Dead ball appeal what if
 

I have not seen this play, and this is just something I thought of.

The situation is as follows:

Team H is the up 6-0 in the bottom of the 5th inning during a game using the 10 after 5 mercy rule. Bases loaded with 2 outs. The batter hits an over the fence home run and all runners come around to score. As soon as the batter-runner touches home plate the plate umpire is off the field and through the dug out (only way off the field). As the BU is leaving the field, but has not yet left the field, the right fielder (still on the field of play) yells to the base umpire, the batter missed first base. (This is something witnessed by the base umpire)

Is this appeal accepted, since the base umpire and at least one fielder are still in the field of play? Or is this denied because the plate umpire is already gone.

If you except the appeal, and rule the batter-runner out, thus negating all 4 runs, and thus the end of the game, how do you explain this to a partner that is already half way to his car.

I have never had this happen, but I did have a mercy not end because the runner that scored run to give the team a 10 run lead missed home plate, which was properly appealed. I was the BU and had come in towards the plate thinking the game was over when the coach appealed successfully the missed base.

The partner is an idiot and wouldn't be a partner again.

But please provide a citation allowing an OF to make an appeal.

Unlike ASA, NFHS allows appeals by any defensive player.

I'm glad this is fiction. Or, a toilet was in that direction. :rolleyes:

But, I agree with the above respondents.

So many of your hypotheticals include umpires that would never work again in my area.... Umpires in Realworldia leave together. This possible appeal is only one of the many reasons for that.

To answer your question, the UMPIRES have not left the field. Appeal legal in NFHS, an appeal by someone else is still available in ASA.

Idiot was not the first word that came to my mind....

Feel free to improvise, edit, suggest alternative nouns or adjectives :)

Sadly, there are a lot of umpires/officials in my area that should not be working any level, let alone high school softball.

The problem is Michigan's PATHETIC training of umpires.

Here are the requirements to become an official in Michigan:

1) Send in Registration form and money to the MHSAA.

2) The MHSAA will send you a test covering the MHSAA policies and procedures, which is open book and must be passed at 80%.

3) If you do football or basketball you will also be sent a sport specific test for those sports which is also open book and must be passed at 80%.

If you are not registered for football or basketball, you are never tested on rules knowledge by the MHSAA for a particular sport.

4) You are sent your officials ID numbers, rulebooks and patches.

You are now an official.

The MHSAA does encourage officials to join an approved association, and some assignors will not assign umpires that are not members of an approved organization. With that said, even Member In Good Standing (MIGS) is a bit of a joke in some associations. The association I am in has had 3 meetings so far. We have 4 total for the season. We are required to attend half of them to be considered for MIGS. The softball association meetings have had 6, 5, and people in attendance so far this year. There are a lot of umpires who will sit at these meetings (other associations have more membership), and not even pay attention, but they meet the criteria to be assigned by the assignors.

We do have some umpires that are very good, but we also have some that make me look like I should be working the state finals, and I know I am far from that.


Basically, officials training in Michigan is left up to the umpire/official and only them, with little help from the MHSAA.