quote:Originally posted by dash_riprock:
You are correct - the Umpire In Chief (in FED, the plate umpire regardless of seniority) has jurisdiction over rules matters. If there is disagreement over the application of a rule, the UIC resolves it.
That said, you still can't undo a foul call except on a HR (or in T-ball). See FED 10-1-4. Your partner called it foul prematurely. Once he did that, the ball is dead and the play is over. It doesn't matter that the ball hit the base. If this were a HS game, a protest would be upheld. You can't just say the ball should have been called fair and award bases.
In your situation, don't you think it would have been easier to just let the kid hit the ball again and save the discussion with your partner for the parking lot? You called time (BTW, time was already out), and had a discussion with your partner, probably in the middle of the field with everyone watching, and reversed his call. How do you think that made him feel?
No, I don't think you did the right thing. The right thing would have been to let it go and explain the rule to your partner after the game. And if a coach comes out to question the call, let your partner handle it because it was his call. And if your partner needs help, step in and tell the coach the call is foul, it can't be changed, the kid is still at bat, and now we're going to play baseball. If the coach still has a problem, throw his a$$ out of the game.
Look, I know the protocol; we're talking about a 6 year old kid that may have had a hit taken away because of an umpire that didn't know this basic rule. I don't care how they do it in the Majors, AAA, NCAA or HS; I'm not going to screw a kid out of a hit to save face. With all due respect, I didn't call time; he did when we called the ball foul.
As far as me being worried about how the grown man behind the plate felt compared to how I would have felt had the kid been screwed our of a hit, duh, let me think.
Something that has always bothered me about the "umpire fraternity" is their willingness to cover their partner’s *** even if they know the guy's dead wrong. To me it's less of an assault on the integrity of the game and the officials, to admit a mistake and correct it when possible, than to let it go, to save face, then discuss it after the game, when it's after the fact and the damage has already been done. At this level my first concern is that the kids have a good time, my second is that we as umpires do a good job, and if that means I have to admit I made a mistake I'm going to do it, swollow my pride and do the right thing. I'm not too big to admit I blew a call, and if it's a rules issue, and I can correct it, I'm going to. I would be more likely to toss a coach who insisted that I screw a kid out of a hit when he knew darn good and well it was the wrong call, than a coach, who was fighting for his kid because of an umpire blowing a call because he didn't know the rule, but that's just me.
I appreciate the input, and I guess on this one, at this level, we can just agree to disagree.