player " One foot in the box please"

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Could someone clue me in on what was going on with the crew in blue at Goshen this weekend ? obviously it was some type of point of emphasis but I don't get it-- UNLESS the player is slow getting in the box why say anything to the batter ? I know it confused several players and coaches.

My dd NEVER steps up to the plate with a foot in / foot out of the box . She , and lots of players like her, gets in the box with both feet in and back arm raised (asking for time to get set ) while she settles in. nothing slow or delaying about it.

This statement or order from the blue telling the players how to get in the box did'nt set too well with me, as long as players are doing it right why tell them how to do it ? I just really don't like blue offering their opinion on how to play the game.

another strange comment was a home plate blue very quietly telling the catcher " nice comeback" after striking out one of our batters in a 0-0 game in the 5th inning after being down in the count 3-0. This was after calling the 3-1 pitch a strike that caught no part of the outside corner. just strange. MD

 

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Happened to our 10U team a couple of weekends ago. ASA umpires making them keep at least one foot in the box at ALL times. Was told been a rule around for a long time and is now being much more enforced.

 

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It has been a rule in ASA and it's been sporadically enforced for years.

 

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After calling a strike against one of my players for being out of the box and then two innings later a strike against one of the Doom96 players for the same thing, the Home plate ump called John Miller and I out for a conference and said he was doing us a favor so we could get more innings in. John's response was classic - "Well stop, these are two of the better teams in the state - just let us play and quit calling strikes against our batters for no reason".

In one game, the ump was a really nice guy (he really was) but his strike zone was all over. After questioning a couple called strikes to my batters, in between innings he came over and said, "you were right I blew 4 of those pitches". I was stunned, didn't know how to respond so the next inning I went out and told him "it's ok, just call 4 balls strikes against the other team and we'll call it even".

 

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It is Rule 7-3-C and reads:

After entering the batter's box, the batter must remain in the box with at least one foot between pitches and while taking signals and practice swings. Exceptions: The batter can leave the box:

1. if the ball is hit fair or foul.
2. on the swing, slap or check swing.
3. if forced out of the box by a pitch.
4. on a wild pitch or passed ball.
5. if there is an attempted play.
6. if time out has been called.
7. if the pitcher leaves the eight-foot circle or the catcher leaves the catcher's box.
8. on a three ball pitch that is a strike that the batter thinks is a ball.

The umpire may warn the batter or call a strike. Any number of warnings and called strikes can be made with each batter.

 

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I saw something strange too. In a 16u game the plate umpire was telling the teams to get a batter in the on deck area immediately. I only saw this with 1 crew though.

 

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i'm not a rule studier . just not. never read a rule book (but hope too soon) , anyway does the rule state the batter needs to have a foot in there at all times ? That seems stupid. YES the ump should have the authority to maintain the flow of the game , meaning no stalling or delaying getting in the box , but how bout just call the game correctly instead of worrying about foot location in the approach to the box.

just call a good game, don't blow call after call , then politely tell each batter " player , one foot in the box" .

 

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thanks Mike --my kid did'nt really want to swing at that eye high 3rd strike call, now I know why that happened LOLOLOLOL

Too stinking funny --I was going to describe how you guys got screwed on 2 LOW pitches in the 1st 2-3 innings ,then doom 95 got the hose on HIGH pitches 2 innings later.

It's just sad that your kids and ours work as long and as hard as they do to get an AB taken away from them in a game where you only get 2 AB's is painful to watch. MD

 

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These were ASA umpires.....correct?

Len

 

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In one game, the ump was a really nice guy (he really was) but his strike zone was all over. After questioning a couple called strikes to my batters, in between innings he came over and said, "you were right I blew 4 of those pitches".

We had several of the worst umpires I have ever seen. Friday night we had 'the nicest guy' as our umpire as well. After 2 innings of strikes being called at the eye level - I could not take it any more. I called time and walked down the 3rd base line to him. 'Blue, would you mind telling me what your strike zone is' I asked.

"ASA" was the answer.

"ASA?", I replied.

"Yes, ASA, slightly below the knees to just above the eye's", he said, putting his hand at eyebrow level to show me.

I was stunned. "Seriously?" I put my hand on my chest, "Is'nt it knees to chest area?"

"No, Sir, that is High School, this is ASA"

The UIC was standing right behind the fence and heard it all, he put his hands on his forehead, as I chuckled and walked back toward third. When we got back to the dugout, he met me and apologized over and over. Telling me it was the umps first FP game. It cost us 9 strikeouts in 5 innings, my kids could not make them selves swing at the eye level pitch. And the ump stood over the left hand batter box, not behind the catcher, on RH'rs to make his calls.

