Are you an SMSUA member?

IF You are a member of SMSUA And you have not completed your ASA test or your background check THEN WHAT IN THE FLYIN FLIP ARE YOU DOING READING THIS? Get it turned in.

Having fun at the ball park

Tonight I had the pleasure of doing a 5-Star game in Renton.

I say pleasure because THAT IS WHAT IT WAS. Really. And, it was a reminder to make sure it's always fun for you, whether you have the honor of umpiring 5-Star, co-ed slowpitch at Loyal Heights, a 31-5 JV game, or something else.

Background checks

It is beyond the scope of my understanding why everyone hasn't filled out their ASA background check form and turned it in.

If it's because you think it is a violation of your rights, consider the following. Every coach on the field at an ASA tournament has to go through such a check EVERY YEAR. No one is permitted in the dugout at an ASA sanctioned JO tournament without going through the ACE program.

As an umpire, you are an independent contractor. This would be much like a painter or woodworker or landscaping guy. You probably want to check them out.

I know this: if I have to work 5 in a row again on the weekend of the Sidewinders, I will be a very unhappy umpire. Please, please, please fill out and submit your background check form.

Time of pitch

When a fair batted ball bounces over a field fence, goes under or through a fence or enters dead-ball territory, the ball is dead and all runners, including the batterrunner, are awarded two bases from their positions at the time of the pitch.

That is not a ground rule as many umpires believe. That’s called a TOP (Time Of Pitch) book rule award.

A ground rule covers a situation that is unique to a specific field situation, such as a fair batted ball entering a drainage ditch. All rulebooks (NFHS, NCAA, ASA) specifically cover two-base awards when a fair ball bounces over a fence or enters a dead-ball area.

Don’t be duped into making greater awards because a coach argues, “My batter was already at first base when the ball went out of play.” All such awards are two bases from TOP.

Pitching rules

The rules that cover pitching can be organized into: set position / signal, windup, step/stride, delivery and other requirements for the pitcher.

Be aware of what is acceptable while the pitcher is in the set position. The legal position for both pivot foot and non-pivot foot is listed in the rulebooks and range from the feet being on, partially on, in contact with or completely off the pitcher's plate. Other requirements for the set position include where the ball can be held, how the pitcher may remove herself from the set position without commiting an illegal pitch and the pitcher taking or simulating taking a signal from the catcher.

The rules for the windup are straightforward. There can be no motion without immediately delivering the pitch. The pitcher also cannot separate her hands and then bring them together again, stop or reverse the forward motion, or make more than one-and-one-half forward revolutions of the arm in the delivery of the pitch.Most illegal pitches, such as a leap or a crow hop, will occur during the step/stride.

An umpire must be well-trained in the rule, not only for what is illegal, but also for what other strange things the pitcher may do that have been interpreted as legal. For example, if the pitcher twists her pivot foot during the step/stride and loses contact with the pitcher's plate, the action may be considered legal in some codes, with certain caveats. The step/stride had been the subject of a lot of attention recently as an emphasis is being placed on pitchers staying within the 24-inch width of the pitcher's plate with her non-pivot foot.
Know these rules well, call the illegal pitch when appropriate and apply the correct penalties.

Excerpt from Referee Magazine April 2009.

Background checks

The Weekend JO tournaments are well under way and the rec slowpitch leagues are starting soon and many many of you have not submitted your release for a background check. Without that release you will not be assigned any ASA games. That’s all slowpitch games, all JO games and all tournament games.

The release form is available on the SMSUA website under the Links button, then the documents tab, then Other Important Documents. It can be e-mailed to me, sent by snail mail, or you can make arrangements to hand deliver it to me or any SMSUA Executive Board Member.

As of today I have 89 releases filled out. To put that in perspective, 95 umpires have worked games through game assign and 26 others have worked weekend crew games. SMSUA has also received 117 contracts. If you are one of the many that has completed all of your paperwork, thank you very much, if you haven’t you need to ASAP.

On May 1st if you have not submitted a release for background check, you will not be assigned any ASA games.

Non-approved bats

The ASA recently changed the non approved bat listings located at asasoftball.com. This was a recommendation by the ASA Equipment Testing and Certification Committee. The reasoning behind this was an attempt to make it easier for ASA leagues, tournament directors and umpires to clarify questions surrounding legal and/or illegal bats.

The original master list has been removed and replaced with two lists that separate bats that have been declared illegal that bear the 2000 mark and bats that bear both the 2000 and 2004 mark. This master list contained bats that were never intended to be certified by ASA that were made by bat manufacturers. The committee felt like this was confusing the issue and making it more complex than needed out in the field.

Bat manufacturers, against ASA’s guidance, will continue making bats intended for HR derby’s, outlaw leagues and other associations thus making it nearly impossible to continue listing every non-certified bat along with a photo.

