Balk, oops...Illegal pitch?

[fastpitchmom17]

12u ASA...Pitcher starts and for some reason restarts the wind up, I call time to ask blue if my runners get to advance and he says no, we don't enforce that. What do I do? Happened twice with runners on 3rd.

10u ASA runners can steal home but not on an over throw?

[wadeintothem]

balk is a different sport.

I'm guessing you are playing rec league?

You may or may not get enforcement on an IP in Rec League and even some lower levels friendlies... depending on how its getting worked. The blue is telling you he is not enforcing it.. I suppose you could go to your directors.. I doubt they would care. When I work the rec league I work, I choose when I'm going to enforce it and what I'm going to do, and if I'm not going to do it, I pretty much say what he said. For instance early in the season it is just warnings.. I never "let it go", I always let them know, even I've I'm not enforcing the penalty.

For one thing, I want all the strikes I can get and they are just learning. And thats how I do it and my league has no problem with that. Its my call.

To answer your question, by rule, that would be an Illegal Pitch, ball to the batter and runners advance one base (since there was no delivery, obviously you would not concern yourself with result of the play and other Delayed dead ball type issues).

With 10u, again, that is probably rec league specific rule, so you would check with them.

For ASA championship play, all 10U restrictions were removed. They no longer exist for any category of championship play.

[umpinva]

12u ASA...Pitcher starts and for some reason restarts the wind up, I call time to ask blue if my runners get to advance and he says no, we don't enforce that. What do I do? Happened twice with runners on 3rd.

10u ASA runners can steal home but not on an over throw?

There are no balks in softball. A better question would have been: Why aren't you enforcing the illegal pitch rule?

[umpinva]

First, there is no balk in softball.
Sounds like a local association or league that is using modified rules since he said " we don't enforce that"

If that were the case, the umpire should have responded that the league does not want the LBR enforced. "We" on a softball field is my partner and myself.

Not a sermon, just a thought.

[wadeintothem]

Rec league is a different animal.. I've had all kinds of stuff.. Girls lead off like in baseball, girls walk up to bat with their brothers little league bat, pitchers doing every IP you can imagine..

Do I eject the girl for walking up with the little league bat? No..

If a girl lead off, I would likely simply call time and explain the rule and put her back on the base. If she did it again, I'd zap her. Thats all part of learning.

This is not competition ball, it is a learning program. Often they feed the travel ball teams. This is where they learn the game. They are not trying to gain an advantage, they do not know.

So I ALWAYS correct everything.. I may not enforce it completely, but I do teach.

I have many tournaments coming up where I can ring up beloved DDs without mercy.

I could consider myself "above 10,12,14U Rec League" and stick with only high level stuff.. but I like Rec League, its my "fun time". I do what I want using my judgment to teach umpires, coaches, and players, with full support of the league. I've been with them a long time as a coach and umpire.. and its fine.

[Tucson]

I appreciate the fact that some of you would take the time to tell the pitcher what she was doing wrong.

Time and time again, I see a little girl that is picked up from a rec team to go to an Allstar tournament and she has been allowed to step backwards (for example) all season, then suddenly she is illegal.

I try to get rec leagues and LL to play by the rules as they are written, and i usually meet with resistance. Amy

[Bucket Mom]

This is one of my biggest pet peeves. You see a great little pitcher in rec ball that contiunally pitches illegal and no one will say something to her. Why don't coaches try to tech these girls the proper way so that it does not become a permanent part of their motion when they get older? It drives me nuts. I have mentioned it to coaches in the past and they always say "it's just rec ball, who cares". I am not looking for an illegal pitch call, I would just like to see these girls with potential learn the proper way. I don't ever say anything anymore, but it just drives me crazy.

[umpinva]

Maybe they are on to something.
Once the girls get older you will almost never see an IP call, and once in college forget it, so if they can just get through those few middle years they are good to go.

Actually they are called during NCAA play. Here's a reply from me regarding illegal pitches from a college softball forum: (rules referenced are from the 2008 NCAA Softball Rules book.

03/22/08 at 07:53 PM #34

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UmpinVa - Welcome aboard ! What infractions or infraction do you most notice in pitching this season?


UmpInVA

Yesterday at 04:46 PM #36

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by ASUSoftballFan

Quote:
Originally Posted by UmpInVA

My motto for illegal pitches is to call them early, call them every time I see one, and make them stop.



God bless you. I wish there were more of your ilk.



Since January I have called seven illegal pitches. Four of them were for leaping. (10.4.4.1) Two were for seperating her hands and then returning the ball to both hands while on the pitching plate. (10.5.2) The most recent IP call was for stepping outside the 24" imaginary extension of the pitcher's plate. (10.4.1)