Turned out as planned!

Pick a mechanic and work on it. Try working without a counter to change your focus.

I know how you could get refocused.

Depending on what 3 intential K's looked like?

I'll admit this is more from the player and coach in me, but keep it baseball. They got 12 outs already, they can get 3 more.

4.15 A game may be forfeited to the opposing team when a team—

(b) Employs tactics palpably designed to delay or shorten the game;

I had one tonight. 19-0. Worse yet, a no hitter.

It might sound strange, but I kept my focus by making absolutely sure that I didn't change anything about how I work a game.

Before each pitch, I went through the same check list I do in any game: number of outs, the count, where are the runners, where are the infielders playing, what do the outfielders expect, what will happen if he hits the ball to the left side, to the right side, any rule in force due to the situation, where's my partner, where's the batter setting up, the catcher, does my positioning and stance give me the view I want, see the release, track the ball.

I concentrate on keeping ball and strikes consistent and not giving in to widening the zone or punishing one team for being so much better than the other.

Over all, I find that if I continue to treat the game no different than I would a 1-1 game, I stay focused.

Jimmy - As a parent of a pitcher capable of throwing a no-hitter on "any given night", I appreciate the umpires who can focus during a blow out like this.

It might be umpteen to nill, but to the kid's on leading team, it still might mean something in a no-hit, perfect game type situation. They're playing for that once in a lifetime opportunity to say (while sitting around the bar many years later), "I remember that night against ***X, when YYY threw that no-hitter, only one I ever played in. I made this great play to save it in the...".

Nobody cares what the score was, unless it was 1-0 and went extra innings...

quote:

Originally posted by jjk:
I know how you could get refocused.

Depending on what 3 intential K's looked like?

I'll admit this is more from the player and coach in me, but keep it baseball. They got 12 outs already, they can get 3 more.

4.15 A game may be forfeited to the opposing team when a team—

(b) Employs tactics palpably designed to delay or shorten the game;

I know you're joking.

quote:

Try working without a counter to change your focus.

Wow! Never thought about this one however when you are 55, at least today, you don't hear many calling out about wanting you to use their glasses, or am I blind. Occassionally get the "hey blue you're missing a good game here," as a way to represent the lack of clear sight but it's all in good fun.

They say the eyes and memory are the first to go.....you really have to think hard about not using the counter so you can just keep it to being blind, not blind and dumb!!.....ha!

quote:

Originally posted by yawetag:

quote:

Originally posted by jjk:
I know how you could get refocused.

Depending on what 3 intential K's looked like?

I'll admit this is more from the player and coach in me, but keep it baseball. They got 12 outs already, they can get 3 more.

4.15 A game may be forfeited to the opposing team when a team—

(b) Employs tactics palpably designed to delay or shorten the game;

I know you're joking.

I'm responsible for the games I do only. If a team is being gracious with a runner on 1st and second and the batter hits a gapper, and the runners stay on 1st, 2nd and 3rd ... that's pretty gracious. They did it about 6 times. Then fanning purposefully in the top of 5 makes cause - by rule - to forfiet to the visiting team? You might do it; I won;t.

quote:

and the home team striking out the final 3 outs on purpose.

I really dislike that - it is a huge insult. If I were a coach in that situation I might tell my hitters to try and hit a Baltimore chop to the 2nd baseman, but never strike out intentionally. It is always obvious and could easily turn an ugly situation into something much uglier.

quote:

never strike out intentionally

Dash I could not agree more. I have coached all the way up to 16-18 divisions, league and AAU, and would never ask a player to not play the game the way it is supposed to be played, (intentionally strike out, not make a play, hold on a base when a run should clearly score). After all it is a competition.

I remember once in a State Tournament game (12-under) the coach held a kid at 3rd base (would have been the 10-run rule) so my son could come up and get an at-bat (he had not played all game). I was not happy. You play the game the way it is supposed to be played. The game is played to get three outs. I am not going to give in, you have to get the three outs.

quote:

Originally posted by dave0mary:
Then fanning purposefully in the top of 5 makes cause - by rule - to forfiet to the visiting team? You might do it; I won;t.

Is there a rule that, in a very minute way, covers this? Sorta. Is it against an unwritten rule of baseball? Sure. Am I going to pick nits about it as an umpire? No.

quote:

Is there a rule that, in a very minute way, covers this? Sorta. Is it against an unwritten rule of baseball? Sure. Am I going to pick nits about it as an umpire? No.

Not "picking nits" about itmes such as this means you don't belong on this forum. It's what they do here.

quote:

Originally posted by dave0mary:

quote:

Is there a rule that, in a very minute way, covers this? Sorta. Is it against an unwritten rule of baseball? Sure. Am I going to pick nits about it as an umpire? No.

