Torre Talks Umpires, Replays, Wendelstedt Joins High Heat

Umpire Hunter Wendelstedt and MLB Executive VP of Baseball Operations Joe Torre, soon to be Chief Baseball Officer, joined two MLB Network shows to discuss umpires and expanded instant replay review while promoting Friday evening's The Third Team umpiring special on MLB Network. Wendelstedt joined High Heat's Chris Russo while Joe Torre joined the crew at MLB Tonight.

In his interview with "Mad Dog" Russo, Wendelstedt discussed his plate job during Game 5 of the World Series: "You haven't accomplished everything until you work home plate in the World Series...I was nervous that it was going to be a sweep and I needed Game 5 just to make sure I worked the plate."

Regarding getting wrapped up with a dominant pitcher like Madison Bumgarner, "As an umpire, you have to take your time and focus."

Regarding a pitcher tipping his cap upon exiting the game, "When they come out and they let you know they respect the job you've just done, that makes you feel proud...It's nice to be recognized every once in a while."

Video: Hunter Wendelstedt talks World Series during Third Team promo interview with Russo

Meanwhile in San Diego, Torre positively reviewed the replay system and praised younger umpires in New York overturning veteran officials' calls throughout the system as a sign that "they're all in on it." The UEFL's Instant Replay database for 2014 shows that, on the average, veteran umpires and crew chiefs experienced a greater incidence of overturned calls than younger full-time MLB umpires: the correlation between years of MLB service and % of overturned calls was decidedly positive.

Torre agreed that managers exiting the dugout to stand with the umpire while the video coordinator and bench coach make their decision was an unnecessary component of the process, noting, "we'll probably make an adjustment there...and several other things."

Regarding the pitch clock experiment during the Arizona Fall League: "I thought it worked. It picked up the pace of game." As I wrote in the September 2014 edition of The Left Field Corner, "time between pitches is the single-largest hurdle to MLB reducing its pace of game quotient."

Video: Greg Amsinger leads MLB Tonight's interview with EVP Torre at the Winter Meetings

MLB-WUA Contract Talks Stall, Lockout Possible (Source)

MLB may lockout its umpires if union-league cannot agree on contract terms, according to an anonymous baseball official. The World Umpires Association, founded in 2000 to replace the former Major League Umpires Association, previously signed a five-year deal in 2009, which at the time was the largest-ever contract in MLB history. That CBA runs through December 31, 2014, which means the WUA and MLB must ratify a new deal prior to the 2015 season or—according to the anonymous MLB source—a lockout is on the horizon.

Ergo, while teams and general managers across the league descend on San Diego for baseball's winter meetings, the umpires attempt to renew and revise their deal with baseball.

At the negotiation table for the umpires is union legal counsel Brian Lam of Washington, DC's Lam Law, PLLC. WUA executive board members include Joe West (President of WUA), Fieldin Culbreth (Vice President), and Jerry Layne (Secretary/Treasurer), with the governing board comprised of at-large members Phil Cuzzi, Mike Everitt, Sam Holbrook, Dan Iassogna, Jeff Kellogg and Mike Winters.

Umpires previously were locked out to start the regular season in 1995, when the MLB club owners held a 120-day standoff with Richie Phillips' MLUA during which replacement umpires were used. A series of news stories from December 23, 1994 had predicted the lockout by showing the differences in what the MLUA wanted and what the AL and NL offices were willing to concede for their umpires. The most recent (and current) CBA was ratified and announced on December 23, 2009.

In 1999, umpires attempted a mass resignation as part of a collective bargaining strategy. Fearing another lockout, baseball simply accepted the resignations while John Hirschbeck founded and assumed leadership of the WUA, leading to not only mass hiring, but years of legal battles and minor league journeys that ultimately brought umpires like West, Bob Davidson and Ed Hickox back to the big leagues.

The NBA and NFL also experienced recent lockouts of their officials.

H/T: @JoshVernier610

The Third Team: MLB Network to Air 2014 Ump Show

MLB Network will air its umpire-centric 'The Third Team" All-Access, a look at and documentary of the 2014 World Series umpiring crew: Jeff Kellogg, Jerry Meals, Eric Cooper, Jim Reynolds, Ted Barrett, Hunter Wendelstedt and Jeff Nelson. The 2014 episode of this MLB Network Special airs Friday, December 12 at 9:00 PM Eastern Time with repeats scheduled for Saturday, December 13 at 1:00 AM and 1:00 PM Eastern, Monday, December 15 at 4:00 AM Eastern, and Sunday, December 21 at 5:00 PM Eastern. The reprisal of "The Third Team" is the network's first since 2012.