All of these new non ASA certified bats do not contain the ASA certification mark so the easy answer for umpires and league/tournament directors is as follows:If a bat does not contain the ASA certification mark (either the 2000 or 2004 mark) it should not be allowed in ASA Championship Play unless in the sole discretion of the umpire was made prior to 2000.As always, the complete list of certified bats can be found in the certified equipment section of asasoftball.com.

Offensive huddles in ASA and NFHS

E-mail from Tom Henderson, SMSUA UIC:

As the High School season gets well underway, I have received several calls from coaches and umpires about when an offensive player can leave a base to talk with a coach. It appears that several umpires are enforcing the new NCAA rule in ASA and NFHS games.

The NCAA rule does not allow baserunners to leave their base and “huddle up” with the coach in certain circumstances.NCAA Rule 6.11.2.(new)2 When the catcher requests time to speak to the pitcher, baserunners may not abandon the vicinity of their bases without it being a charged offensive conference. Note: if either team is charged with a conference, baserunners are no longer restricted to the area near their bases.Rationale: Often the catcher runs out to give the pitcher a short message but because baserunners and base coaches all huddle, they delay the game and get what turns out to be a free conference, since none is charged. Change will help manage the game, and it eliminates the opportunity for a trick play.

There has been no such rule change in ASA or NFHS. As long as the baserunners have returned to the base they are supposed to be on and are ready to play when the game is ready to resume, there is no penalty. Even under the new NCAA rule, a college coach is still allowed to communicate with the baserunner. Simply stepping out of the coach’s box and whispering in the ear of his baserunner while the catcher and pitcher exchange a quick message is not a violation of the rule. The NCAA rule was put in place to keep the game moving and not give the offence an advantage that they do not deserve. In ASA and NFHS it is still up to the umpire to limit the amount of time used for, and frequency that these “meetings” are occurring.

No one likes 2 ½ hour ball games, especially the umpires. Save a minute here and a minute there, and before you know it, you have cut 15 minutes off the game time and it didn’t effect the play of the game at all.Keep looking up, the sun will shine soon, but during this period of inclement weather, use the time to study the rules of the games you work. It will make the time on the field in the sun more enjoyable.

Do your school ball test. Now.

If you are reading this, you umpire school ball, and you haven't completed your NFHS test, time is a-wasting.

In case you didn't get the e-mail, haven't read the e-mail or have ignored the e-mail, here it is:

One week ago an e-mail was sent to each of you regarding the importance of taking the high school test and clinic. Many of you have accomplished this and are now CERTIFIED. This not only benefits our association but is important to each of you as well.Those of you who are not certified and claim you have no time to accomplish this but do have time to work games, it's hard to buy into your reasoning.
So, here's the deal. Effective with games that are assigned this weekend, certified umpires will be assigned varsity games first. This will continue for the rest of the season. Those umpires who are not certified by the WOA deadline of April 25th will also not be eligible for post season assignments.

Mike Rabin & Don Hough

Bunt attempts in high school

A reminder that in high school ball, the bat must be withdrawn from the strike zone on a "fake" bunt attempt or it is a strike. This rule is different from ASA.

Out of order?

The umpire... is like the geyser in the bathroom; we cannot do without it, yet we notice it only when it is out of order. ~Neville Cardus

The batter's box

It's Game #3 of the night down at Grasslawn, Perrigo, North Creek, Loyal Heights, wherever. Smitty is up to bat.

"Hey blue!" the catcher half yells at you. "Make him get in the box!" You look...and half of Smitty's right foot is sticking out of the back of the box. Half of it is in. You decide that's ok.

It's NOT ok. Not only is it not ok, but teams tell our president, Don, and others at our league meetings they want this rule enforced.

Here it is from the ASA casebook.

PLAY 1-5
F1 steps on the pitching plate while B1 starts with a foot outside the lines of the batter’s box or is touching home plate.
RULING: If F1 has not started the pitch, the umpire should hold up play and instruct B1 to get into the box. In cases where there are no batter’s box lines evident, good judgment must be used and the benefit of any doubt must go to the batter. (1-BATTER’S BOX; 7-3A)

PACKET NIGHT/TEST NIGHT

Packet Night and Test Night have been combined this year. April 6, 630PM, South Park Community Center. The training staff and others will be there to point you in the right direction for those answers on those pesky test questions. We'll have horse doovers and other goodies. Cya there. Oh, don't forget you CAN work on your test in advance. Print out a copy from the link on the smsua.com website.

Runner awards

ASA 2009 Casebook

PLAY 8.3-4

B1 singles to right field and F9 throws the ball into the dugout in attempting a throw to F3.  The umpire awards B1 to 3B who cuts across the infield rather than touching 2B.

RULING: The defense must make a proper dead ball appeal for B1 missing 2B.  If the defense does not appeal, the action by B1 is ruled legal after the first pitch to B2. (1-APPEAL PLAY; 8-3I; 8-7G))

We tell everyone not to go looking for boogers, for they will find you soon enough. There is one place where we create our own boogers that can be simply fixed.