Twice a pitch bounced and hit our batter, both times dead ball was called, no base. Thankfully, both umpires listened and awarded the base after I explained in FP they get it. I think they were mostly hardball umps. We did have 2 crews that were very good, I offered them $50 to cover our next 2 games ... :lmao:

 

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thats was one comment i made to our higher ups . When two of the best teams meet lets make sure the more experienced crews get assigned. I honestly don't think some of these guys had ever called more than a LL softball game and were blown away by how good the players have gotten. the saying "speed of the game " comes to mind. MD

 

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After our game with the Doom 97 - the ump - who was not bad, kept saying.. My daughter plays 12u softball, but it is nothing like this .. this is good..

 

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Doug--I watched your game friday night. It was very very bad, thats being kind. like I said , the girls work very very hard and parents spend big bucks to play. They should'nt get screwed over on game day. I'm sure this will be the big thing the Doom org will fix for next year. MD

 

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I felt bad for him, he was nice as heck, just dead wrong and did not know it. He was from WV and told me it was his first tourny. The other teams girls were all big/tall and when we would throw it up aroind their eyes our catcher had to rise up from her crouch to catch it, he would call it a ball. Their catcher would just reach up on our shorter kids and catch it at their eyes - STRIIIIKE ... it is funny today, but poor Larry was about to have a stroke Friday night.

Ump's were out of the Doomer's control - they had to trust the UIC / ASA to get better quality umpires. Warren Jones was there Sat and out came the batters box/step issue - same as Greenville (a rule I like BTW)

Heck it was so bad Friday night I would have even paid Quakerman double to do our plate .... just kidding!

 

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After calling a strike against one of my players for being out of the box and then two innings later a strike against one of the Doom96 players for the same thing, the Home plate ump called John Miller and I out for a conference and said he was doing us a favor so we could get more innings in. John's response was classic - "Well stop, these are two of the better teams in the state - just let us play and quit calling strikes against our batters for no reason".

In one game, the ump was a really nice guy (he really was) but his strike zone was all over. After questioning a couple called strikes to my batters, in between innings he came over and said, "you were right I blew 4 of those pitches". I was stunned, didn't know how to respond so the next inning I went out and told him "it's ok, just call 4 balls strikes against the other team and we'll call it even".

I still can't believe you told him to do that and I'm pretty sure he did. %$^^$%$^@$% fire ! no wonder we both went scoreless into the 6th . 2 great arms , ump with large zone = lots of zero's . MD

 

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When two of the best teams meet lets make sure the more experienced crews get assigned. MD

Do lesser talented teams deserve lesser talented crews? I would agree that the further along in bracket play you get, the better the crews should get, i.e., put the "best" crew on the field for the championship game. But sometimes strange things happen -- like a blind draw to assign brackets and two of the "best" teams might meet earlier than expected. Should the TD then make a determination that those teams are the "best" and therefore a certain blue crew should be assigned to that game? IMO would hate to see TD making those type of assignment decisions.

 

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i see your point. each and every team deserves good umpiring. But if you have a crew of umps and a round of games to cover I see nothing disrespectful about saying " Hey lasers 10u and buckeye elite10u are two of the strongest teams in ohio. make sure they get a veteran crew"

 

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I was told at a tournament that that rule was going to be enforced to keep the game moving quickly. They say if the batter always has 1 foot in the box than they tend not to take as long getting thier signs. Their explanation, not mine.

 

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It is Rule 7-3-C and reads:

After entering the batter's box, the batter must remain in the box with at least one foot between pitches and while taking signals and practice swings. Exceptions: The batter can leave the box:

1. if the ball is hit fair or foul.
2. on the swing, slap or check swing.
3. if forced out of the box by a pitch.
4. on a wild pitch or passed ball.
5. if there is an attempted play.
6. if time out has been called.
7. if the pitcher leaves the eight-foot circle or the catcher leaves the catcher's box.
8. on a three ball pitch that is a strike that the batter thinks is a ball.

The umpire may warn the batter or call a strike. Any number of warnings and called strikes can be made with each batter.

I noticed the rule states AFTER entering the box . The umps I saw were telling the players before they ever stepped into the box. Guess there might be a learning curve for the players if blue is going to start enforcing a rarely enforced rule .

 

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... My dd NEVER steps up to the plate with a foot in / foot out of the box . She , and lots of players like her, gets in the box with both feet in and back arm raised (asking for time to get set ) while she settles in. nothing slow or delaying about it...

Sounds like your DD was definitely not slowing the flow of the game, which makes it puzzling why he would even say anything at all.

The umps are for the most part just interested in moving things along, and not turning a game into a baseball game marathon, so I can't blame them there. However, I would caution your DD about stepping fully into the box until SHE is ready. She's in control (within reason), and with both feet in the box, the ump can give the pitcher the green light - ignoring your DD's request (arm held up). With one foot out, she's obviously NOT ready, and unless the ump is really a jerk, he won't let the pitcher start until the batter has both feet in. It's about controlling a little piece of the game.