Watch the trailer for "The Third Team" All-Access: 2014 World Series Umpires here.

Fall and Winter Baseball Ejections, November 2014

Here is baseball's November 2014 Fall & Winter Leagues ejections update, including the Arizona Fall, Caribbean Winter & Australian Baseball Leagues:

HP Umpire Ian Fazio: Mesa Solar Sox 2B Tony Renda for arguing balls and strikes (AFL, 11/4)
HP Umpire Emil Jimenez: Caribes de Anzoategui Manager Omar Lopez, strike three call (V, 11/6)
HP Umpire Greg Kent: Sydney Blue Sox P Dae-Sung Koo, ball four call (ABL, 11/9)
HP Umpire Kelvin Bultron: Senadores de San Juan P Malcolm Diaz, balls and strikes (RC, 11/10)
HP Umpire Adam Schwarz: Estrellas de Oriente Manager Dean Treanor, out call (D, 11/13)
HP Umpire Gabrial Alfonzo: Aguilas del Zulia Manager Eddie Perez, ball four call (V, 11/13)
HP Umpire Blake Halligan: Perth Heat Manager Steven Fish, balls and strikes (ABL, 11/16)
HP Umpire Blake Halligan: Perth Heat 2B Luke Hughes, safe call at third base (ABL, 11/16)
3B Umpire Neil Poulton: Adelaide Bite Manager Brooke Knight, out-catch call (ABL, 11/16)
3B Umpire Mariano Vizcaino: Estrellas de Oriente 2B Jordany Valdespin, out call (D, 11/21)
HP Umpire Neil Poulton: Brisbane Bandits C Kuan-Wei Yang, strike three call (ABL, 11/21)
HP Umpire Richard Mason: Sydney Blue Sox Manager Jason Pospishil, fair ball call (ABL, 11/24)
HP Umpire Charlie Rivera: Cangrejeros de Santurce 1B Jonathan Rodriguez, strike three call (RC, 11/24)
HP Umpire Vicente Madero: Aguilas de Mexicali RF Dave Sappelt, strike three call (M, 11/25)
HP Umpire Carlos Cotto: Senadores de San Juan RF Jon Garcia, strike one call (RC, 11/27)
HP Umpire Ron Teague: Gigantes del Cibao SS Jonathan Diaz, strike three call (D, 11/28)
HP Umpire Delfin Colon: Criollos de Caguas CF Miguel Abreu, balls and strikes (RC, 11/28)
HP Umpire Jonathan Parra: Caribes de Anzoategui 3B Niuman Romero, strike three call (V, 11/28)
1B Umpire Travis Eggert: Tiburones de La Guaira Manager Buddy Bailey, safe call (V, 11/28)
HP Umpire Marcelo Alfonzo: Tiburones de La Guaira P Edgmer Escalone, ball four call (V, 11/28)
HP Umpire Tom West: Melbourne Aces 3B Brad Harman, strike three call (ABL, 11/29)
HP Umpire Tom West: Melbourne Aces Pitching Coach John Hussey, DP interference NC (ABL, 11/29)
1B Umpire Takahito Matsuda: Adelaide Bite P Matthew Williams, check swing NC-ball (ABL, 11/30)
HP Umpire Trent Thomas: Perth Heat DH Allan de San Miguel, strike call (ABL, 11/30)

*AFL = Arizona Fall (Finished), ABL = Australian, CS = Caribbean Series (Begins February 2015), D = Dominican, M = Mexicana del Pacifico, RC = Roberto Clemente (Puerto Rico), V = Venezuelan*

Dale Scott Comes Out as Gay After Feature Article

Veteran MLB Umpire Dale Scott has publicly come out as gay, marrying his 28-year partner Michael Rausch last November. Those who knew Scott well knew Rausch—the pair traveled to Australia for the 2014 Opening Series—and Scott informally came out and introduced the officiating community to Rausch in Referee magazine's October feature, "Redemption."

Dale Scott & Dan Iassogna listen in on a
Replay Review during the 2014 season.

