Illegal pitch video.
 

I would be interested in feedback on this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNKG4B0GS94

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Rita

What kind of feed back are you looking for? Its a bunch of illegal pitchers, none apparently being called.

Wow, I'm a baseball guy but I think if I had just read one of the SB rule books or maybe attended a training session I might have gotten a few of these. But in baseball or softball if you are using guys or gals that have bought their blue shirts at Academy or Dicks it is what it is.

A couple of those are illegal even before the delivery starts- no separation of the hands while taking the signal.

Whoever spent all that time putting this video together obviously had some sort of agenda. I doubt if his agenda was to flog the coaches that teach their pitchers to pitch this way.

It's not illegal pitchers. Just pitchers throwing illegal pitches. :D

Seriously though, 2 and 3 and the last one are getting called every time. Are you saying you'd get all the rest of them? Every time? On a real field without a camera zoomed in and a hole to indicate that dragging must just be approximated those are not getting my left arm out. I just can't be sure and she probably leaped is not enough to get a call from me. The girl who in slow motion gets an inch off the ground and then starts dragging about 4 inches from the plate I can't imagine anybody is calling that.

Maybe I'm too conservative with my IP call, but I've never had anybody observing my game ask me why I didn't pick one up. (Could just be they have more important stuff to fix. ;-) )

Oh. I thought it was an illegal video about pitches.

This. The rest aren't getting called illegal on the field in realtime in any game I'm working, unless my partner is calling them. We don't work under the yoke of freeze-frame reviews. By the letter of the rule, yes, all of these may have been illegal pitches; by the intent, no.

That said, I long for the day when coaches teach legal pitching mechanics. It's getting better, but asking for 100% is asking for all of them to know the rules. Good luck on that.

See it, call it.

With that said, umpires cannot be so distracted by taking measurements with their micrometers that they miss what everyone else sees.

Again: this. I don't always agree with your posts, EsqUmp, but your micrometer comment made me laugh.

My IP Philosophy (rightly or wrongly): If it's blatant, call it. If it's obvious, call it. If it's a rules violation, bang 'em. If it's a Point of Emphasis that year in a league you work, go get it. But if you have to stare at it and think "is she off?" "is he getting an advantage?", leave it alone.

Anything IP related that is a mystery and distracts you from the rest of your game, let it go.

I can see the no call if you have to question "is she off". that shows you're not sure whether there was a violation. But the question of "is he/she getting an advantage" is not a valid consideration. That shows you're sure there was a violation and not sure of whether an advantage was gained. That thought is not relevant. When you are sure of the illegal pitch, call it.

For others reading, "intent" is irrelevant to the question of a violation or application of the rule.

The leap call best to be called by base umpire...if you think it is illegal call it...call it early in the game do not wait. The call most likely will fix it for the rest of the game.

When you have to slo-mo and freeze frame a video to see the illegal pitch, I am probably not going to call it in real time.

I'm in agreement with what has been posted to this point...there are only about two of those that I saw watching the real-time part of the video.

Even the last one...I can't tell where the Pitcher's Plate is in the video, so I don't know if she lands outside the 24 inch width.

It's probably a video made by a disgruntled coach, fan, dad, etc. that is DEMANDING that all of the illegal pitches be called....on the other teams pitchers!

Corrected that for you :)

Do any of you think this might be a good training video for umpires?