SBFAMILY said:
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1. Anything else we could do ?
2. Don't all the umpires get these updates and train on points of emphasis at the high school level?
1) About all you can do is state your case as clearly and calmly as possible and just hope that the umpire sees the light! If asked a question about a rule, the umpire should be willing to give an answer. If he stonewalls, it usually means that he doesn't know what he is talking about.
When discussing the pitch or a rule, it helps if you state the rule as closely as it appears in the rule book as possible. For instance, you could say "The rule says that the pivot foot has to maintain contact with the pitcher's plate or ground until the stride foot lands." Then ask him, "Why isn't that an illegal pitch?". Gets right to the heart of the matter and should get a straight forward answer as to why the call is or isn't being made.
Do that and you have stated your case as clearly as possible, addressed the specific rule and, you would hope, should get an answer that explains the umpire's interpretation of the rule and his judgment.
Unfortunately, if all that fails you're pretty much stuck with whatever they're going to call (unless protests are allowed, which they are not under OHSAA rules).
2) You would think so. But I'm starting to wonder! I'm convinced that there are a lot of umpires out there who are either set on doing things "their way" or do not bother to grow and learn each season to improve themselves and their game.
The rule books are there, the training is there, the clinics are there, but you also need an umpire that is willing to study this material in an effort to improve. Some seem to find their level of comfort, become set in their ways, just figure that they "know it all" and don't make any effort to move beyond that.
