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9.00 THE UMPIRE
9.01
(a) The league president shall appoint one or more umpires to officiate
at each league championship game. The umpires shall be responsible
for the conduct of the game in accordance with these official rules
and for maintaining discipline and order on the playing field during
the game. (b) Each umpire is the representative of the league and
of professional baseball, and is authorized and required to enforce
all of these rules. Each umpire has authority to order a player,
coach, manager or club officer or employee to do or refrain from
doing anything which affects the administering of these rules, and
to enforce the prescribed penalties. (c) Each umpire has authority
to rule on any point not specifically covered in these rules. (d)
Each umpire has authority to disqualify any player, coach, manager
or substitute for objecting to decisions or for unsportsmanlike
conduct or language, and to eject such disqualified person from
the playing field. If an umpire disqualifies a player while a play
is in progress, the disqualification shall not take effect until
no further action is possible in that play. (e) Each umpire has
authority at his discretion to eject from the playing field (1)
any person whose duties permit his presence on the field, such as
ground crew members, ushers, photographers, newsmen, broadcasting
crew members, etc., and (2) any spectator or other person not authorized
to be on the playing field.
9.02
(a) Any umpire's decision which involves judgment, such as, but
not limited to, whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a
pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe or out,
is final. No player, manager, coach or substitute shall object to
any such judgment decisions. (a) Players leaving their position
in the field or on base, or managers or coaches leaving the bench
or coaches box, to argue on BALLS AND STRIKES will not be permitted.
They should be warned if they start for the plate to protest the
call. If they continue, they will be ejected from the game. (b)
If there is reasonable doubt that any umpire's decision may be in
conflict with the rules, the manager may appeal the decision and
ask that a correct ruling be made. Such appeal shall be made only
to the umpire who made the protested decision. (c) If a decision
is appealed, the umpire making the decision may ask another umpire
for information before making a final decision. No umpire shall
criticize, seek to reverse or interfere with another umpire's decision
unless asked to do so by the umpire making it. (c) The manager or
the catcher may request the plate umpire to ask his partner for
help on a half swing when the plate umpire calls the pitch a ball,
but not when the pitch is called a strike. The manager may not complain
that the umpire made an improper call, but only that he did not
ask his partner for help. Field umpires must be alerted to the request
from the plate umpire and quickly respond. Managers may not protest
the call of a ball or strike on the pretense they are asking for
information about a half swing. Appeals on a half swing may be made
only on the call of ball and when asked to appeal, the home plate
umpire must refer to a base umpire for his judgment on the half
swing. Should the base umpire call the pitch a strike, the strike
call shall prevail. Baserunners must be alert to the possibility
that the base umpire on appeal from the plate umpire may reverse
the call of a ball to the call of a strike, in which event the runner
is in jeopardy of being out by the catcher's throw. Also, a catcher
must be alert in a base stealing situation if a ball call is reversed
to a strike by the base umpire upon appeal from the plate umpire.
The ball is in play on appeal on a half swing. On a half swing,
if the manager comes out to argue with first or third base umpire
and if after being warned he persists in arguing, he can be ejected
as he is now arguing over a called ball or strike. (d) No umpire
may be replaced during a game unless he is injured or becomes ill.
9.03
(a) If there is only one umpire, he shall have complete jurisdiction
in administering the rules. He may take any position on the playing
field which will enable him to discharge his duties (usually) behind
the catcher, but sometimes behind the pitcher if there are runners).
(b) If there are two or more umpires, one shall be designated umpire
in chief and the others field umpires.