On December 2, SB*Nation's Outsports division, which covers LGBT issues in athletics, formally publicized Scott's relationships and marriage, having seen the Referee article, subsequently reaching out to Scott and the Referee editorial staff.

Scott knew what his profile in Referee meant: "Obviously, when I sent that picture to [Referee magazine editor] Jeff [Stern], I knew exactly what it meant. In a small way this was opening that door in a publication that wasn't going to be circulated nationwide. It could be picked up, but it's not Time magazine." And it almost was. Sensitive to former umpire Dave Pallone's own story—in which he was publicly outed by the New York Post in 1988 and fired by baseball shortly thereafter (in his book, Behind the Mask: My Double Life in Baseball, Pallone wrote that baseball forced him out because he was gay)—the UEFL opted not to run the story at that time: Outsports is the more appropriate venue, as is the article's timing.

When Outsports first contacted Scott in September, it was a similar tale: Worried it would cause a distraction from MLB's postseason—and Scott's own assignment to the Dodgers-Cardinals National League Division Series—Outsports and Scott agreed to defer the article to after the postseason.

Said Scott, "I am extremely grateful that Major League Baseball has always judged me on my work and nothing else and that's the way it should be...If this story or the Referee picture motivates somebody somewhere who's an amateur umpire or is trying to go to umpire school and is trying to get a job in the Major Leagues but maybe has doubts because of their sexuality and sees this and it gives them some confidence, that's great."

Scott is the first active MLB umpire to publicly and voluntarily say he is gay, the first active male official in the NBA, NHL, NFL or MLB. The NBA's Violet Palmer was the first active official to declare. She married girlfriend Tanya Stine in the summer of 2014.

Update: Scott's story has been picked up nationally by major news outlets ESPN, Fox Sports, Deadspin, Yahoo!, Bleacher Report, Instinct Magazine, MSN, and locally by many more; "Dale Scott" is trending on Twitter and Facebook.

Cricket Umpire Hillel Oscar Dies After Being Hit By Ball

Cricket umpire Hillel Oscar of Israel died after being hit by a ball during a weekend game in Ashdod. According to the Israel Cricket Association, Oscar was a former national team captain and since joined both the domestic and European umpiring ranks. Game-side accounts state he was hit in the jaw by a batted ball that had ricocheted off the stumps and died just two days after Australian batsman Phillip Hughes died of a head injury in Sydney.

Minor League Baseball Hires Jim Evans as Ump Advisor

Minor League Baseball hired Jim Evans as Umpire Advisor, a new special advisor position created by MiLB. In his role as a special advisor for the league, Evans will serve as a consultant to the President of Minor League Baseball on umpiring-related matters, including special event assignment.

Former MLB Umpire Jim Evans

Evans is the former chief of the Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring (JEAPU), which fell from grace several years ago after an incident at a school-sponsored party.

Prior to 2012, the Florida-based JEAPU and the Harry Wendelstedt Umpire School were the only two umpire schools certified by professional baseball to train prospective umpires, which meant that in order to be considered by the Professional Baseball Umpiring Corp. (PBUC), a prospective umpire must have graduated from JEAPU or HW; without going through one of these two feeder schools accredited by MiLB, no umpire would be invited to attend the PBUC evaluation course, another MiLB-placement prerequisite.

In 2012, Minor League Baseball announced the creation of its own feeder school, the league-run The Umpire School (TUS), effectively creating three potential avenues into the competitive and highly selective business of professional umpiring.

Also in 2012, JEAPU threw a bowling party for its instructors after graduation. During this party, one bowling team comprised of Academy employees allegedly wore uniforms resembling white robes associated with the Klu Klux Klan and bowled under the team name, "Klein's Kleaning Krew."

As MiLB reviewed the incident, it consulted PBUC Executive Director Justin Klemm, who also served as Executive Director of The Umpire School, ultimately giving JEAPU the umpiring school's death penalty: Minor League Baseball severed ties with JEAPU, meaning that it would not longer accept JEAPU graduates into the PBUC evaluation course, and, by extension, Minor League Baseball itself.

At the time, Evans wondered whether MiLB's decision, with Klemm's input, was a "conflict of interest." In the years following, The Umpire School's attendance has improved to healthy levels as JEAPU shut its doors to MiLB prospectives. The JEAPU website has not offered online enrollment for any umpiring course since its fateful 2012 class.

