I kinda feel for the coach - you’d think there would be at least one baseball up there. Imagine that sinking feeling as he looks around and can’t find one.
I was at this game! Still my greatest memory at a baseball game. A complete gem of an ejection. God bless you, Mr. Allenson, and thanks for the memories.
Here’s what should happen. Simply replace the “bicycle rack” with a solid wall, which will remove all doubt as to which side the ball landed on. This is a bit like some of the snow fences I used to have to deal with when umpiring. With a solid wall, if the ball goes over, you clearly see the ball disappear. Or you see it land in front. But when you have a wall like this, or a snow fence (which has all kinds of holes in it), it’s very difficult to tell whether the ball lands behind the wall, or lands in front, and bounces over it. Umpires don’t have zoom lenses in our eyes.
dave0mary Number one rule for an umpire: Don’t go looking for trouble. And that would be a needless provocation. Given the circumstances (very confusing area of the field), I likely wouldn’t have run him, unless he expressed his views inappropriately. I think the “bicycle rack” should be replaced with a solid wall. That way it’s much easier to see if the ball went behind the wall, or over the wall. Neither the umpires nor the coaches have zoom lenses to see.
This whole thing could’ve been diverted. If one of the empires just would’ve hustled out there as soon as the outfielder put his 🙌 up and look behind the pad
I don't know. My guess is it's a judgment call by the umps. But an ejected player, coach, or manager failing to leave the field within 3 or 4 minutes of the ejection creates a travesty of the game, which should be handled with additional penalties, up to & including forfeiture.
Yeah I’ve done div 2 college and only once did I have a coach come out and argue balls and strikes and then not leave almost right away after I ejected him. He was literally in my face yelling and spitting. I told him maybe after a 30 seconds of straight yelling and spitting in my face and me trying to walk away that I told him he had 10 seconds to get off the field. While he was still yelling at me telling me I don’t have the balls to make him leave I counted down when I hit 1 and he was still yelling at me I called the game. I told the other team they won and walked off with my partner. The next day I get a call from the league director apologizing for the incident, and telling me the coach has been suspended for 5 games. What shocked me the most is that the LD told me he protested the game bc I forfeited it. I was literally about to pull out the rule book and read off the rule that give me the power to do that and he stopped me and told me it was denied. I thanked him and I had the team 10 days later the coach was still suspended and never heard from him again.
@trudybom Ground rules in that stadium require the ball to cross over the yellow rail. It didn't, as you can clearly see on the slow-motion, the ball passes in front of the yellow rail. That makes it a double.
I thought ground rules were discussed at home plate before the game between the home plate umpire and the managers. If the hit was ruled a ground rule double in the face of indisputable evidence (the ball being found behind the padding) after initially being called a home run, then so be it. The Norfolk coach wasted a ton of time walking to the outfield fence.
The ball would have had the league stamp and any batting practice ball may not have. Tough call for the umps, and Allenson disrespects the game by stalling it out.
That fucking metal fence bullshit should be a home run. That is so fucking stupid. There are no major league stadiums that have that shit playable. “Bike rack” it looks like a fence to keep fans back from reaching over but if that is part of the wall then it serves no purpose. Fans can reach over. They need to make anything over the padded wall is a home run. Or take that stupid “bike rack” down and make it simple.
yes like announcers can speak for the umpires like they ever umpire there entire life... oh wait... never mind... man some of these annoucers just get on my nerves.
I've never seen Gary Allenson come out onto the field in ANY Tides game I've ever gone to. I don't see why he went out there, YOU WERE WINNING REGARDLESS.
@samuricex Baseball fields are not uniform like the soccer pitch. Outfield fences can vary in height, at Boston's Fenway Park the left field fence is 37 feet high and in right field it drops to just 3 feet. Because of the unique features of various ballparks each field has its own set of ground rules, for example if a ball gets stuck in the ivy at Wrigley Field in Chicago the batter is awarded a double. At this park the ball must travel over the rail and the painted yellow line to be a home run.
Soccer pitches aren't uniform, either. They can vary (slightly) in length & width. But they are all rectangular, unlike baseball fields, where dramatic variability in the outfield & foul-territory dimensions is permissible.
In football, you flag them, in basketball you "T" them up. In baseball, you let them rant, and make sure every word, and wasted minute, are included in your report.
I landed iver the top of the padding, but guessing that since the top of the railing or fence out there has that yellow marking on the top of it, for the ball to be considered qa home run the ball would have had to go ove the top of that railing, so if correct, that should have been a Ground rule double right?????
@RandomsDeagled It does happen in baseball and calls do get changed depending on the situation though generally arguing will not change the call. It is a good enough reason as the ball could not end of where it was if it did go over the fence.
Had the umpires stopped the runner and batter-runner at a two base award, then go out and rule the ball in play. They, the umpires, would have put the runner and the batter-runner in jeopardy of being put out. However, after letting the runner and the batter-runner score, then making their ruling of a ground rule double IS exactly what should have happened, regardless of what the two experts in the booth said.
I totally understand both sides of this. Allenson HAD. NO. CHOICE. but to argue multiple balls behind the wall, and the umps HAD. NO. CHOICE. but to eject Allenson for stalling/wasting time.
The truth is: for this reason, there should not be any balls in the vicinity: The area should be cleaned and prepared prior to the game -- and it probably was.
Lodge? the umpire did not thave a problem getting ut out. why should the players have a problem then? do you see my point? If he can get it, its still a live ball in my eyes tbh. that`s my opinion.
Jumper Guy Well then those rules are stupid tbh, if you can see the ball and can pick up the ball, if it`s not gone outside the field, then you can continue the play.. Or they need to change the layout of that wall so it does not happend again...
It's not a stupid rule. You're just clearly not very well acquainted with baseball rules. The padding was never intended to be loose enough for the ball to get behind it. But things like this happen from time to time. Fielders are not required to climb over or under, or reach into obstacles on the field. Really, just read the rules. They represent about 170 years of baseball evolution.
