Statman's New Stat--The "BH"

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Okay, so your freindly neighborhood statistician is always working hard. this means, networking with other statguys (thx, Frank!) and coaches to come up with the best stats possible, and hopefully in real time (getting more on that with technology). This also means keeping up with the bretmans and knowing the rules.

So, i get to the "BH". The BH stands for the "Black Hole". This is determined when an umpire misses/fails/interprets the rules incorrectly which leads to stunning a statman into recording something foul and misrepresented withi his holy book.

This weekend, an occurance of the BH rule came into effect. Batter pulls bat ahead to bunt, ball hits bat and fouls back behind catcher, runner on first advances. Ump calls strike and tip, runenr is allowed to stay at second. wth? this is the BH.

Also, runenrs at 2 and 3, ball is hit to shortstop. Runner interferes, dead ball is called. Runner doesnt score, right? wrong! That run scores as part of the BH. Since the runner entered the event horizon of the BH, that run was ****ed out of the game, awarded to opposing team, perhaps even having a negative effect on seeding. although the run in question should have not scored, it comes out throught the WH, which is the White Hole, and awarded to a team somewhere in central ohio. Meaning, you might have scored 5, but your scoreboard says 6. no one knows why? It came from the WH via the BH. Get it?

so statguys, pay mindful attention to the BH, as it inevitably will rear its head to a tourney near you

 

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Situation 1. This weekend, an occurence of the BH rule came into effect. Batter pulls bat ahead to bunt, ball hits bat and fouls back behind catcher, runner on first advances. Ump calls strike and tip, runner is allowed to stay at second. wth? this is the BH.

FOUL BALL! Foul Tip is a batted ball that goes sharply and directly to the catcher's mitt or hand and is legally caught by the catcher. It is a strike. (In Fastpitch, the ball reamins live.) Strike on the batter, (an out is recorded if it is the third strike) if not runner returns to first base.

Situation 2. Also, runners at 2 and 3, ball is hit to shortstop. Runner interferes, dead ball is called. Runner doesnt score, right? wrong! That run scores as part of the BH. Since the runner entered the event horizon of the BH, that run was ****ed out of the game, awarded to opposing team, perhaps even having a negative effect on seeding. although the run in question should have not scored, it comes out throught the WH, which is the White Hole, and awarded to a team somewhere in central ohio. Meaning, you might have scored 5, but your scoreboard says 6. no one knows why?

INTERFERENCE Interefer(runner) is Out! Other runners return to base occupied at the time of the Infraction.


Why this happened I haven't a Clue? Incompetent Ump Syndrome maybe?

 

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it's the BH!

 

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Statman - that is the greatest thing I have read in awhile. Histerical!

 

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LOL - I use to have a similar entry for the "holy book". It was called BSC (not too much imagination is used to decipher that one).

Just a thought - I would love to see some of these "calls" on You Tube with the link being sent to the Ohio directors for the the responsible sanction. With the number of parents videotaping games - that should not be that hard to do. We can call it the "Umpires Hall of Shame". (only for the really blatant BH or BSC)

 

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So after a call to that ends up in the "BH" that ends up coming out the "WH" is blue still an "AH" LMAO !!!!!

 

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I've always entered them into the book as a "wtf" call. (Just trying to keep it clean for everyone!)

Umpie

 

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So after a call to that ends up in the "BH" that ends up coming out the "WH" is blue still an "AH" LMAO !!!!!

Now THAT'S a good one!!:lmao:

 

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This weekend, an occurance of the BH rule came into effect. Batter pulls bat ahead to bunt, ball hits bat and fouls back behind catcher, runenr on first advances. Ump calls strike and tip, runenr is allowed to stay at second. wth? this is the BH.

Statman,
I think you missed the interpretation of this call. Unfortunately, I think I was the umpire.;& My call as the plate umpire was that the batter pulled the bat back and the ball went off the catchers glove, so the runner on first advanced to second. The base umpire called me over and said he was sure that the ball was fouled and we sent the runner back to first. This is where the fun began, i.e. winter ball. I returned to the plate and the batter said she didn't touch the ball. Then the catcher tells me that the batter didn't hit the ball. I CHANGED THE CALL! Then we sent the runner back to second. I call these kind of calls: AHC:yahoo:

 

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bh24...oh, thats a good one!

edgeoo---hey, we're supposed to keep this anonymous! hehe

 

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edgeoo: I hope that you had a talk with your base umpire after the game!

That is the plate umpire's call all the way and the base umpire has no business interjecting himself. Not to sound too harsh, but the BU really needs to keep his mouth shut on that call- UNLESS you go to him and ask for his help.

There is a by-the-book procedure and protocol for getting help from your partner and this base umpire jumped the gun. When that happens, it is bound to create confusion!

You had it right the first time (or, at least, you made what you judged to be the right call based on what you saw right in front of you). You were standing three feet away from the batter. The base umpire is positioned at least 70-80 feet away. Which of you is in a better spot to rule on negligible bat/ball contact?

There are very, very few situations where the base umpire should step in and offer his unsolicited opinion on a call normally made by the plate umpire- and this isn't one of them!


Statman: To offset the "Black Hole" calls, let's track another stat. I'll call it the BHS, or "Black Hole Save".

That is when an umpire misinterprets a rule, but the offended team's coach pulls their bacon out of the fire by: A) Knowing the correct rule and how it is applied, and; B) Understanding how to approach the umpire to discuss the call and possibly get it corrected- right up to and including filing an official protest.

Unfortunately, too many people think that "protest" means "yell louder than the other guy"! If a rule has been misinterpreted, there are ways to get it fixed- but you have to know the right rule yourself and know how to deal with umpires to get it corrected!

 

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Please help our team.
Please forward all your WH (white hole) calls care of Unknown Softball Dad somewhere Ohio. Thank you.

 

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Unfortunately, too many people think that "protest" means "yell louder than the other guy"! If a rule has been misinterpreted, there are ways to get it fixed- but you have to know the right rule yourself and know how to deal with umpires to get it corrected!

I only wished that all umpires had you wisdom and scrupples, but that is not the case. That is why I appreciate you and take your advise to heart. However, there are some do not adher to your principles as well as your knowledge. I have been coaching since you were in T-ball. You are the exception- not the norm. God knows I wished you were the norm. The larger group is in between your abilities and the ones at the other end of the spectrum.

 

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Ok Bretman.... when can the other runner advance? I had a runner interfere with my
2nd baseman and the runner at 2nd scored. I questioned how it could happen and was told by several umpires later that weekend that the call was correct. without the interference we could have held the runner at 3rd or made a play at home. The interfereing runner was "rewarded" for her (what appeared to be intentional) interference.

 

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When a runner interferes with a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball, not only is the interfering runner out but the ball is immediately DEAD.

At that instant, any advance by any other runners is stopped.

(Assuming that the interference was not the third out...) All other runners are returned to the base last touched at the moment the interference occurred.

If the runner from second base was between second and third when the interference happened, she would be returned to second base.

If she had advanced as far as third base before the interference (not likely, but possible if she was off with the pitch and the ball was slowly hit to F4), then she would be placed at third.

Even less likely- if she had touched home before the interference, her run would count. Kind of a one-in-a-million chance of that happening, but it is within the realm of possibility.

The key is that at the exact moment the fielder is interfered with, the ball is dead. Freeze things right there and place the runners back on the last base touched.

Unless I'm totally misreading your description of the play, it surprises me that "several umpires" told you allowing the other runner to continue advancing was the right call.