quote:Originally posted by OA5II:
Runners on 1st and 2nd, 2 outs and batting team down by 1 run in top 6. Kid hits a ground ball down 3rd baseline and umpire yells "Fair Ball". Well the runners get to their bases, stop and turn around and start walking back to their base and batter back to batters box. Ball is thrown in to pitcher who is walking back to mound. He steps on the mound and the home ump is just staring at him with mask off. Catcher stands up and says something to umpire and yells for pitch to throw him the ball and he does and tags the batter. Ump calls him out.
Next game, same crew. Runner on 1st with 2 outs and a 2-1 count. Runner takes off to steal second and the pitch is delivered and it is a ball. 2nd baseump says ball 4 and the runner eases up. At the same time the catcher throws down and the SS tags the runner before he gets to the base. The ump then calls runner out. The kid says you just told me that was ball 4. The 2 umps discuss it and call the runner out. Coach claims he was told "kid should have known and it doesn't matter what we told him"
So glad we were playing on another field that tournament.
There have been, at times, posts questioning why umpires are trained to follow standard mechanics and don't deviate when requested by coaches and others. These are excellent, though extreme, illustrations of why umpires indeed need to follow standard mechanics.
Fair batted balls should never be verbalized and it is not the BU's job to give the count to anyone.
That said there is no remedy for the first situation and, indeed, absent a real call of FOUL, the players are expected to play on. The out stands. (Where was the base coach during all this?)
In the seoond situation, the umpire could have fixed his screw-up.
What level was this tournament? Is there a possibility these guys were beginners, or were they just untrained (self-trained) old Charlies?