These days, Klemm is the Director of Instant Replay for Major League Baseball and is in charge of operations at the New York Replay Operations Center. Klemm accordingly retired from his Executive Director position with PBUC in January of 2014, when he took the MLB post in New York.

Solution for ABL Case Play: Stepping Over the Line

Our Australian Baseball League dead-ball territory Case Play is now complete, the solution below. Play:

With none out and two on, Bite batter Chan Moon hit a sacrifice fly to Heat left fielder Tim Smith in foul territory, Bite baserunner R3 Rocky Gale scoring as R1 Michael Miller remained at first base. Replays indicate F7 Smith slid to catch the fly, then regained his footing before stepping across the venue's out-of-play line and into dead ball territory before throwing the ball back to the infield.

At issue, as argued by the offensive team's coach, was whether F7's actions caused the ball to become dead and, if so, whether R1 should have been awarded second base.

Because the ABL uses the Official Baseball Rules, we can confidently cite MLB's code in solving this Case Play. As it stands, the following comprise our statements of material fact:
➤ The Norwood Oval's ground rules states a line in foul ground delineates live from dead ball territory.
➤ F7 entered his slide, without possession of the ball, while in foul territory, above "in play" ground.
➤ F7 caught the ball and exited his slide, standing on his feet, while in foul territory, "in play."
➤ F7 hopped across the out of play line, such that only his feet/shoes were in contact with the ground.
➤ F7 threw the ball back to the infield while standing wholly in dead ball territory.

F7 legally stands out of play

OBR Rule 5.10(f) states, "When a fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand...If a fielder after making a catch steps into a bench, but does not fall, the ball is in play and runners may advance at their own peril."
OBR Rule 6.05(a) Comment states, "The ball is in play unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead."
OBR Rule 7.04(c) states that each runner may advance one base when, "a fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand, or falls across ropes into a crowd when spectators are on the field."

Because F7 did not actually fall in or onto dead ball territory—he recovered to his feet and maintained his shoes as the only point of contact with the ground—Rule 7.04(c) cannot apply. According to the Wendelstedt Umpire School, "This is covered under 6.05 (a) Comment. It appears that he slides, makes the catch, recovers to his feet, then steps into the out-of-play area. This is perfectly legal under the rules." Thus, the umpires made the correct call. Live ball, B1 is out, R1 stays at first, R3 scores.

Wendelstedt School Director Brent Rice addressed the following potential scenarios to this play:
➤ Had F7 fallen after entering DBT: Dead ball, B1 is out, R1 awarded one base (2B), R3 scores.
➤ Had F7 made the catch and then slid into DBT: Dead ball, B1 out, R1 awarded 2nd, R3 awarded home.
➤ Had F7 caught the ball after entering DBT—or bobbled the ball into DBT: Foul ball, no out.
➤ Had F7 dropped the ball while standing in DBT having already completed the catch: Dead ball, B1 out, R1 awarded two bases (3B), R3 awarded home.

NCAA RULING: Under most circumstances, this same play is legal in NCAAB, pursuant to Rule 6.1.d. However, Rule 6.1.d(1)(b) specifically authorizes a local facility to adopt a ground rule that would preclude a fielder from throwing from dead-ball territory, though the fielder would be legally permitted to re-enter live-ball territory in order to throw. If such a ground rule is adopted, the penalty for this "catch-and-carry" violation is a dead ball and one-base award.

Thanks to all participants: 2015 UEFL CP points for: AJ_Off, cyclone14, Jim, RichMSN, zimmerthechief.

Final Results: 2014 UEFL Rules Summit

Final results for the 2014 UEFL Rules Summit are in. The Umpire Ejection Fantasy League announces the following rules changes for the 2015 UEFL Season. The results of the Summit have been referred to the UEFL Rules Committee for formal codification and adoption (the 2015 UEFL Rules will be released prior to standard registration, by February 2015):

