Cannonball
Ex "Expert"
- Feb 25, 2009
- 4,908
- 113
My brother called and discussed two arguments he has had recently. Both times, the person he argued against stated that they had played the game all of their lives. Keep in mind that this is 8U.
The first involved a ball that hit in fair then spun backwards and landed/stopped on the plate. It never touched foul territory. So, my brother had his catcher pick up the ball and throw to first. They have young kids umpiring these games and so, neither one knew what to call the ball. My brother says it is a fair ball and explains that the ball never touched foul territory and rolled onto the plate. The plate is in fair territory. The opposite coach, naturally says, it is a foul ball because the plate is foul. My brother tells the umps and the coach that if they look at the foul lines, they run into the back angles of the plate and so, the plate is totally in fair territory. The other coach tells the umpires that he has "played all of his life and that is a foul ball." That is so funny. My brother has played in untold number of games. He played 7 nights a week from the time he was 18 until he was 47 or 48. He played way over 150 games every year. He played at a very high level. In short, my brother is a stud. So, my brother goes to the other coach and says that this is an 8U game and so, he won't argue it if the player gets to hit again. However, he should know that the plate is in fair territory. The other coach basically says my brother doesn't know anything about playing ball. LOL!
The second one was a pitched ball bounces off of the ground and hit the batter. My brother says that this is a hit by pitch and the batter should be awarded 1st base. Again, kid umps. The other coach says that when the ball hits the ground it is a dead ball. My brother then ask the guy to explain how a bounced ball can get past the catcher and the runner can score from 3rd. How can a 3rd strike hit the ground and the catcher has to either tag the runner out or throw to first. The guy says that the ball that hits the batter on a bounce is a dead ball and so the hitter can't take first. My brother says, what if the ball hit the batter in the air? The guy says that the difference is that the ground makes the ball dead. See where I am going with this? My brother kept trying to use common sense statements and the guy just never got it.
One last one. There is a run down between 1st and 2nd. As you can imagine, at 8U, this is a mess. Anyway, the ball hits the runner in the head/helmet and deflects so the runner is safe. The coach says that the runner is out because you can throw and hit the runner.
Beware of guys who have played all of their lives.
The first involved a ball that hit in fair then spun backwards and landed/stopped on the plate. It never touched foul territory. So, my brother had his catcher pick up the ball and throw to first. They have young kids umpiring these games and so, neither one knew what to call the ball. My brother says it is a fair ball and explains that the ball never touched foul territory and rolled onto the plate. The plate is in fair territory. The opposite coach, naturally says, it is a foul ball because the plate is foul. My brother tells the umps and the coach that if they look at the foul lines, they run into the back angles of the plate and so, the plate is totally in fair territory. The other coach tells the umpires that he has "played all of his life and that is a foul ball." That is so funny. My brother has played in untold number of games. He played 7 nights a week from the time he was 18 until he was 47 or 48. He played way over 150 games every year. He played at a very high level. In short, my brother is a stud. So, my brother goes to the other coach and says that this is an 8U game and so, he won't argue it if the player gets to hit again. However, he should know that the plate is in fair territory. The other coach basically says my brother doesn't know anything about playing ball. LOL!
The second one was a pitched ball bounces off of the ground and hit the batter. My brother says that this is a hit by pitch and the batter should be awarded 1st base. Again, kid umps. The other coach says that when the ball hits the ground it is a dead ball. My brother then ask the guy to explain how a bounced ball can get past the catcher and the runner can score from 3rd. How can a 3rd strike hit the ground and the catcher has to either tag the runner out or throw to first. The guy says that the ball that hits the batter on a bounce is a dead ball and so the hitter can't take first. My brother says, what if the ball hit the batter in the air? The guy says that the difference is that the ground makes the ball dead. See where I am going with this? My brother kept trying to use common sense statements and the guy just never got it.
One last one. There is a run down between 1st and 2nd. As you can imagine, at 8U, this is a mess. Anyway, the ball hits the runner in the head/helmet and deflects so the runner is safe. The coach says that the runner is out because you can throw and hit the runner.
Beware of guys who have played all of their lives.
