Yes another Ump gripe.... (look away if ya need to)

[RubberBiscuit]

I guarantee that if the umpires ever called every rule exactly as it is written, the tone around here would change drastically especially when the pitchers didn't get any warm-up pitches between innings.

MTR - So waht are some of these "surprise" rules that would hit us common-folk if they were implemented as written?

1. Some rule I was not aware of that pitchers could not throw inning warm-ups
2. ??


I tell ya one thing I HATE seeing is the one organization that says the on-deck batter has to stay on their dugout side. I would double-tap the genious that invented that rule.....

 

[RubberBiscuit]

It is clear from your commentary that you believe that the lesson to teach the players is to try to get one by if you can. Now I know why so many kids are turning out so bad. It is improper, unethical and unsportsmanlike to "play ignorant to the rules to be able to sway the uneducated condition of most umpires." You are supposed to be teaching players to play by the RULES, which clearly so many coaches don't know in the first place. If you think it is proper to distract an umpire and try to get a leg-up on him, then you ought to take a good hard look in the mirror.

I say these comments not as an umpire, but as an adult who sees the worst of society every time I go to my full time job.

If I distributed to coaches the same test I distribute to umpires, I would just love to compare the results.

I guess you also don't think that a "skill" to winning is knowing what the rules are.

OMG "Umpire" are you really trying to boil the ocean on this one and gonna blame me for the wrongs of society? Remind me to heckle you from the stands (of course I will not,..... gotta clarify my morals with you obviously....)

So what you are standing on (or better stated - distracting on) now is that, for example, a defense lawyer should never defend an accused person because it's morally wrong to defend a criminal..... Everyone should have the right to have representation and that is sort of what a coach does in a game. But that's another topic,....back to the topic...

Bottom line is that I was being tounge-in-cheek sarcastic with that comment becasue in our beloved society there WILL be sooo many coaches that will have that "win-at-all-cost" profiles that WILL do what you & I both do not want to have happen. ALL BASED ON UMPIRE RULE IGNORANCE - NOT COACH IGNORANCE.

 

[EP Dad]

Umpire,

Why is the strike zone never the one in the rulebook?

Thanks,
EP Dad

 

[DOG310]

Alex, I'll take top of the knees to mid-thighs and and the entire ball over the plate for $100, please. Oh no, wait, make that ankles to chin and three ball widths off the plate.

Umpire,

Why is the strike zone never the one in the rulebook?

Thanks,
EP Dad

 

[Comp]

I tell ya one thing I HATE seeing is the one organization that says the on-deck batter has to stay on their dugout side. I would double-tap the genious that invented that rule.....

One organization? As far as I can tell every rule set has that rule. I know for a fact both USSSA and ASA both do, and being TCS uses ASA rules they do also. The only one I cant find it in readily is FED.

 

[BretMan]

I tell ya one thing I HATE seeing is the one organization that says the on-deck batter has to stay on their dugout side. I would double-tap the genious that invented that rule.....

Agree with Comp that you will have a hard time finding a rule set that doesn't restrict the on-deck batter to their side of the field.

(And here I thought that we were supposed to be dealing with the knowledgable coaches on this site...)

Think of this as a safety issue. Which would you consider to be more safe:

- Allow a player to randomly swing a bat anywhere on the field they please, where an unsuspecting player might "walk into one" and get nailed, or restrict the swings to one specific spot so that players around the batter have a reasonable expectation to avoid that specific area?

- Allow a player to walk behind the plate to get to the other side while warm-up pitches are being thrown, at the risk of being hit by a wild pitch, or keep them on one side of the field away from an area where an errant throw might get them?

But I will try to stay open minded here. Why do you think this is a bad idea?

 

[James Smith]

I want the on deck batter to be behind the batter, batter’s back to the on deck hitter.

We do not have a lot of room and the ball can get to the on deck batter pretty quickly when it is sliced off. I haven’t seem to many occurrences of a batter pulling a ball so much that it heads towards the on deck batter.

 

[Rocketech1]

It's disappointing to me that some are so quick to criticize the umpires and blame them for their team failure(s). My experience with umpires is that most are pretty good, knowledgeable about the rules, are fair and cordial to the coaches, and control the game well. They are human and will occasionally make mistakes, that's part of the game. No game is decided by one bad call, ever. There are 7 innings for your team to play solid defense and to score many runs on offense. As long as umpires are consistent with both teams and are trying to do enforce the rules as they have been taught, cut them some slack. If you are a coach and have to use officiating as an excuse for your team's poor performing, shame on you.

 

[Rocketech1]

I want the on deck batter to be behind the batter, batter’s back to the on deck hitter.

We do not have a lot of room and the ball can get to the on deck batter pretty quickly when it is sliced off. I haven’t seem to many occurrences of a batter pulling a ball so much that it heads towards the on deck batter.

The problem with this thinking is that there are right handed batters and left handed batters and teams in both dugouts so each team's on deck batter would have to switch on deck circles mulitiple times an inning to always have the on deck batter warming up with their back to the batter. This would slow the game down and be inefficient. I would not change this rule. Use the on deck circle closest to your dugout.

 

[James Smith]

I disagree which is OK, If you are organized it does not slow the game down.

Batter walks to the batter’s box, on deck batter runs behind the PU to the other on deck circle.

If you are not organized, I agree it slows the game down.