Some plays require us to award two bases to a baserunner. 

"Dead ball! Runner gets third base!" (Or second or home, whichever the case.)

So the runner goes to third base. Defense wants to appeal the runner missing second. Of course the runner missed second base. Now we have a big booger on our hands.

This is sooooo easily avoidable.

"The runner is awarded second base and third base." No boogers. No ugly arguments or ejection reports.

Wasn't that easy?

Evaluations

It is vitally important for you to be evaluated this year. If you want to do league, district or state playoffs in high school, you need to be evaluated. If you want to do metros, territorial, regional/national qualifiers or nationals, you need to be evaluated. To have evaluations scheduled, go to www.smsua.com and surf to evaluations, fill out the fields and send.

However, you need to be evaluated even without the playoff considerations. Evaluations are the ultimate training tool. We can tell you what is right, what can be improved and how to improve it. It might not always be nicey-nice, but it won't be mean. It makes no difference if you are a first-year umpire or a thirty-first year umpire. We all need formal evaluations.

Crow Hop/Replant

A crow hop is a replant of the pivot foot that allows pitchers to gain an unfair advantage. This video, courtesy of NFHS, shows how most crow hops occur. Be sure you know the difference between a leap and a crow hop. A leap, simply put, means both feet in the air at the same time before the pitcher has released the ball. A crow hop, generally speaking is a replant of the pivot foot that allows a pitcher to gain an unfair advantage.

Stepping within the plane of the plate

Pitchers are required to NOT step outside of the 24-inch width of the pitchers plate during their delivery. We have seen more pitchers violating this rule by stepping outside of the plane of the pitchers plate. This allows the pitchers to gain an unfair advantage, adding to their crossfire effect, a curveball or a screwball.

This is an illegal act and should be called by the plate umpire. It's an easy call and takes nothing away from your ability to call strikes.

In NCAA, the fields are marked with a pitcher's box to help establish and maintain legal deliveries by pitchers.

Video courtesy NFHS.

LEGAL drag

A legal push and drag

Video courtesy NFHS. Here is how a pitcher SHOULD be dragging their foot without a crow hop or other violation.

Stepping off the plate, breaking the hands

Videos are from NFHS.

This one describes how a pitcher may legally remove herself from the pitcher's plate. Remember that NFHS is different from ASA and NCAA. In NFHS, the pitcher MAY START with only one foot on the pitcher's plate.

In some browsers you may have to click on the little arrow in the bottom left hand corner of the video screen to start the video.

Code of conduct for umpires

This is straight from the 2009 NCAA rule book. It is a good reminder for us all.

Umpires are expected to uphold the integrity of the game and enforce its rules by observing the following guidelines of ethics and professionalism:

a. Develop and maintain a comprehensive knowledge of current NCAA softball rules and umpire mechanics.

b. Be fair and unbiased in making decisions, rendering them without regard to the score or the quality of the play on the field.

c. Honor all assignments and contracts.

d. Refrain from use of tobacco and alcohol on site.

e. When in uniform or on site, do not fraternize with players, coaches and/ or spectators.

f. Cooperate with your partner(s) to arrive at decisions that are ultimately correct and fair.

g. Listen to a coach’s concerns and respond in a professional manner.

h. Refrain from sharing information that might be used by a team’s future opponent.

i. Seek help from the on-site administrator or other appropriate individuals in controlling unruly students and spectators.

j. Be courteous and display a dignified attitude toward the game and its participants.

Welcome!

Hey Blue!

Welcome to the SMSUA training blog. We are using this blog to help all of us become the best umpire we want to be. Whether you are a novice or an expert, we hope you will

• Learn


• Ask questions


• Improve your skills

There are no "stupid" questions. We realize every question is important to you, and you are important to us -- and as more than just a fellow umpire.

We will identify rulesets when we talk about rules. Be sure you read all of the post. It will say ASA ruleset, NFHS ruleset, ASA SP only, ASA FP only, NCAA ruleset only. Some rules, mechanics and other issues we discuss will apply to just one of those, others will apply to multiple or all.

We're also going to have a brief little something good about SMSUA umpires on a regular basis. This could be just a photo and a brief blurb. It's our way of saying thanks to you for a job well done.

If you have comments, questions, concerns, ideas or anything else, please ask. We are not genies and don't grant wishes, but we will get you an answer from the appropriate folks.

Who is we?

"We" on this blog work through the auspices of our UIC, Tom Henderson. We include the SMSUA training staff as appointed by Tom, including Sean Wells, Kayleen Dunson, Diane Kolb and John Brooks. We have some of the greatest umpires in the world, and we have invited them to be part of our blogging crew when their schedules permit. Our blogger invitees include Lori Bish and Eric Hawthorne, PAC 10 conference umpires; John Personius, one of the best slow pitch umpires in the world; Malcolm Boyles, ASA Deputy Director of Umpires for the western territory; Bill Silves, ASA Region 15 UIC; and perhaps a guest blogger or two.