MrUmp1

Here we go... The pitcher must pitch to a batter from one side the whole at bat. A switch hitter can move to the other side of the box if he wants to. The only time it would be for an advantage for the batter to switch is if a new pitcher is brought in then he would change sides. Most of the time a pitching change is not made in the middle of the count but it does happen. Batter may change, pitcher may not during an at bat.

Guess I better watch out. As a big guy folks might think the Ump is on the ROIDS !!!!!!!  They already know I have a mental and sight problem.

You are correct Pants.... I would think it would be very rare that a ball could have been played by one infielder, passes him hits a runner, and another infielder could have still made a play. Of course the ball can bounce in some strange ways. I blame it on global warming.

West End hit it on the nose. Once a fielder has had an opportunity to field the ball then the runner is not out if it hits him. This happened in an Astros game a few years back when Dierker was manager. He almost got thrown out of the game for arguing such a call. The hit ball had gone right by the first baseman when it hit the runner and the stros did not get an out and Dirk was livid.

I have 4 tickets to Sunday Sox game. Section 105 row 39 field box. I have already been offered $300 for a pair. They will be going for a much higher price closer to game day. I wil sell mine around end of May unless someone just knocks my sox off with an offer. BTW they are hard tickets not a print out.

I left one little word out of that last phrase.. musta been to early for me... There does NOT have to be any contact for obstruction to be called. Maybe this will make it easier to understand. I get to typing to fast and make mistakes.

Correct  Foul Ball

The ball is dead immediately, all runners advance 1 base from the base they occupied at the time of the pitch. Except if it is a strike for the third out of an inning.  You made me go to the book for that one LOL... and don't ask me why the exception all I did was write what was in the rule book. Hope I never have to explain that one to a coach lol.

No Hit Barbe at their tourny..... Doesn't get any sweeter than that !!!!!!!!

This change was on a thrown ball. A batted ball the fielder has the right to be anywhere he neeeds to be to make a play on batted ball. The runner must avoid the fielder or have interference called on him. The fielder cannot block a base without the ball and if he does so he will be called for obstruction if he alters the play. There does have to be any contact for obstruction to be called. Guess I now understand where 643 was comming from on the saftey issue. Altering the play is enough for obstrution to be called. The Federation was actually trying to make the game safer by making fielders get in a position where the possibility of contact would be less. I know they will see how it goes this year and sometimes they revert back to the previuos rule. I do not think it will come into play that much this season. I've done 14 games so far and have not had to call it yet. Of course now that I said that it will come up in todays game ....lol

I didn't hear about any of this before i left from up there. Last I heard it was 4 games tommorrow

no the player will not be penalized. If he is not safe then we will have obstruction.

If the runner runs over a catcher he will be out and ejected. He will have to avoid unneccesary contact. Running over somone because they are in the basepath is not an excuse to do it. Go around and let the Umpire make any calls of obstruction. Worse thing you can do is to create contact.

The whole intent of the rule changing is that a fielder cannot block a base without the ball in his possession. If the catcher is just inside the line he is ok because he is giving access to the runner. A catcher up the line is still the same as it has always been. Just remember this, the chalk line is a fair/foul line not a baseline. A runner creates his own baseline from the point he is at to the base he is going to. Simply do not block any base without the ball in your possession.

Yes they have changed that ruling. There is no more blocking a base without the ball in possesion. Before as long as a fielder was making a play on the ball he could block. Now he must have the ball. To take this a little farther, using first base as an example, the first baseman must give the runner at least half of the base as access on a pick off throw.

affirmative on the initials.  In a Varsity contest I would not warn, only in a subvarsity and only if it was technical.  The only time I may warn at a Varsity contest if it is a situation in a blow out game or a game late in the year where you have someone pitching that is not a normal pitcher. This week everybody is 0-0 going into district play. Everyone is in 1st place. There will be no warnings. I was thinking maybe you thought I was soft on the balk rule... wrong..... sometimes you just have to look at the big picture. Score is 15-0 5th innning does a technical balk need to be called ???? You make the call....

So basicly no change, hasn't really been a change since the comming to 'set' in the stretch, this IMO gets overlooked. No warnings should be issued in any Varsity contest after scrimages. Its not the umpires job to intsruct, just inforce the rules inplace. 

