Leaving early call, from HP umpire

[Iluvblue]

Yesterday we are up 3-0 in maybe 3rd inning. We have stolen 1 base so far. We get a lead off single. We have no play on, just a normal jump and home plate blue calls our runner on 1st out for leaving early.... he has a partner in the field.

Apparently in between innings the field umpire discusses with the plate umpire that we are leaving early. We have had this umpire before and he said the same thing to us then, although he never called it.

We are aggressive, and we are either perfect or real close to early when we steal a base, so when we get called for it, I will rarely argue or even make a comment. But I have no patience for the home plate blue making this call in a game when he has a partner right there watching. he might see movement out of the corner of his eye, but no way can he see if that runner's foot is still on the base.

that be like trying to call an illegal pitch on the pitcher while watching the runners.

So for the rest of the game my runners turned sideways, crossed their arms and didnt move on the pitch... and i mean they did not move one inch unless the ball was hit. We didnt want to be early on the bases, so we went back to rec ball..... just wanted to make the HP umpire feel at home.

If you are a field umpire, do you take offense to the plate umpire doing this with the runner that is on 1st base with no other runners on??

[MTR]

If you are a field umpire, do you take offense to the plate umpire doing this with the runner that is on 1st base with no other runners on??

Take offense? Not at all. Then again, I'm going to assume my partner is not calling anything s/he did not see.

I agree, it is difficult for the PU to see a runner leave early on the corners.

[Iluvblue]

And that is the real problem. I have no problem if an umpire calls us for leaving early, but when an umpire looks you in the face and blows smoke up your arse, I have a problem with that.

The plate umpire can not call balls and strikes and see if a kid at first has her foot on the base or not......... but apparently he can.

[PlayingfortheOCB]

A home plate umpire calling a runner out leaving early at first ... the play was either blatantly obvious or a terribly brutal call by the umpire.

[vcblue]

And that is the real problem. I have no problem if an umpire calls us for leaving early, but when an umpire looks you in the face and blows smoke up your arse, I have a problem with that.

The plate umpire can not call balls and strikes and see if a kid at first has her foot on the base or not......... but apparently he can.

This is the BU's call, however to state the a PU can not see that is not 100% correct. It matters how far off, and if we have a RH Batter in the box. But, this is not a call to guess at and if my father was watching the game he would call it ticky-tacky.

If I was the PU and my BU partner said, "they are leaving early" I would respond by, "then call it".

[Iluvblue]

If I was the PU and my BU partner said, "they are leaving early" I would respond by, "then call it".



Exactly. The base umpire comes over to me and tells me he told our Asst coach to keep our runners on the base as they were leaving early.

If this is a 12 or 10u rec game, I would say that would be appropriate for an umpire to do. This is a varsity HS team involving the top team in the district, I do not want an umpire telling us how we should be playing the game, anymore than an umpire wants a coach telling them how to umpire the game. If we are early like he was saying, he should have called it... that would have been done and over. By having the plate blue call it, now they piss off coaches that would have otherwise gone about their business on the field with not a peep.

I do agree with the prior statement, a home plate umpire can see a kid leave early if they are so blatantly off the bag that the movement is so early it just isnt hard. But on any play that is even remotely close, no way. And since we were not even stealing...... no way was she early to the point where a plate umpire should be calling it.


Anyways, not bad for the season......25 games played and only 2 incidents at all where something more then a simple question was asked of an umpire.

[SoCalASABlue]

At what point in time is an umpire allowed to enforce the rules in rec ball?

It's a bit frustrating to hear how stupid rec ball coaches are yet umpires are supposed to overlook rules violations that, if called and explained, would hopefully enhance the coaches' knowledge of the game they're trying to coach and consequently enhance the skills they are supposed to be teaching the players.

And when the rules violations being ignored are illegal pitches, that's even worse. Stop treating rec ball pitchers differently than travel ball or high school pitchers. If they're pitching illegally, call it. Look on the internet and you can find videos from PCs teaching girls as young as 7 how to pitch illegally...those coaches wouldn't have the business if IPs were consistently called.

And to answer the inevitable question, yes I call IPs, obstruction, and interference in rec ball games.

[Iluvblue]

No problem calling stuff in rec. But i think we have to keep in mind many rec ball pitchers are just trying to learn how to throw balls in the zone. Why call IP over and over on her? I personally think explaining it in between innings to a coach is more appropriate then ruining a rec ball game filled with players learning basic fundamentals.

I think the age determines how strict an umpire should be in the rules for rec.

a 10u kid just starting to pitch in rec, should NEVER be called for IP IMO.

[bruinfans]

"a 10u kid just starting to pitch in rec, should NEVER be called for IP IMO."

Boy, I sure wish you were umpiring when our DD started pitching-blues were calling IP's on her in 8u.

[SoCalASABlue]

I think Iluvblue's point of view is held by many blues but I never assume that a girl in the circle is just learning to pitch.

If I'm doing an 8U game and I can see she's a beginner, I'll usually give a warning to the coach and explain what is illegal about what his pitcher is doing.

But even then, when I've been the nice blue and just given a warning about replanting, I'm amazed how quickly that innocent little girl in the circle with the supposed attention span of a gnat does not replant the rest of the game (once she knows she's being watched and will get called for it).