2017 UEFL Registration, Draft, Appeals Board

Registration, draft, now open for the 2017 Umpire Ejection Fantasy League season.

Links: Register & Draft Umpires for the 2017 UEFL | Subscribe to UEFL Digest E-mails
Link: Run for the 2017 UEFL Appeals Board (Nomination Form)

Welcome to the 2017 Umpire Ejection Fantasy League preseason. This year, we are offering registration and draft selection on one standardized form. Accordingly, you may both register and draft your umpires at the same time. Alternately, members retain the privilege of drafting umpires in phases, pursuant to UEFL Rule 1, so make sure you consult the 2017 registration and draft form for instructions regarding this year's registration/draft procedure. All registrants will automatically be entered into both the standard and UEFL Express (umpire points only) divisions.

Speaking of UEFL Rules, click here to consult the 2017 UEFL Rules Book, which will govern play for the 2017 season, as codified and modified pursuant to voting during the 2016 Rules Summit.

Registration - Eligibility, Procedures & the Draft
Any visitor, guest or user may become a league member. There is no cost to register for this league. If you would like to register for the 2017 UEFL season, complete the 2017 UEFL registration and draft form. If you participated in 2016, you may use the same username from last season. Pursuant to UEFL Rules 4-7 and 6-1, users must be logged in to initiate challenges. Consult the registration and draft form for more information regarding DISQUS registration.

This season, you may draft umpires at the time of registration, or you may choose to return to the form at any time until the draft deadlines (see below timeline). Note that the UEFL will offer a preseason Draft Prospectus with statistics and other information in the coming weeks, and well in advance of the draft deadlines, if you wish to wait until that communication before drafting umpires.

If you wish to receive our weekly newsletter, please click here to subscribe to the UEFL Digest.

Registration, Draft & Roster Deadlines (all deadlines extend to 11:59 PM Pacific on indicated date):
Friday, March 24, 2017: Last Day to register for the 2017 UEFL (registration closed).
Monday, March 27, 2017: Last Day to submit unrestricted Primary & Secondary Umpires.
Friday, March 31, 2017: Last Day to submit unrestricted Crew Chief selections.

Appeals Board - UEFL Rule 6-4-a
Pursuant to League rule, the UEFL Appeals Board has been established to adjudicate disputed issues, such as Quality of Correctness. Any visitor, guest or user may become an Appeals Board member and may or may not also be a concurrent league member. The Appeals Board operates on a voluntary basis only and is a one-year term (no term limits). To apply, please access this form, and consider the following requirements:
➤ Ability to separate subjectivity from objective analysis;
➤ Extensive rules knowledge or ability to attain exceptional proficiency;
➤ Acceptance of prior and willingness to form UEFL precedent and rule interpretations;
➤ Ability to objectively analyze plays to determine, among others, Quality of Correctness;
➤ Availability to respond to the "Office of the UEFL Commissioner" in a timely fashion;
➤ Board members must abstain from ruling on plays involving drafted umpires (if applicable).
Visit the 2016 UEFL Appeals Board page for a sampling of work from the 2016 season.

Permanent Appeals Board members are: Gil (Commissioner, Chair), Jeremy (Deputy Commissioner), tmac (Assistant Commissioner), RichMSN (Charter Member). Members re-elected via the 2016 Rules Summit are: Arik G, cyclone14, Dennis, MarkCanada.
Vacancy: Seat 2 (sabbatical), Seat 9 [2 vacancies].

Appeals Board nomination and election procedures, deadlines:
Friday, March 17, 2017: Last day to submit nominations for the 2017 UEFL Appeals Board.
Saturday, March 18, 2017: Voting Begins.
Friday, March 24, 2017: Appeals Board voting ends, 2017 Board finalized.

If you have any questions, please post here. Registration will remain open for nearly six weeks while Appeals Board nominations will remain open for over a month. We hope you enjoy this expedited registration process for the 2017 UEFL season.

