Two Questions

[daave266]

Ok...I have two rules questions.

1) USA RULES. Pitcher is getting hit pretty good, and one of the parents comments to the catcher to go out and talk to her. She does. The umpire tells the HC that it's considered an official visit. I didn't get how/why but I'm curious about it.

2) Triple Crown Rules: Runner on 2nd....batter hits ball towards 3rd base, it deflects off 3rds glove hits the runner on the foot as the SS was trying to back up the 3rd base. FU calls the runner out for interference.....I was under the impression that once it deflected off the glove and the runner behind the fielder it couldn't be interference?

What do my boys/girls in blue have to say?

Thanks
Dave

 

[Dabears17]

Ok...I have two rules questions.

1) USA RULES. Pitcher is getting hit pretty good, and one of the parents comments to the catcher to go out and talk to her. She does. The umpire tells the HC that it's considered an official visit. I didn't get how/why but I'm curious about it.

2) Triple Crown Rules: Runner on 2nd....batter hits ball towards 3rd base, it deflects off 3rds glove hits the runner on the foot as the SS was trying to back up the 3rd base. FU calls the runner out for interference.....I was under the impression that once it deflected off the glove and the runner behind the fielder it couldn't be interference?

What do my boys/girls in blue have to say?

Thanks
Dave

Obviously two "making stuff up", poorly trained, or inexperienced umpires.

Was talking to metro UIC today at 8u metro championship. There is such a shortage of umpires, they are having to give games to umpires they know suck and don't want to use, but they will have to cancel games and/or cut number of teams in a tournament if they don't use them.

UIC said several umpires decided after a good part of two years off because of Covid, they don't really need the supplemental income that umpiring provides, especially with the grief many parents have come to believe is their right to give umpires.

Also, several of the older ones are challenged using computers and don't want to take the Safesport training required now, so aren't umpiring either.

There are currently short at least 10 umpires for metro 10u/12u championships next weekend. That is after I suggested they contact the head of a HS sports (all sports) officials association, and the HS association is going to send over several baseball umpires that are interested in doing a couple softball games.

I volunteered to change my plans and skip meeting up with some friends from college next weekend before the Colorado tournaments start, but fly in Monday, so I could do bases as an umpire whose last "official" umpire training was 5 years ago, but they told me 1 umpire wasn't going to make a big difference.

A big rec B/C tournament that is one of my favorite tournaments while on the board of a rec league for 10 years, that is usually the weekend before or after July 4th, is desperate for umpires. Talking to staff I realized I was the youngest person in the room by 10, if not 12 or more, years.

My league felt the purpose of 8u was to give players 3 to 4 tournaments to get a taste of higher level play, but be done by July 1st to enjoy the summer, so we never did 8u metro championships or 8u state championships. I was surprised to see only 1 umpire at every game, except for 1st/2nd and 3rd/4th place games, which had 2. Yes, it is only 8u, but I would expect two umpires at a metro championship tournament.

 

[eddieq]

1) A parent saying, "Go talk to the pitcher" and the catcher going out is not an official visit. Now if someone from the coaching staff had relayed some info to the catcher vis a vis strategy, etc, and THEN the catcher asked for time to go see the pitcher, that CAN be considered an official visit (charged conference) and count against the permitted 3 before a pitching change (USA Rule 5.7.B and also USA Rule Supplement 9 explains the situations).

2) I am answering in the context of USA rules, as I don't call "Triple Crown" but I am making an assumption that it would be dealt with in the same way. I would have to see it but in general, a runner being contacted by a deflected ball isn't considered interference. It has to be (in the judgement of the umpire making the call) a deliberate act (USA 8.7.J.4). USA 8.8.F specifically says they runner is not out "When a runner is hit by a fair batted ball after it touches or is touched by any fielder, including the pitcher, and the runner could not avoid contact with the ball."

So as @Dabears17 said - they are making stuff up.

 

[Crabby_Bob]

AFAIK, Triple Crown doesn't have their own rules but use ASA/USA (in the past) or NFHS (currently, with mods).