BlueTip

Clyde, I have no idea what he was looking at. But I don't think he was using the technique I'm promoting. I could hear the catch and the runner hitting the base from 150 feet away so there's no reason for an ump to miss that when he's 140 feet closer to the play than me.

I love you Dbird. I started a new thread on umpiring so take a read over there.

When it comes to umpiring, it's an inexact science. I recognize that. But every umpire should strive to be better. When I see an ump doing a good job I compliment him here on BGP (see the Conner/Cooper thread from a three weeks ago). But when I see poor umpiring it drives me nuts, because it's fixable with a little effort. So rather than complaining further, I'm going into instructional mode. If you are an aspiring umpire or just a parent that wants to learn a bit about making calls at first base, keep reading right here....I'm going to teach you how to make those calls easily. What I'm talking about is ground balls in the infield where there's a close play at first. Once you've mastered this technique, you will be shocked at how easy it is to make those calls, and you'll be shocked at how many of them are called incorrectly. I don’t know exactly what umpires are thinking when a play is imminent, but I have to assume many of them are watching the batter/runner and trying to make their best guess on out or safe. This is the absolute wrong approach. You're going to be surprised at how simple this is...... You must do two things: (1) watch the base, and (2) listen for the catch. Let me repeat that: watch the base, and listen for the catch. I'll say it once more: watch the base and listen for the catch. That horse is getting up I'm hitting him again: watch the damn base and listen for the catch. Why not watch the runner and the base and the catch? Because no one can physically see all of that at once and make accurate calls. These plays happen quickly. But if you use the right technique, it slows everything down. So, why watch the base? By watching the base you can see two things…(1) when does the runner make contact with the base, and (2) is the first baseman’s foot on the base when he’s making the catch? For the rest of the summer practice this technique. When a ball is hit on the ground in the infield immediately lock in on first base with your eyes. Watch the base and listen for the catch. In your mind sort out the order in which those two events occurred. Do this over and over and over. After you’ve done this 50 or 100 times you’ll be really good at calling out or safe. While you’re learning this technique, you will become more and more relaxed at making these calls, even really close ones, and you’ll notice that when the runner hits the base it’s loud and you can clearly hear it. So you can use not just the visual sighting of the runner hitting the bag but also the sound to confirm it. I’ve done this long enough that I can make the calls accurately with my eyes closed, and eventually you’ll be able to do that too. The key to these calls is using your ears not just your eyes. And when you see an umpire who knows what he's doing on these types of plays, give him a compliment. Tell him what a great job he's doing. Good luck!!

No problem with Boone. I have good friends in Boone's program and total respect for them. My problem is with the general poor umpiring we have in this region, much of which could be corrected with some basic instruction. We have a small number of good umpires unfortunately. If you're on here to defend the umpiring I'm sorry I'm gonna call you on it. If somehow Boone and Conner face each other again for the region championship it will be epic! P.S. Sorry we've seen a frustrating run of poor umpiring lately. I didn't mean to take it out on Boone's team or fans. My only issue is with the umpires. I'm going to start another thread on umpiring to get it out of this one.

If you want to make a case for your pitcher, you'll need to make a better argument than "he pushed the balk rule to the limit". I know the rule and how umpires are instructed to enforce it. It's obvious you don't. There was no discernible pause, not even a bounce of the hands (which is also illegal). It was one continuous motion without delay or pause. Sorry if I hurt your feeling talking about your son. It wasn't his fault the umps weren't calling it properly. If they don't call it, keep doing it. If Conner's pitcher was making the same move I'd be saying the same thing. Bad umpiring. Since you seem to know so much about the rules, why don't you explain to us why the field ump missed the call at first base in the 7th inning and what the proper technique is for calling that play?

If I had to rename myself with a relevant umpiring term, it would be CallWhatYouHear, lol. It's a regular occurrence for umps to rely on just their vision when making calls on routine plays at first base. And regarding Boone/Conner, I love watching these two teams play each other because they compete so hard. Both teams were down to their #3, #4, or #5 pitcher trying to win last night. It was a lot of fun.

I'm not an umpire.

The men in blue had a tough game. Boone's starter was jumpy Wednesday night and balked repeatedly. No call by the umps. Conner players, coaches and fans were all over the umps but they refused to enforce the balk rule. It reached the point where the Boone coaches were coming out of the dugout yelling at their own pitcher to stop balking. He did it a couple more times, probably caught up in the game not realizing what he was doing, but the umps still wouldn't call it. Several of the balks came with Conner having runners on 2nd and 3rd in a 0-0 game. Last night in the continuation of the game, the umpires inexplicably called a balk on Conner's pitcher for dropping the ball. He was on the side of the mound , about half way between the rubber and the grass. Conner argued and the umps conferred, but between the 3 of them still got it wrong. There was another bad call on the bases in the bottom of the 7th but fortunately didn't lead to any runs being scored.

For our friends in blue from last night’s game: NFHS Rule 6, Section 2, Article 4: Art. 4: Balk – If there is a runner or runners, any of the following acts by a pitcher while he is touching the pitcher’s plate is a balk: a. Any feinting toward the batter or first base, or any dropping of the ball (even accidental) and the ball does not cross a foul line;

Sounds crazy. I'm sure BW will bounce back for the Regionals and will surely be a tough out for whichever #1 seed they draw next Monday.

I want to give a tip of the cap to Mason Forbes of Ryle. Mason, I and others have seen you play since you were 9 and you've grown into an outstanding baseball player and a fine young man. You've been the team leader and best player in the Ryle program the last couple years and it's been an honor to watch not just your talent, but how hard you play. I'll miss seeing you on the field and wish you the best in college.

Does anyone know if the district tournament dates are already set? I'm most curious about the Boone county district.

The games at Lafayette were canceled.

He did not play.

I don't draw any conclusions beyond the fact that Ross has pitched well against BW. BW hasn't had one of their top line starters available for either game.

I was told last night that the Combs kid for Beechwood broke his hand and will miss the remainder of the high school season. That's a pretty big blow for BW to take and hopefully they will regroup and still have a legit shot at competing for the regional title.

Congrats to Colt and his family.

Congrats to the Tigers!

Looks like Transy hit their recruiting quota from NKY with two middle infielders and a catcher...unless there's a pitcher or two they're still looking at.

Probable starters?

Johnny Roberts (Conner) switch hit some when he was maybe a Soph but went pretty much lefty his last couple years. I can't think of any other switch hitters.

Ryle gets another test tonight against Cooper. Should be a barn burner like other recent 33rd games.

Ding ding...Forbes goes yard. Again.

He's even smoother in the field than at the plate.

Congrats to Boone and Trey Ganns in particular. Trey didn't have his breaking ball working but kept Boone in it with a dominating fastball up in the zone. And the kid can rake obviously. It's great to see good kids have success. I could see these two teams playing again in a district championship game.