Ever had an ump tell you the rule book was wrong?
About 3 weeks ago, in a middle-school game featuring a number of questionable calls, the end of the game defies explanation. Batting in the bottom of the 7th, we trail 6-5. Here's the sequence of events that follows...
1. One on, nobody out. Batter has 2-2 count. Opposing pitcher has been quick pitching us all night, so our batters are stepping into the box with a hand up asking for time till they get settled in. The current batter has done the same thing in this at bat on every pitch, and the ump has granted every request in this at bat and throughout the whole game. Except on this one, single 2-2 pitch. The girl steps in with her hand up, and the pitcher throws one down the middle while our batter is getting her front foot on the ground. Ump calls strike three. Upon protest, he says, "I don't have to give her time if I don't want to." True. And it's in the rules, but it's cheap when it's only done once in a game, and in that situation.
2. Moving on, we have 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd, our batter loops a lazy fly into short center. CF comes in hard and gets to the ball, but as she reaches out for it, the ball bounces in and right out of her glove, falling on the ground. Field ump immediately calls the batter out, claiming DF dropped the ball in the transition to throw. Problem is, CF's throwing hand was never near the glove hand. She was reaching forward with glove hand and had throwing hand behind her when the ball bounced out. What saved our runners was the CF - who knew she had dropped the ball - throwing to third to get the force after dropping the ball (our runner at 2nd was holding close to the bag because the ball was so shallow in center). That gave our runner just enough time to return to the 2nd when she heard the ump call the batter out. (Very heads up running by our girls on base, because the ball was so obviously dropped, I wouldn't have faulted either one for getting doubled up.)
3. We manage to load the bases with 2 outs. We want to use a pinch hitter for the batter coming up. Same girl pinch hit for the same fielder in the 6th. Then we re-entered the fielder. Now with bases loaded and 2 out, we want to use the same PH again. (NFHS rules: any player, starter or substitute, can be withdrawn and re-entered one time as long as the re-enter in the same place in the batting order.) If we tie and go back for an 8th inning, the fielder is burned, but we needed a hitter right now, and hopefully don't need an 8th inning. PU refused to let PH bat because she'd already batted and been pulled. We called out the rule in the book. He maintained his position and wouldn't let the PH bat. We even showed him the rule in the book. He looked at it and then said the book was wrong! HE SAID THE RULE BOOK WAS WRONG!? So our PH does not hit. Without a better option, our scheduled hitter bats, and grounds into a game-ending 5-3 put out.
I don't expect umps to be perfect, but that series of events has left me scarred. And I've never seen an ump say the rule book was wrong. Have I mentioned the ump said the rule book was wrong?
I'm still having nightmares.
About 3 weeks ago, in a middle-school game featuring a number of questionable calls, the end of the game defies explanation. Batting in the bottom of the 7th, we trail 6-5. Here's the sequence of events that follows...
1. One on, nobody out. Batter has 2-2 count. Opposing pitcher has been quick pitching us all night, so our batters are stepping into the box with a hand up asking for time till they get settled in. The current batter has done the same thing in this at bat on every pitch, and the ump has granted every request in this at bat and throughout the whole game. Except on this one, single 2-2 pitch. The girl steps in with her hand up, and the pitcher throws one down the middle while our batter is getting her front foot on the ground. Ump calls strike three. Upon protest, he says, "I don't have to give her time if I don't want to." True. And it's in the rules, but it's cheap when it's only done once in a game, and in that situation.
2. Moving on, we have 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd, our batter loops a lazy fly into short center. CF comes in hard and gets to the ball, but as she reaches out for it, the ball bounces in and right out of her glove, falling on the ground. Field ump immediately calls the batter out, claiming DF dropped the ball in the transition to throw. Problem is, CF's throwing hand was never near the glove hand. She was reaching forward with glove hand and had throwing hand behind her when the ball bounced out. What saved our runners was the CF - who knew she had dropped the ball - throwing to third to get the force after dropping the ball (our runner at 2nd was holding close to the bag because the ball was so shallow in center). That gave our runner just enough time to return to the 2nd when she heard the ump call the batter out. (Very heads up running by our girls on base, because the ball was so obviously dropped, I wouldn't have faulted either one for getting doubled up.)
3. We manage to load the bases with 2 outs. We want to use a pinch hitter for the batter coming up. Same girl pinch hit for the same fielder in the 6th. Then we re-entered the fielder. Now with bases loaded and 2 out, we want to use the same PH again. (NFHS rules: any player, starter or substitute, can be withdrawn and re-entered one time as long as the re-enter in the same place in the batting order.) If we tie and go back for an 8th inning, the fielder is burned, but we needed a hitter right now, and hopefully don't need an 8th inning. PU refused to let PH bat because she'd already batted and been pulled. We called out the rule in the book. He maintained his position and wouldn't let the PH bat. We even showed him the rule in the book. He looked at it and then said the book was wrong! HE SAID THE RULE BOOK WAS WRONG!? So our PH does not hit. Without a better option, our scheduled hitter bats, and grounds into a game-ending 5-3 put out.
I don't expect umps to be perfect, but that series of events has left me scarred. And I've never seen an ump say the rule book was wrong. Have I mentioned the ump said the rule book was wrong?
I'm still having nightmares.