9.04
(a) The umpire in chief shall stand behind the catcher. (He usually
is called the plate umpire.) His duties shall be to: (1) Take full
charge of, and be responsible for, the proper conduct of the game;
(2) Call and count balls and strike; (3) Call and declare fair balls
and fouls except those commonly called by field umpires; (4) Make
all decisions on the batter; (5) Make all decisions except those
commonly reserved for the field umpires; (6) Decide when a game
shall be forfeited; (7) If a time limit has been set, announce the
fact and the time set before the game starts; (8) Inform the official
scorer of the official batting order, and any changes in the lineups
and batting order, on request; (9) Announce any special ground rules,
at his discretion. (b) A field umpire may take any position on the
playing field he thinks best suited to make impending decisions
on the bases. His duties shall be to: (1) Make all decisions on
the bases except those specifically reserved to the umpire in chief;
(2) Take concurrent jurisdiction with the umpire in chief in calling
"Time," balks, illegal pitches, or defacement or discoloration
of the ball by any player. (3) Aid the umpire in chief in every
manner in enforcing the rules, and excepting the power to forfeit
the game, shall have equal authority with the umpire in chief in
administering and enforcing the rules and maintaining discipline.
(c) If different decisions should be made on one play by different
umpires, the umpire in chief shall call all the umpires into consultation,
with no manager or player present. After consultation, the umpire
in chief (unless another umpire may have been designated by the
league president) shall determine which decision shall prevail,
based on which umpire was in best position and which decision was
most likely correct. Play shall proceed as if only the final decision
had been made.
9.05
(a) The umpire shall report to the league president within twelve
hours after the end of a game all violations of rules and other
incidents worthy of comment, including the disqualification of any
trainer, manager, coach or player, and the reasons therefor. (b)
When any trainer, manager, coach or player is disqualified for a
flagrant offense such as the use of obscene or indecent language,
or an assault upon an umpire, trainer, manager, coach or player,
the umpire shall forward full particulars to the league president
within four hours after the end of the game. (c) After receiving
the umpire's report that a trainer, manager, coach or player has
been disqualified, the league president shall impose such penalty
as he deems justified, and shall notify the person penalized and
the manager of the club of which the penalized person is a member.
If the penalty includes a fine, the penalized person shall pay the
amount of the fine to the league within five days after receiving
notice of the fine. Failure to pay such fine within five days shall
result in the offender being debarred from participation in any
game and from sitting on the players' bench during any game, until
the fine is paid. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS TO UMPIRE Umpires, on the
field, should not indulge in conversation with players. Keep out
of the coaching box and do not talk to the coach on duty. Keep your
uniform in good condition. Be active and alert on the field. Be
courteous, always, to club officials; avoid visiting in club offices
and thoughtless familiarity with officers or employees of contesting
clubs. When you enter a ball park your sole duty is to umpire a
ball game as the representative of baseball. Do not allow criticism
to keep you from studying out bad situations that may lead to protested
games. Carry your rule book. It is better to consult the rules and
hold up the game ten minutes to decide a knotty problem than to
have a game thrown out on protest and replayed. Keep the game moving.
A ball game is often helped by energetic and earnest work of the
umpires. You are the only official representative of baseball on
the ball field. It is often a trying position which requires the
exercise of much patience and good judgment, but do not forget that
the first essential in working out of a bad situation is to keep
your own temper and self control. You no doubt are going to make
mistakes, but never attempt to "even up" after having
made one. Make all decisions as you see them and forget which is
the home or visiting club. Keep your eye everlastingly on the ball
while it is in play. It is more vital to know just where a fly ball
fell, or a thrown ball finished up, than whether or not a runner
missed a base. Do not call the plays too quickly, or turn away too
fast when a fielder is throwing to complete a double play. Watch
out for dropped balls after you have called a man out. Do not come
running with your arm up or down, denoting "out" or "safe."
Wait until the play is completed before making any arm motion. Each
umpire team should work out a simple set of signals, so the proper
umpire can always right a manifestly wrong decision when convinced
he has made an error. If sure you got the play correctly, do not
be stampeded by players' appeals to "ask the other man."
If not sure, ask one of your associates. Do not carry this to extremes,
be alert and get your own plays. But remember! The first requisite
is to get decisions correctly. If in doubt don't hesitate to consult
your associate. Umpire dignity is important but never as important
as "being right." A most important rule for umpires is
always "BE IN POSITION TO SEE EVERY PLAY." Even though
your decision may be 100% right, players still question it if they
feel you were not in a spot to see the play clearly and definitely.
Finally, be courteous, impartial and firm, and so compel respect
from all.
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