Not "picking nits" about itmes such as this means you don't belong on this forum. It's what they do here.

Thats pretty uncalled for dave....we have umpires who volunteer their time on this site with various levels of experience and levels of play...

what may seem like "picking nits" to some umpires is required procedure for others..

we cant expect youth rec league umpires to have the same training/experience/knowledge as NCAA and pro guys yet we have all those here contributing...

so offficially....

lighten up....

quote:

Originally posted by dave0mary:
Not "picking nits" about itmes such as this means you don't belong on this forum. It's what they do here.

I can't decide whether you're attempting to insult me, the board, or both. If it's me, you're doing a bad job at it; if it's the board, then maybe you should stop visiting if you don't like the way it's being run.

quote:

Originally posted by dash_riprock:

quote:

and the home team striking out the final 3 outs on purpose.

I really dislike that - it is a huge insult. If I were a coach in that situation I might tell my hitters to try and hit a Baltimore chop to the 2nd baseman, but never strike out intentionally. It is always obvious and could easily turn an ugly situation into something much uglier.

I can see both sides of this one. I've coached on a very good team in a very poor district before. Our starters never touched the field in certain games, and we still routinely scored 15-20 runs every first inning.

You simply have to tell your kids to back off somehow because it's the right thing to do, but how to do that is tough. A lot of times we'd turn every at bat into a "hit & run" at the plate only, so kids were forced to put the ball in play. Sometimes we would have to have them bunt in non-bunt type situations. Never told kids to strike out, but I suppose I can see why a coach might. not saying I like it, but I can see why that decision might be made.

We had a team in my area win a game 54-0 the other day. That to me is simply embarrassing and wrong.

quote:

Originally posted by yawetag:

quote:

Originally posted by jjk:
I know how you could get refocused.

Depending on what 3 intential K's looked like?

I'll admit this is more from the player and coach in me, but keep it baseball. They got 12 outs already, they can get 3 more.

4.15 A game may be forfeited to the opposing team when a team—

(b) Employs tactics palpably designed to delay or shorten the game;

I know you're joking.

No, you don't.

[QUOTE]we cant expect youth rec league umpires to have the same training/experience/knowledge as NCAA and pro guys yet we have all those here contributingQUOTE]

You said it very well. But, that isn't the problem on this forum. The problem is the "pro" guys are always spouting off to the "rec" guys. Taking the OBR book to johnny's LL game. Don't be stupid - you understand my point. Ya know what? They weren't there. How do they know if the situation fits? Am I the only one who sees this? Go ahead, put 12 of these umpires posting here in a room with only one hammer and different ways to fix a flaw in the wall. I ain't going in that room.
So - your response to this lunacy is to tell me to lighten up? Get freakin' serious. I doubt any of these "nit pickers" ever do a real game - they just read rule books.

quote:

Originally posted by dave0mary:
So - your response to this lunacy is to tell me to lighten up? Get freakin' serious. I doubt any of these "nit pickers" ever do a real game - they just read rule books.

Im definately serious......and to be honest, of the posters on this forum...you are one of the few I DONT know of their abilities and experience....

Dave:

I think you either misunderstand some posts or the intent behind them. I haven't seen anyone apply the incorrect code to a game situation and I don't recall many LL situations. I have never called a LL game and am not familiar with their add-on rules so I don't respond to any LL situations, unless the level of the game is not identified. I've always assumed that, for the most part, the OBR questions regard select ball or legion.

In regards to nit-picking...terminology and vocabulary are means of communicating. Many umpire who have either worked at higher levels or trained at higher levels learn the communication should be precise and, usually, brief. It becomes ingrained.

This is no different than many other vocations or avocations. They all have their own terminology and vocabulary and are usually very precise about the.

Some put it like this: Words have meanings. Use them correctly.

None of this is intended to be nit picking, and most of it is picked up doing games, not reading rule books.

Enjoy your day.

quote:

Originally posted by ironhorse:
We had a team in my area win a game 54-0 the other day. That to me is simply embarrassing and wrong.

That's worse than having your players strike out.

quote:

Im definately serious......and to be honest, of the posters on this forum...you are one of the few I DONT know of their abilities and experience....

And you know this experience by my 99 posts vs. their ***X. I will stand down on that incriminating evidence.

quote:

Originally posted by dave0mary:

And you know this experience by my 99 posts...

Nah, it took far less than 99 posts.

quote:

Originally posted by dave0mary:
And you know this experience by my 99 posts vs. their ***X. I will stand down on that incriminating evidence.

I'm going to bite my tongue, but open my mouth just enough to say this...

This forum is not the only means of communication that several of us have, or have had. There are at least 5 on here that have had regular communication for years now through other means. Thus, when Dash says that he knows more about certain people's abilities, it's because he has far more experience in interacting with them than he has with you.