Was she out of line, or was I?

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Mar 1, 2016
195
18
Here's the situation: high school game, last game of the season. Score is 18 to 0. Losing team is on defense with one out. Runner at third, ball is hit to the third baseman who fields it cleanly and throws it home. Runner coming from third stops with her left foot on the chalk line, catcher tries to apply the tag and runner arches her back and runs about 5 feet toward the pitcher's circle to avoid the tag. Umpire makes no call. The resulting rundown situation ends with the runner being safe at third and the batter safe at second. Several parents in the stands, including myself, were yelling that the runner had left the basepath to avoid the tag and should be out. Head coach goes out to appeal the call, and both officials tell her that the call stands and go sit down. I tell home plate umpire to check his phone because he missed a call.

Defense has to get through 4 more batters to get two more outs to end the half inning. At that time the home plate umpire walks over to our side and singles me out because I'm keeping scorebook (for my benefit, not for the team - they have student managers who do that in an official capacity for the team) and says "if you're going to make comments to the officials you need to learn the rules." I reply that I'm very familiar with the rules as they apply to this particular situation and that he should just admit that he blew the call. He got very agitated, started yelling that none of us have a clue, and had to be physically restrained by the field official before making even more of a spectacle of himself. Once the field official got him calmed down then the field official came over and issued a warning to me and told me that they were right and I was wrong and if there one more outburst from anyone that I would be ejected and reported to our state's athletic governing body. They even went a step further and informed our head coach that if I got ejected then she would be ejected as well.

At no point in time did anyone use any foul or demeaning language. As passionate as we may be about a play in the heat of the moment, we do remember that there are teenage girls in the dugout just a few feet away.

By coincidence, I happened to be parked next to one of the officials in the parking lot. After the game, as I was standing by the car waiting for my daughter to come out, both officials approached me and told me that they wanted to educate me on the rules. At that time, I pulled out my phone and read to them, out loud, the rules regarding base path and the effect of a play when a runner moves more than 3 feet out of the base path in order to avoid a tag by a defender (I downloaded the rules a couple of years ago so I could study up on them when I was coaching Little League ball. Granted it is the 2014 ASA rules, but there aren't very many variations between ASA rules and in NFHS rules, right?). Their response was, "well the games over now and there's nothing anybody can do about it, so you have yourself a great evening."

Here are my questions:
1. Was the runner out or was a no call the proper call?
2. Is there a rule that says the head coach can be ejected even if she did nothing wrong or was that a scare tactic used by the umpires to get me to be quiet?
3. Should I explore options for reporting these officials or should I just let it go since the season is over now?
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
1. In your description the runner is out. 3 feet is the amount the runner is allowed to deviate to make a call.
2. Yes, keep your idiot fans in line or you are both gone.
3. If they were that out of control I would pursue it. I am not sure why they addressed you when you were being a jerk, how they thought that would go well for anyone I do not understand.
 
Oct 7, 2015
72
8
You were out of line. If you don't like the call just keep it to yourself. If the coach doesn't like the call they can respectfully question it. That's it. Every time. No exceptions.
 

CoreSoftball20

Wilson = Evil Empire
DFP Vendor
Dec 27, 2012
6,215
113
Kunkletown, PA
The game is 18-0...does that call really matter? yes, sounds like it was a wrong call, but just move on and get out of there.

I know if I were on either end, I wouldn't want any call being argued...just to keep the game moving and get it over with.
 
Feb 5, 2013
245
16
Here are my questions:
1. Was the runner out or was a no call the proper call?
2. Is there a rule that says the head coach can be ejected even if she did nothing wrong or was that a scare tactic used by the umpires to get me to be quiet?
3. Should I explore options for reporting these officials or should I just let it go since the season is over now?

1. I'd say the runner was out if it was actually 5 feet.
2. I believe they can eject the coach.
3. I wouldn't in this case.
4. (you didn't ask, but ...) You didn't mention what inning it was ... but since it sounds like your daughter's team was losing by 18 runs at the time, it seems like a silly time to be arguing calls with an ump.

Just my 2 cents
 
Oct 11, 2010
8,337
113
Chicago, IL
The last time I yelled at am umpire was when they were having a heated exchange with 1 of our parents.

To ump: Go do your job!
To parent: Shut up and sit down!

I talked to both afterwards but I was right. I do not care.
 
Feb 17, 2014
7,152
113
Orlando, FL
Given the circumstances, having the officials approach you after the game is quite unusual and unprofessional. I would have a conversation with someone from their respective officiating association. Note that this is different from the state athletic association, who probably could care less about the conduct of the individual officials they contract.
 

rdbass

It wasn't me.
Jun 5, 2010
9,131
83
Not here.
I'm keeping scorebook (for my benefit,
tumblr_nrwe9iWjn31s2wio8o1_500.gif
 
Jun 12, 2015
3,848
83
I really very strongly dislike it when parents are vocal with umpires. If our coach wants to protest a play, great. He knows how to do it right, which is to say, calmly and without getting into a fight over it. Once the ump rules against you, accept it and be quiet. I suppose occasionally an ump might change a call based on an argument but I've not seen that happen yet. I have seen a coach get thrown out of a game for arguing though. A parent too. No good can come of it. And yeah, at 18 to 0 just get the game over with and move on. Really who cares about one call at that point. JMO.
 
Aug 29, 2011
2,581
83
NorCal
The game is 18-0...does that call really matter? yes, sounds like it was a wrong call, but just move on and get out of there.

I know if I were on either end, I wouldn't want any call being argued...just to keep the game moving and get it over with.

18-0, she out whether she's out or not. At that point I just want to go home. Doesn't matter which side I'm on.
 

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