Injuries & Could this be considered unsportsmanlike conduct

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softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
We had a game today and had two incidents that I'm not sure about.

Incident 1:

The game was in the bottom of the third inning and we were winning 3-2. Tall, lanky, speedy runner on first (I think she's like 6'1" tall). Count was one ball, two strikes and two out. I saw the runner taking a large lead at first so I yelled out a code word we had discussed before the game to watch the runner. The pitcher threw a ball up and away from the right handed hitter when the runner took off for second. I popped up when the ball came, swung in the direction behind me and fired for second. The shortstop broke for the bag and made it there before I threw with the second baseman backing her just shy of the outfield grass. The runner came in with her left foot up like in the play from the Red Sox/Yankees game where the benches cleared the first time. Shortstop had her foot on the third base side of the bag left-to-right and toward the circle. The ball bounced off the dirt as short was getting ready to catch it. Runner slides into shortstop knocking her over making her miss the ball and causing her to break her wrist. Short was called for obstruction, runner was awarded the base and I was charged with an error.

Was this the right call in this situation?

Incident 2


We fast forward to the bottom of the sixth. We're winning 8-7 at this point. Pitcher 2 isn't pitching so great because she is inexperienced at the position (Sister worked 5 innings and was pulled). She gave up a single, a walk and hit a batter to start off the inning. She then struck out two batters and got the third to ground out to short. I pumped my fist and the pitcher and I bumped chests in celebration of getting out of the inning. The crew we had umpring the game, came from a long way away and just didn't have a good game making bad calls for both sides. I get called for unsportsman like conduct and was told to leave the game. I'm thinking to myself "what". So I hang my head, grab my bag and walk toward the bus shaking my head.

Would this be considered "unsportsmanlike"? If not, what would be considered unsportsmanlike?

Keep in mind, we were playing a rivalry game.
 

Strike2

Allergic to BS
Nov 14, 2014
2,044
113
Let me make sure I have this straight...

SS sets up to receive your throw on the third-base side of 2B, gets knocked over by a cleats up slide, and THEN gets called for obstruction???

You celebrate a good inning with your pitcher without any words or motions toward the other team, and YOU get called for unsportsmanlike conduct???

These umpires are real winners. Did your coach blow a gasket and get ejected along with you?

To directly answer your question, it sounds like unsporting conduct (deliberate attempt to injure) on the runner at 2B, and a "no call" for your chest bump.
 

softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
Let me make sure I have this straight...

SS sets up to receive your throw on the third-base side of 2B, gets knocked over by a cleats up slide, and THEN gets called for obstruction???

You celebrate a good inning with your pitcher without any words or motions toward the other team, and YOU get called for unsportsmanlike conduct???

These umpires are real winners. Did your coach blow a gasket and get ejected along with you?

To directly answer your question, it sounds like unsporting conduct (deliberate attempt to injure) on the runner at 2B, and a "no call" for your chest bump.

I thought that umpire crew wasn't great. I kept thinking to myself "let's get this over with and back home". I would have rather had us win like 11-0 and won by run rule than drag that game out.

I had thought that baserunner should have been ejected for what looked like purpously injuring a player before I got ejected for a simple chest bump. *oy vey!*

I mean my throw wasn't great but it should have gotten the runner out.

I'm wishing for local umps for our next game :confused:.

Oh and coach was livid. I'm surprised he wasn't tossed right along with me when he went to talk to the ump.
 

sluggers

Super Moderator
Staff member
May 26, 2008
7,133
113
Dallas, Texas
As to Incident 1:

If that is all that happened, then it wasn't obstruction. It wasn't interference either. The rule for interference is different if the ball is thrown rather than batted.

Deliberate? Come on. The ump was standing 10 feet from the play. You were at home plate and wearing a catcher mask and helmet. He had a much better view. If the umpire didn't think it was deliberate, then it wasn't deliberate.

I'm sorry your friend got hurt. It is a tough luck. One of my DD's almost got all of her teeth knocked out in a softball game. My other DD broke a kid's ankle. I have had my ribs broken twice playing basketball. It sucks. It is part of the game.

As to Incident 2:

I raised three daughters, and coached hundreds of young girls. So, my first thought about is, "I don't think we're getting the whole story." I would love to hear the umpire's version. Do you think he might say something different?

Since your friend got hurt and you felt it was deliberate, and you are still upset about it hours after the game...I have a feeling that your conduct was less than stellar.

My guess is that you, your team, your fans, and/or your coach had been pushing the boundaries all night, and the umpire had enough.
 
Last edited:

softgabby

Gear Empress
Mar 10, 2016
1,073
83
Just behind home plate
As to Incident 1:

If that is all that happened, then it wasn't obstruction. It wasn't interference either. The rule for interference is different if the ball is thrown rather than batted.

Deliberate? Come on. The ump was standing 10 feet from the play. You were at home plate and wearing a catcher mask and helmet. He had a much better view. If the umpire didn't think it was deliberate, then it wasn't deliberate.

I'm sorry your friend got hurt. It is a tough luck. One of my DD's almost got all of her teeth knocked out in a softball game. My other DD broke a kid's ankle. I have had my ribs broken twice playing basketball. It sucks. It is part of the game.

