2009 Opening Night Epilogue

'm a big fan of first impressions. Share your thoughts on how you think things went the first night.

How did it go at Shamrock?

How did the longer distance for the pitcher affect them?

Did the bigger strike zone seem to speed up the game?

One thing that came up was the home plate sliding thing again.

Let me re-iterate what the rules says and the intent.

Intent is obviously to avoid injury.

The rule, as written;

6.1. On any play at the plate, the runner must avoid contact with the fielder. If the runner does not slide and makes contact with the fielder at home plate, the runner is out at the discretion of the home plate umpire.

6.1.1. A play at the plate shall be defined as the ball in flight or bouncing towards home plate irregardless if the fielder is in position or not.

6.1.2. Further, the location of the ball must clearly be at or nearer to home plate than the pitching rubber (approximately 50 feet) and is subject to the umpires discretion.

Interpreting the above;

There is NO Mandatory slide rule implied or stated above! There is a mandatory avoid aggressive contact. Also, if a runner elects NOT to slide and makes contact with the fielders glove, this is NOT considered aggressive contact in most cases. The runner using their hand(s) or a part of their body in an attempt to jar the ball loose comes to mind as an aggressive act.

The umpires discretion should reflect a clear understanding of the written rule and our intent here. If the runner does not slide and the ump feels there was purposeful contact in an attempt to 'jar the ball loose' it is their discretion.

It is also implied that when runners slide, they are generally absolved of the issue of contact with the catcher since it is then the catchers job to apply the tag without blocking the plate. If they do not have the ball, they need to get out of the way.

Is this clearer to you all or are there still questions? It is YOUR job to educate your umpires on this rule.

Also, be mindful of potential plays at the plate when you select your catcher. The time to ask them if they wish to catch the ball at any play at the plate is before they first take the field. If they are NOT comfortable with taking a play at the plate, the pitcher and the catcher need to understand who is covering home in that scenario.

FYI. As a rule, if I am taking in your game from the stands I will not be reeled into a judgement call by the umpire. I am there to watch and enjoy the game.

I do reserve the right to intercede in the event of a blatant rules violoation such as some guy under 55 using a metal bat or 10 male players on the field or a game getting out of control conduct wise. I also will not shy from speaking up if the pitching rubber is NOT at 50 feet or bases are not at 60 feet or if umpires reference sheets are NOT hanging on the fence behind the umpire or they are not wearing their safety vests. Of course I'll do this with a smile. :-)

Standings will be available later this week.

Thanks all and have a great week.