my advice was too concrete. I am not saying don't call it. It would just have to really jump out at me before I did. ( Things like calling a runner out for leaving early form the plate in a 2 or 3 man system)

This is a very "youth-league" point of view. High school age, we should be addressing the player.

Not our problem that they don't know what we're talking about or don't listen - although with jewelry I'd tell both player and coach.

Not at all. It's not my business to tell a 14 year old girl what to do. NFHS has this all efed up.

I'm not coaching players. I'm not telling young teenagers what to do. The coach could to it. It's the coach's damn job.

No, it is the umpires job, as specified in the rules. Yes, the coaches should be instructing the players in the proper way to do things, BUT when they violate the rules the officials should be telling them what the violation is, which is specified clearly in NFHS rules.

Jewelry requires the player and coach to be notified by rule. The player is required to remove the offending item in order to be eligible to participate and the coach shall be informed because the umpires are required to issue a warning to the team that the next player not legally equipped will be restricted to the dug out.

DITTO to both, a precedent.

How many more times do we have to say that especially in HS/MS; we should not be telling players to do anything; and over and over again, the proper jewelry statement is "s/he can't play with that" or "s/he forgot the jewelry" NOT "take it off" or "remove it"?

And yes, Manny, your cases are well stated by you, but are improperly worded and "inform the player" must be through the coach. None of them say anything about directly to the player.

Where does the book say inform the player through the coach. The book says inform the player, not inform the coach to inform the player.

Do not get in the habit of talking to the players. No good comes of it.

What's more likely to happen:

1- "oh, yeah, the umpire DID tell me already to take the nose ring out, coach."

2- "He said, it's okay...you can play with it since you can't take it out."

3- "He never told me anything about it."

You think she's going to be honest? I'd say 1 is least likely.

Just tell the coach at the pregame. If it's seen, you restrict to dugout.

C'mon folks, there is ZERO, NOTHING, NADA, that says umpires are forbidden from talking directly to a player. I challenge anybody to find specific language in a rule book or umpire manual or anywhere else that makes this a directive.

If you don't want to do it because your association tells you not to, you personally feel it's inappropriate, whatever, that's fine. I don't have a problem doing it, and will continue to do it until I see something in writing telling me I cannot.

I'm not saying I will carry on conversations with players. But what's the big deal with a subtle, "Hey batter, you need to take that baggy sweatshirt off before you bat," or, "Hey pitcher, you need to wipe your fingers when you adjust your mouthpiece"? Do you really need to call Time and go tell the coach to take care of the issues?

The two cases you posed are not like the situation where someone will be restricted to the bench. A sweatshirt? Wiping off fingers....You're not restricting here. Same idea with telling the batter to keep one foot in the batter's box. The penalties are insignificant compared to a girl not abiding by the jewelry rule.

Get the coach involved. Specifically because you ASKED him/her to verify that their team is legally and properly equipped and the response was YES. Now, you want to tell them otherwise.

You are stating that if you tell the coach at the pre-game that a player has jewelry on and then in the game you see it on you can restrict to the dug out at that time.

You are DEAD WRONG on this. When a player is illegally equipped in the game, the team shall be issued a warning.

There is a casebook play which somewhat illustrates this ruling. 3-2-12 Sit. D

The comment indicates: The jewelry rule only applies to players in the game, not on the bench.

At the time of the pre-game conference, there were no players in the game, because the game had not begun yet.

You can't penalize a player on the bench during the game if you see them with jewelry on either. They can't be penalized until they are in the game, at which time a violation has occurred.

I'm just addressing the general comments that others here allude that umpires are not allowed to talk to players. That's just not true.

We would all do well to recognize that the individuals making those comments do not play their high school games under NFHS rules or use the NFHS umpire manual as their guide. They write their own manual because no one else knows how to handle the game in their state, which is obviously diferent than any other state.

Temper your impression and/or concern about their comments (and opinions) based on that knowledge.

Fine. Does their rule set have a rule prohibiting umpires from talking to players? It would be the only one if it does, as far as I know.

:eek:You sure have a gift for saying more than you write!;)

I am one of the main posters saying talk just to coaches and inform players through coaches.
I am not involved with those writing their own manual or being different than NFHS.