As to Incident 2:

I raised three daughters, and coached hundreds of young girls. So, my first thought about is, "I don't think we're getting the whole story." I would love to hear the umpire's version. Do you think he might say something different?

Since your friend got hurt and you felt it was deliberate, and you are still upset about it hours after the game...I have a feeling that your conduct was less than stellar.

My guess is that you, your team, your fans, and/or your coach had been pushing the boundaries all night, and the umpire had enough.

On incident one, I can only say about what I was thinking at the time and what I saw. Your right though, I didn't have a good look at the play since I was standing at the plate and the play happened at second.

On incident two, Your right, I was upset my friend and teammate was injured and I still am. But, we weren't acting out on it. Yeah, our fans were upset over what happened but we weren't doing much different on the field. Pitchers weren't throwing at hitters trying to hit them or taunting them or anything like that. Sure, the pitcher and I celebrated getting out of a very sticky situation. We didn't do anything different than what you would see at a football game when a touchdown was scored or in lacrosse or hockey game when they score a goal. I was mad I got ejected. I didn't take my catcher's gear off until I reached the bus after I threw my mask and bat in my bag and I dug out my headphones and phone and I listened to music while watching the game from the bus.
 

obbay

Banned
Aug 21, 2008
2,199
0
Boston, MA
Incident 1- if it happened as i interpreted from your description, it sounds like malicious contact by the runneras defined in the NFHS rulebook. Definitely not obstruction ( not in the basepath blocking the route to the base while awaiting the throw and didnt cause the runner to alter her course- both have to happen)

Incident 2- that was a ridiculous call!

Unless in your zeal you inadvertently left something out of the story, thats what it sounds like to me.
Yes people get hurt playing, but there's playing the game within the rukes and then theres pushing the limit to see what you can get away with, especially if you got a couple of baseball umpires ;)
 
Jun 6, 2016
2,714
113
Chicago
Incident 1- if it happened as i interpreted from your description, it sounds like malicious contact by the runneras defined in the NFHS rulebook. Definitely not obstruction ( not in the basepath blocking the route to the base while awaiting the throw and didnt cause the runner to alter her course- both have to happen)

This one is difficult to judge without seeing the play. It may have been an illegal slide, but it could just be a slide where some contact was made and the bigger player hurt the smaller player. Just making some contact on the slide isn't enough. But, if it was malicious contact, obstruction doesn't even matter since malicious contact supersedes obstruction.

My guess is you're rarely going to see malicious contact called when the player slides though. It's probably gonna have to be incredibly obvious, like some kind of Ty Cobb dropkick slide or going in with an obvious spikes-high kicking motion.
 

MTR

Jun 22, 2008
3,438
48
Speaking USA

Incident 1:

The game was in the bottom of the third inning and we were winning 3-2. Tall, lanky, speedy runner on first (I think she's like 6'1" tall). Count was one ball, two strikes and two out. I saw the runner taking a large lead at first so I yelled out a code word we had discussed before the game to watch the runner. The pitcher threw a ball up and away from the right handed hitter when the runner took off for second. I popped up when the ball came, swung in the direction behind me and fired for second. The shortstop broke for the bag and made it there before I threw with the second baseman backing her just shy of the outfield grass. The runner came in with her left foot up like in the play from the Red Sox/Yankees game where the benches cleared the first time. Shortstop had her foot on the third base side of the bag left-to-right and toward the circle. The ball bounced off the dirt as short was getting ready to catch it. Runner slides into shortstop knocking her over making her miss the ball and causing her to break her wrist. Short was called for obstruction, runner was awarded the base and I was charged with an error.

Was this the right call in this situation?

To start, USA does not define "legal" or "illegal" slide, so don't let anyone tell you it was an illegal slide. AFA a UC ruling, that would be completely within the scope of the umpire's judgment. What you see and the umpire sees are not always the same.

The only way an OBS call should be made is if the SS moved into the runner's path and impeded or hindered (again, judgment) the runner from reaching the base or attempting to advance

Incident 2


We fast forward to the bottom of the sixth. We're winning 8-7 at this point. Pitcher 2 isn't pitching so great because she is inexperienced at the position (Sister worked 5 innings and was pulled). She gave up a single, a walk and hit a batter to start off the inning. She then struck out two batters and got the third to ground out to short. I pumped my fist and the pitcher and I bumped chests in celebration of getting out of the inning. The crew we had umpring the game, came from a long way away and just didn't have a good game making bad calls for both sides. I get called for unsportsman like conduct and was told to leave the game. I'm thinking to myself "what". So I hang my head, grab my bag and walk toward the bus shaking my head.

Would this be considered "unsportsmanlike"? If not, what would be considered unsportsmanlike?

Unless there was a disparaging comment or gesture a member of the opposing team or the team in general, I see no reason for a UC application here

Keep in mind, we were playing a rivalry game.

Irrelevant to any of the points above
 
Jan 30, 2018
252
0
SE Michigan
Incident 1: It is really hard to tell without seeing if it was a dirty slide or not and obstruction call is also questionable, but would have to see it to pass judgement.

Incident 2: If I was your coach you and I would be headed to the hot dog stand together because I would have lost my mind. Had there been any warnings from umpires about excessive celebrations or taunting before that?
 

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