No second base - sort of
 

Worked 2 adult SP games last night. Get to the field and check the field my schedule says I'm on. I see two teams on the other field and only 1 on my field. After checking with the site supervisor he tells me to work field 2, not field 1 which is my scheduled field. There is no game on field 1 (which is different than both our schedules say).

No big deal. I do a quick glance at field 2 and everything right. Just as we are ready to start, I see the manager of one team walking up with the peg and base for a base. Somehow, when the contractor the city uses to set the field did their job, they never put in the peg and base for second base. We had to check all of the bases to see if they were properly set and fix improperly set base, which delayed the start. I have never been to a field where the crew that sets up the field failed to put the base in. If the coach had not noticed the peg and base in the dugout, we could have had a problem because the first play of the game was a player sliding into second base for a double.

On a side note, the teams played a DH. First game goes 19-4 in 4 innings (15 after 4 mercy rule in league play). I'm thinking its going to be a quick night. Second game goes 10 innings with a 7-6 final. It was tied at 3 though 9, the visiting team scores 3 in the top of 10, then the home team is down to their last strike with nobody, gets a bloop single, throwing error on a grounder, and another bloop single to load the bases. The batter hits a line shot to the RF corner which scores two runs. The tying runner comes home as the throw does and the throw hits the runner. The pitcher (covering the plate) grabs the ball and dives back just a split second too late to get the batter-runner who scores the game winning run with a nice head first slide into home. I have never had a game like this, 10 innings, all within the hour and 15 minute time limit, end on an inside the park, walk off grand slam.

The best part, I got to go home and watch Davis hit a walk off Grand Slam for the Tigers in their win over Oakland.

How do you show up at the field to umpire a game, regardless if it's SP or FP, and not notice that a base is missing? Checking field conditions is one of the first responsibilities for an umpire when he/she gets to the park.

It wasn't the base itself, it was the peg and base that holds the base in place. The actual base was sitting in the general area of where second base would be, so nobody thought anything of the situation. It wasn't the base itself, put the peg and base (that the base actually sits on) that were missing.

Also, please note the part about I did check the field I was supposed to be on. I got switched at the last minute before the game so I did not have time to go out and kick the bases like I normally do to make sure they are secured in place.

I see what you are saying now. With that said, I've never kicked bases to make sure they were in place. Seems like an odd practice. I've also never tried to lift up home plate to see whether it moved.

Regarding the check itself though, switching fields doesn't mean we can neglect a responsibility. I've seen umpires walk onto a field and check equipment only to realize they are on the wrong field. That doesn't mean they don't check the equipment when they walk onto the correct field. You just can't have that.

Um..... here's the issue, right here. Everything not right.

I'm betting you make time the next time you are moved. Lesson learned, right?

If you're on a field like the one chap was, you get into this "odd practice" as a habit. I always check the bases - my field is like his. There might be three things I ALWAYS do - this is one (checking the bottom of the fence all the way around and looking for gates that could be issues are the others).

Our plates are permanent, so you're right about never checking that.

I had another odd one tonight, also involving second base (different league and city). Runner slides into second base, and second base, which I know was secured because I had checked it before the game (and moved dirt to level it) goes flying. I look down and peg is still in the ground. This wasn't the breakaway 16 peg base like the other city uses. The player's slide was so hard that he actually lifted the peg off the base and caused the base to launch into the air. Thankfully I realized what had happened and we quickly fixed the base.

I don't know what the issue with bases and my games are. I had to pull the double first base out of play Tuesday at the same park (different field) that I was at Monday with the 2nd base issue). The orange base was not staying on the 16 pegs it was supposed to hook on to. We had several players slip and fall or nearly fall. I asked the site supervisor to try fixing it, and he can't so he said pull the base out of play and cover the support base and peg with dirt to prevent it from being a tripping hazard.

I don't either! ;)

No problem there. Bases are knocked off by sliding players very often. And there are rules that cover those situations. No big deal.

Oh, you meant the anchor where the peg goes into. I was confused by your references to a base.

Actually it could have been a big deal. Had a player slide in and kicked the base out of position, he/she could have cut their leg on the metal anchor the baseplate and peg are supposed to go into.

Well, the metal anchor is supposed to be buried below the level of the field. It shouldn't be sticking up out of the ground. I've seen those pegged base systems all over the place before leagues started using the ones with the rubber nipples, and I never saw the square shaft that the peg fits into protruding from the ground.

You are correct, they should all be buried, but lets not forget this was a situation where second base should have been properly put in place and wasn't. In reality, it wasn't really sticking up above ground level, but the ground around the peg was pretty soft and could have been moved by a forceful slide into the base. Still not a situation I want to deal with on a field.

I think I do. In math it's called the common denominator.

I'll give ya a guess. :D

How would you like to go to a "field" and there are no bases? Working a game in a men's fast pitch league in the sticks, the field we were to play on had no bases. A couple of the farmer/players got some burlap sacks and filled them with straw for bases. Took a floor mat out of a truck for home plate and it was play ball. Fun times indeed.