Crazy finish

[marriard]

That's a load of BS. You always make an appeal. If anyone has a problem with that, maybe they should teach the players how to play the game properly.

Absolutely agree. Not touching home plate is like dropping the ball before crossing for a touchdown - it don't count.

A couple years ago a J0 18U team coach went off the deep end when the PU received help from his partner and they got the call right. His argument was that once an umpire makes a call it can NEVER, EVER BE CHANGED whether the call was correct or not.

I hear this from the baseball umpires here a lot (i.e. massively against changing a call) but not from softball. Reasons I hear from the baseball umps is that they feel that 'if they change one, then they will question every call from that point on'. And here I was thinking the point was to get the call right.

Assuming this is the right call (and no way can you tell from the video), this is one of the less pleasant positions to be in as an umpire.

I've been there - you've seen it, you know it is not going to go over well if the appeal happens so you pretty much hoping it doesn't... and out comes the coach. Now you have no choice - you saw it.

First time something similar happened to me umpiring I accidentally flinched and one of the fielders saw me and figured it out. Never did that again.

 

[MTR]

Absolutely agree. Not touching home plate is like dropping the ball before crossing for a touchdown - it don't count.



I hear this from the baseball umpires here a lot (i.e. massively against changing a call) but not from softball. Reasons I hear from the baseball umps is that they feel that 'if they change one, then they will question every call from that point on'. And here I was thinking the point was to get the call right.

Assuming this is the right call (and no way can you tell from the video), this is one of the less pleasant positions to be in as an umpire.

I've been there - you've seen it, you know it is not going to go over well if the appeal happens so you pretty much hoping it doesn't... and out comes the coach. Now you have no choice - you saw it.

First time something similar happened to me umpiring I accidentally flinched and one of the fielders saw me and figured it out. Never did that again.

When I played, we had three umpires on the team. Whoever was in the dugout was tasked to watch the umpire and see what s/he was watching. Our team averaged an out two out of every three games because the players get lazy or don't think the umpire will make the call. Many times it is just a matter of understanding what to watch.

Was once working an Armed Forces Championship as U3 w/ Navy runner on 1B. Because of the infield alignment, I was basically up the middle, just to the left of 2B. On a ball was lined to RC, the runner stepped right across 2B and I was looking right at it. Play ended with runners at the corners, but LF called to the SS to appeal R1 missing 2B. I have no idea how he saw it from 200' away, but he was right. The coach wasn't happy, but even the players in the dugout knew it was the right call and ribbed the runner and coach for complaining. After the tournament, the LF from the AF told me that he had noticed I was paying attention to the base and thought there must have been a reason. Of course, the reason was that I didn't have anything else to do than watch runner touch the base.

However, there is a faction that believes the umpire(s) should never take their eyes off the ball. Well, if they watching the ball, how can they watch everything else for which they are responsible?

The umpire needs to be prepared to make that call regardless of the circumstances. That's why they get the big bucks

 

[Rocketech1]

Don't really understand why if an umpire sees a player miss a base, he or she can't make a call on the play once the play is over regardless if the other team appeals or not. Isn't one of the jobs of the umpire to get the play right. If a player misses a base, then the umpire should have the authority to make the correct call without the team having to make an appeal.

 

[AndyS]

Don't really understand why if an umpire sees a player miss a base, he or she can't make a call on the play once the play is over regardless if the other team appeals or not. Isn't one of the jobs of the umpire to get the play right. If a player misses a base, then the umpire should have the authority to make the correct call without the team having to make an appeal.

I have no idea but something tells me it is a carryover in the rules from cricket where you have appeal plays. Again I could be completely wrong but my uneducated guess.

 

[Comp]

Don't really understand why if an umpire sees a player miss a base, he or she can't make a call on the play once the play is over regardless if the other team appeals or not. Isn't one of the jobs of the umpire to get the play right. If a player misses a base, then the umpire should have the authority to make the correct call without the team having to make an appeal.

Becuase there is a rule which states once a runner passes a base they are assumed to have touched it until properly appealed.

 

[Rocketech1]

Becuase there is a rule which states once a runner passes a base they are assumed to have touched it until properly appealed.

I understand that. The rule should be changed IMO. No need for all this appeal nonsense if a baserunner doesn't touch all the bases and an umpire sees this they should immediately call the runner out as soon as the play is over. It shouldn't be up to the coaches to enforce the rules. Isn't that why we pay umpires to officiate the game? So to recap, if umpires see it, they should call it.

 

[MTR]

I have no idea but something tells me it is a carryover in the rules from cricket where you have appeal plays. Again I could be completely wrong but my uneducated guess.

Cricket has nothing to do with softball. Baseball & softball came from rounders.

A runner is safe until they are retired. Only two ways for a runner to be ruled out: The defense successfully puts the runner out or the runner (or offensive teammate) commits an act of INT.

NFHS used to have the umpire make the automatic call on a missed base or base left too soon and it did not work as touching the base is important, but not necessarily the priority of the umpire. Then the umpires would intentionally not watch the bases so they wouldn't have to make that unpopular call.

The appeal has been around at least since 1936, so I don't think it is that big a deal

 

[canyonjoe]

I hope the CF is OK. What an effort by her.

I agree with the first post. They better have been 1000 percent sure the kids missed the plate if they called it.

 

[Indiana]

The comments section in the blog article is interesting. One of the winning team's parents chimed in. I think the coach did the right thing by appealing; that's his job and his team has to come first. It just seems like a bizarre call by the umpires. From the video, even though you can't see the baserunner's feet, she is jogging very slowly with little steps. It seems strange that she wouldn't have touched home. The home plate umpire was standing along the third baseline, watching the play, and apparently signaling that the run scored (or not? He seemed to have put his arm out, not pointing down?) The U1 seems to be behind the mass of bodies.

There was college football game a few years back where the ball carrier, in thinking that he had crossed the goal line, spiked the ball and started dancing. The poor guy spiked it well short. I'll bet he'll never forget that.

 

[Comp]

Just saw this post on the 2nd video supposedly made by an mshsaa umpire. Agreed with most everything he had to say right up to the point he says if the runner did miss the plate there was no advantage gained and it should have been a no call. Absolutely nowhere in the rules does it ever mention rules only apply if an advantage is gained.

i am a mshsaa softball umpire. i am embarassed by that call in the portageville v pleasant hope game. biggest bs call i have ever seen. never talk bad about fellow umps is a cardinal rule for us, but somethings are so egregious that something must be said. this is the bottom line the first base ump who made the call, it wasn't his call to make. why? becasue they did not rotate. the home plate ump stayed so it was his call. the appeal should go to him not 1st. second bottom line, even if she missed the plate there was no advantaged gained in missing the plate so it is a non call.
1st base ump Huether made himself the most important part of that game instead of letting the girls who played be the important. he should be ashamed of himself and mshsaa shoul be sure not to ever use him again in any role past regular season.