My training and my received critiques for years have been not to give instructions directly to players for several reasons. This has accumulated over the years (28), so I can't cite specific sources, but there have been several. Reasons have been coach's objections, avoiding favoritism, avoiding liability, distracting players, etc.

Yes, I know the manual and the cases might imply direct communication; but don't specifically say so and I believe can be interpreted as via coaches, if that is the association or umpire policy.

FWIW, I wasn't referencing you. IMO, you stated a personal preference on how to manage your game; others stated NFHS written policy is just wrong.

I did not say that Steve. I'm in the state that is not NFHS, but I PERSONALLY avoid having communications with the players on certain situations.

But I never said NFHS is wrong. Not once.

You said "He(re) comes the CR, who is wearing a nose ring (which I had asked her to take out before the game when she handed me a bat to check."

Why ask her, under your argument to me, to take it out if she's not playing? :rolleyes:

No I wouldn't restrict - I'd follow the rule, which is to warn. But I'd handle the whole thing differently - starting with not relaying any messages through the players themselves.

Let me clarify. You call the coaches and captains out - the captain of the team comes out wearing studded earrings and a nose ring. You ask the coaches if their team is legally and properly equipped and if all equipment is safe and legal. You then remind coaches and captains that there is to be absolutely no jewelry in the game under Fed rules, like the captain #25 is currently wearing. :eek: "Right coach?????????????" (As I look at the nose ring)

If they are listed on the starting lineup, they should be ready to play, and come to the pre game meeting prepared to play - with no jewelry. If they are a sub, they should be prepared to come on the field (They need to be "legally and properly equipped"). They're not required to take out the jewelry if they're sitting on the bench, but they should be ready to play if called upon. If that means take out the jewelry, then do it. They know this rule. It's in EVERY Fed game they play.

You yourself made note that "The jewelry wearing player was brought to the attention of the coach, and the coach thought she had taken it out. It was also brought up at the coaches meeting as well because she was one of the team captains." (She's a captain. She SHOULD know better.) So how many "reminders" do they need here??? Did you not already say something 2 times about the same player? I know it's not a formal warning yet though, but really coach???????

Here's the issue. You saw this girl with the nose ring before the game 2 times. You told her 2 times. You told the coach. She comes out on the field ready to play with it in. How many times do you need to say it before these players do it?

If we tell just the coach, instead of worrying about telling the player, we then can impose penalties that are necessitated by the rules rather than having to have the "reminder" carousel go on as much as it did.

It's just my opinion, but when I saw the nose ring prior to the game, I would have told the coach that #25 had a nose ring that MUST come out if she's playing. At the pregame, I then would have asked the coach to verify that his players were legally and properly equipped, and when I saw the nose ring again at pregame, I would have told the coach AGAIN, this time more sternly - reminding them of the penalties for jewelry wearing during the game. And I'm pretty certain that #25 would NOT have come on the field with the nose ring in her nose in the third inning, since I didn't tell the reminder twice over to some 14 year old child. I talked to the responsible adult who can be held liable for the team's actions or inactions.


Just my feeling on it. But I could be wrong. It won't be the first time and it won't be the last.

Sorry, Manny, but I'm not telling a 15 year old girl to take off an article of clothing. We're scared to walk into a dugout to check a bat but have no problem telling a player to take her shirt off :confused::confused::confused:

If an umpire suspects that a player is covering up jewelry (e.g., placing tape over earrings), the following procedure must be followed:
• In the presence of the head coach, ask the player if she covered up jewelry.
• If the player states that she does have jewelry on, she must remove it before she is eligible to play.
• If the player states that she does not have jewelry on, accept her statement as truthful.
• If you later discovered during the game that the player was wearing jewelry, the player and head coach will be subject to penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Knowingly violating a safety rule and deliberately attempting to cover it up is unsportsmanlike. It poses a risk to both that player and others.

Whatever happens prior to the game is exactly that, prior to the game. There is no penalty that can be assessed for having jewelry on prior to the game, even at the plate conference. The only time anything can be done is once the game has started. Everything done prior to the game started is PREVENTATIVE UMPIRING, as in trying to prevent the action from happening.

And how successful were you?

I know you can't impose penalties in NFHS at that point. I'm just saying that your partner, the plate umpire (who would rather laugh than manage this game) and you could have done more to be "preventative". And it starts with talking to the coach and not the player. Or at the very LEAST, talk to the player in the presence of the head coach.

Just MHO.