➤ 6-1-a: Appeals must be initiated within 24-hour statute of limitations; 69% Yes, 26% No.
➤ 6-2-b-5: Ejections for arguing a Replay Review are deemed irrecusable; 66% Yes, 29% No.
➤ 6-2-b-5: Ejections for throwing equipment are judged individually; 74% Yes, 20% No.
➤ 6-2-b-5-c: All check swing ejections are referred to Appeals Board for QOC; 51% Yes, 46% No.
➤ 8-1: Penalty system to be established for violations of community guidelines; 60% Yes, 31% No.
➤ 9-1-a: Appeals Board has elastic clause power rule on unaddressed issues; 69% Yes, 23% No.
➤ Appeals Board: Arik G; 69% Yes, 23% No.
➤ Appeals Board: JD; 69% Yes, 20% No.
➤ Appeals Board: RichMSN; 80% Yes, 11% No.
➤ Appeals Board: tmac; 80% Yes, 9% No.
➤ Appeals Board: Turducken; 74% Yes, 17% No.
➤ Appeals Board: cyclone14; 57% Yes, 31% No.

2015 UEFL Appeals Board: Gil, Jeremy, RichMSN, tmac, Turducken, Arik G, JD, cyclone14.

The following proposals did not receive an absolute majority of yea votes and, therefore, did not pass:
➤ 1-3: Decrease in number of drafted umpires to three (from five); 34% Yes, 54% No.
➤ 3-3-a: Assessment of -1 points for crew chief's incorrect call (from +0); 31% Yes, 60% No.
➤ 4-7: Removal of Instant Replay Reviews from league scoring; 31% Yes, 63% No.
➤ 6-2-b-8: UEFL to determine Replay Review QOC independent of MLB; 46% Yes, 49% No.
➤ 6-2-c-a: Confirmed/Overturned calling official = NY, Stands = Field; 40% Yes, 54% No.
➤ 6-4-a-3: UEFL Appeals Board terms of office extended to three years; 40% Yes, 57% No.
➤ 8-5: UEFL draft to adopt a required entry fee; 11% Yes, 80% No.
➤ 8-3: Voting for Appeals Board restricted to prior year's UEFL membership; 48% Yes, 46% No.
➤ 8-6: 30 QOC Quick Votes in opposition to Original Ruling triggers appeal; 49% Yes, 46% No.
➤ 8-7: UEFL members authorized to trade a team member during season; 44% Yes, 46% No.

Thank you all for participating in the 2014 UEFL Rules Summit and we'll see you in 2015. Stay tuned for the answer to the Stepping Over the Line ABL Case Play and offseason ejection updates/reports.

Case Play (ABL Ejection): Stepping Over the Line

An umpire's out/live ball in play vs. dead ball call sparked an ejection in the Australian Baseball League this weekend as 3B Umpire Neil Poulton ejected Adelaide Bite Manager Brooke Knight for arguing a live ball call in the bottom of the 5th inning of the Heat-Bite game. With none out and two on, Bite batter Chan Moon hit a sacrifice fly to Heat left fielder Tim Smith in foul territory, Bite baserunner R3 Rocky Gale scoring as R1 Michael Miller remained at first base. At issue was not the validity of the out (catch) call, but whether F7 Smith "fell" before throwing the ball back into the infield and keeping Miller at first base. The ground rules for the Norwood Oval specify that an out-of-bounds line shall exist in the corners of the outfield, in front of the bullpens, and that a fielder or ball crossing this line shall be deemed out of play.

Momentum carries F7 across the OOP line.

The ABL uses the Official Baseball Rules; pursuant to OBR Rule 5.10(f), "When a fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand," the ball is dead. However, "If a fielder after making a catch steps into a bench, but does not fall, the ball is in play and runners may advance at their own peril." Rule 7.04(c) specifies that each runner may advance one base when "A fielder, after catching a fly ball, falls into a bench or stand, or falls across ropes into a crowd when spectators are on the field." Rule 6.05(a) Comment similarly states that the "ball is in play unless the fielder, after making a legal catch, falls into a dugout or other out-of-play area, in which case the ball is dead." Replays indicate F7 Smith slid and caught the ball in the field of play, appearing to regain his footing before stepping over the out-of-play line (see attached photograph).

Q: Does this constitute a "fall" under Rule 5.10(f) or a "step into a bench"? Is a bullpen a bench?
HINT: MLBUM #24(5).
Case Play Note: Yes, the 2014 UEFL season has concluded. However, up to two Case Play points for the 2015 UEFL season may be gained through contributing to this discussion.

Wrap: Perth Heat vs. Adelaide Bite (Australian Baseball League), 11/15/14
Video: Sac fly to LF gives Bite a 3-1 lead and fireworks, too, on question of Smith's status (ABL)