| Hi Everyone,
Hope your season was uneventful - here are some umpires that DIDN'T find things going well.
These first few were not protested games, thankfully.
Bases loaded, two outs, 5-5, in the bottom of the seventh inning. The batter lashes a single to left field. The runner from third advances to home, but the runner from second is slow getting to third. The alert left fielder throws a pea to the third baseman, and the runner advancing to third is called out. The home plate umpire scores the run, home team wins 6-5. Seems that in the umpires opinion, since the run scored before the out at third, that this was a form of time play and the run scores. The visiting coach tried to protest the game at 8 pm that night, after a fellow coach told him that he had been screwed.
Atrocity #2: Bases loaded, one out. An infield fly is hit to the second baseman, and called such. The second baseman does not lay a glove on the ball and the runners from first and third run. For reasons not known to Casey Stengel, (he knew all), the runner from second did not move. The second baseman finally picks up the ball and throws to first base, and the base umpire calls the retreating runner out. Seems that in this umpire's opinion, since second base was occupied, the runner HAD to retreat to first, which made this a force out. Third out, negate the run. And in case you forgot - no protest.
Here's another with the infield fly - Bases loaded, no outs. Routine pop up to the second baseman, an obvious infield fly. Neither umpire says anything. The second baseman misses the ball. Everyone runs, the second baseman picks up the ball and tags the runner going to second. Play ends with one run in, and runners on first and third. The ball is thrown back to the pitcher, when finally someone out of the stands yells, 'Infield fly.' The coach comes out of his long winter's nap and questions the umpire regarding the infield fly. They huddle and then agree and call the runner at first out. As they say, 'Better late than never.'
Another: The defensive head coach asks for time so that he can visit the mound. He delays his visit, and the home plate umpire walks to the mound to end the conference. The two exchange pleasantries and the head coach ends up getting ejected. The plate umpire then goes to the bench area and restricts the assistant coach, because, 'That's the new rule.' No protest here, just another name the coach has to add to his post-season black ball list. The umpire missed this for two reasons: #1 - he got the whole idea backwards. This new rule pertains to the assistant's poor behavior, not the head coaches. #2 - The coach was not out of his vicinity. The umpire allowed this coach to go to the mound.
A league requires that a certain ball be used for all league games. In the fifth inning of a game, a foul ball goes into the visiting area, and the head coach retrieves it and notices that this ball is not one of the required balls. He demands to protest the game. The umpire acknowledges the protest filed, throws the ball out and continues the game. I am still waiting by my mailbox for the letter to come. (By the way, at the time it was 15-1 home team leading.)
Here's another that could have gone the wrong way: Third inning, one out and the coach comes out and switches the pitcher and shortstop. After the new pitcher pitches to two batters, the coach comes out again and switches the pitcher and shortstop. The umpire rules that this pitcher does not receive any warm-ups because he had them at the beginning of the inning. Nobody said a word, and the game continued. At the end of the game the coach asked if indeed that was the rule because he couldn't find it anywhere in the rule book. (Neither could I.)
Another prize winner: Bases loaded two outs, 3-2 on the batter. Next pitch is ball four. Everyone is advancing, when the offensive coach yells from the dugout to the batter, "Jim, I'm putting in a pinch runner for you." Jim, on his way to first base, takes a right turn and heads to the dugout. The pinch runner finds a helmet as Jim enters the dugout. The runner from third is about to score. No one says a thing, and the game goes on without a peep. What would you have done if the defensive coach had a brain? (My answer is at the end.)
Last one: The home team is DHing for their right fielder, Smith, batting third. In the bottom of the first, the DH hits a 3-run homer. In the top of the second inning, with the home team on defense, it is discovered that the DH is now playing second base, and Smith is still playing right field. The visiting coach wants the runs negated, players ejected and at least two kids sent to the electric chair. The umpires consult and decide that they should let the runs count, negate the position of DH for the remainder of the game, and replace the right fielder. He, the right fielder, was restricted to the dugout for the remainder of the game. No players were sent to the electric chair during this encounter.
Answer to the prize winner: I've got the batter-runner out for stupidity, for lack of another rule to use. Can't be abandonment, as he hadn't reached first base. I've got no runs scoring as the third out was before the batter-runner reached first base. But I'm open to other interpretations.
Hope you enjoyed these - I wish I could say that I made them up.
Ron
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