Mr Ump

Do you have any problem with how touchy some of the balk rules have become?  Clearly, the rule is designed to keep pitchers from deceiving runners.  Many balk calls seem to be technical in nature, but have no practical effect on the game.   Any thoughts on this?

643 .... You have to look at the situation. You can not say "any varsity contest". Maybe I used the wrong word when I said instruct. What I meant by that is I may tell the coach what the pitcher is doing so he can coach him to do it properly.

As far as touchy balk calls.. The reason these balk rules are in the book is because at some point in time in baseball history, someone used these moves to deceive or gain an unfair advantage. It is not the Umpires job to try and read the mind of a player to know if he did something on purpose. Intentional or not rules are rules and believe me there are some very good actors out there. Umpiring is judgement, some have better than others and some fans have better than others. One thing I can say for me.. as a former player and coach, I see the game full circle as an Umpire because I have seen it from all sides.

Thats a great question. Best way for me to answer that is how I would call it. If it is a sub varsity contest I would warn and try to teach which I have already done this year. Most coaches really like that we help them teach the kids the proper way. Varsity ball.. just depends on the level of play by the two teams if a warning is justified or call a balk. There are ways to warn without anyone even knowing like telling a coach in between innings. Whatever you do you have to be fair to both sides. The teams that are going to be vying for playoff spots, are not going to get a warning in district games. This is how I do it and I cannot speak for any other umpire how they would handle it. Sometimes it just boils down to what I would consider common sense. Now what I think is common and what someone else thinks........ Thats what makes us human.

On a related subject.... the Beaumont Umpires will discuss plans on what to do with Ford Park this Wednesday. Next week will will tackle what to do with the roads that need work driving to ballparks.

It's not so much a new balk rule. but enforcement of the pitching rule.  Here are all the points of emphasis for this year.

                                                            POINTS OF EMPHASIS

                  Pitching

Starting position of the non-pivot foot determines whether the pitcher is in the windup or set position.

Windup  Non-pivot foot shall be in any position on or behind a line extending through the front edge of the pitchers plate.

Set  Before starting his delivery, shall stand with his entire non-pivot foot in front of a line extending through the front edge of the pitchers plate.

If his non-pivot foot meets the requirement of the set position, but he attempts to pitch from the wind-up, he has balked.

Going to the mouth on the pitchers plate is a balk.

The pitcher may come to a complete and discernible stop with the glove in front of his head (some part of the glove at the chin level; could be the bottom part of the glove).  Basically the pro rule, must stop with the glove in front of his body, the head counts as body.

Obstruction

Fielders are not allowed to deny access to the base without possession of the ball.

Game personnel to be in dead-ball territory.

Illegally extending dugouts

Players leaving dugout during live ball.

Coaching Professionalism

Good sporting behavior.

Proper interaction with officials

Attending pregame conference

Ethical behavior

Controlling their dugout

Umpire Professionalism

Good sporting Behavior

Batters hit by a pitch

Prohibition on moving into the pitch

Sticking out an elbow or knee so that batter is hit

Batter must make an attempt to avoid the pitch when possible

HJ and Evadale Cancelled tonight. 

Hardin Jefferson Tourny has already cancelled first 2 games today and depending on weather will try to get one game in tonight at 7 pm possible in Evadale. Looks like rest of tourny games will also be played at either Evadale or Buna. HJ field got to much rain yesterday and last night.

They did play Thursday night. I umpired the last 4 innings between Vidor and Kelly. Both look to have very good ball clubs. I saw some of Silsbee and Kelly and Silsbee had some very good players also. Scimmages are scimmages so don't read to much into them as coaches may be trying players at different positions and also pitching other players to see what they have under live ball situations. It just a controled practice. All three should have very good years from what I saw.

I got picked and got 4 tix for sox  box seats, and 2 for yanks upper deck behind homeplate. I am going to auction off the Sox tix. Know way I can pass on that pay day.

Did any one else get in on the ticket lottery for Yanks and Sox vs Stros ??? I was able to get 4 box seats section 105 row 39 for Sox game and 2 3rd row upper deck behind home plate for Yanks. Uncle Drayton popped the tickets up around 10 bucks from the norm.  I know I will go to Yanks game but I may have to see what I can get for the Sox tix. Somebody will pay a premium for those I know.