Umpire Calling Tendencies vs the Shrinking Zone

How do umpires currently call pitches at the bottom of the proposed shrinking strike zone? Statistics are more than plentiful, with a sample size of several thousand. Now that MLB's proposal to change the strike zone for the first time since 1996 is at the MLBPA's desk, it behooves us to form a little analytical projection: how will changing the zone affect umpire tendencies when it comes to the pitch at the knees? And how reliable is the strategy of using current trends to predict future results under a new regime of strike zone regulations?

Visual representation of current strike zone.

Short answer: Changing the definition of baseball's strike zone would disrupt and destroy a growing trend amongst umpires of calling the low strike (which is to say, calling a pitch located within the current strike zone a strike, or a QOC = Correct call). In other words, umpires are continually getting better and changing the rules might disrupt that trend. Longterm effects are unknown due to projected forecast bias, but one would surmise that the low strike at the knee tops, at least initially, would be called at a greater rate, than the current rate of knee-hollow strike calls. Alternately, one could surmise that the probability of incorrectly calling a low pitch, located below the knee top, a strike, would also increase.

ESPN Stats & Info has run the numbers for pitchers, but only the UEFL has the analysis when it comes to the people actually tasked with making those calls.

For instance, the percentage of taken pitches called a strike in the bottom two inches of the strike zone was about 24% in 2011, rising to nearly 50% in both 2015 and 2016; with such stats on called strikes, it's no wonder that MLB would conclude that raising the strike zone will help offensive production.

It's as if the umpires are properly and more consistently making the calls on the rulebook definition of the "low" strike, yet the players aren't adjusting (e.g., by swinging at them)...now that the rule is being enforced at a greater rate—now that umpires are getting better at their jobs—MLB wants to change its parameters.

To recap, the proposal would raise the lower limit of the strike zone from the hollow to the top of the batter's knee as the batter is prepared to swing at the pitch, or, about a two-inch swing, on average.

Using data from recent years, with the hollow-of-the-knee rule in effect, ESPN found that raising the zone by two inches (retroactively, of course) would have increased the league's aggregate batting average (as relates solely to the bottom two inches of the strike zone) from .238 to .270, slugging percentage from .348 to .415, and decreased the amount of called strikes by over three percent. Pitchers Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks, and Wade Miley—who all heavily work the bottom of the zone—would have lost the most in regard to called strikes.

We talked about it the other day in regards to the proposed extra-inning tie breaker mitigation strategy: raising the strike zone thus becomes yet another way to increase offense, scoring, and "action," due to batter's greater tendency to swing at pitches at the knee tops, as opposed to knee hollows. Otherwise, they'd just as easily take the low ball for more favorable counts and, potentially, walks.

Complicating matters, added offense would probably do little to help baseball in its quest to reduce game times, but that's a separate discussion to be had.

Umpire strike call tendencies at the low heart in-zone.

Umpire Statistics and the Low Strike
Naturally, the aforementioned and following analysis, is conducted in a vacuum, without regard to real-world Pitch f/x error and other confounding strike zone analysis issues. It is presented as such.

According to aggregate data over the years, raising the strike zone by two inches would affect Phil Cuzzi the most and Kerwin Danley the least: Cuzzi, at 92.0%, statistically holds the highest probability of calling the lowest strike (again, this is plotted on a pitch that is within the rulebook strike zone, meaning QOC = Correct), while Danley's statistical probability of 72.5% is the lowest.

At the proposed lower bound, two inches higher than the current boundary, the stats are much the same: Danley still has the lowest probability (85.6%) and Cuzzi is fourth-highest (97.0%, behind Will Little [97.04%], Eric Cooper [97.1%], and Doug Eddings [97.5%]. These points are all taken at the heart of home plate (e.g., the center point of plate).

Recall that the strike zone (as graphically indicated above) is realistically called in an elliptic manner, as opposed to a rectangular one: thus, we should expect that results on the lower bound corners (corresponding to a knee-high pitch over the inner or outer edge of home plate) would be different than that at the heart of the plate.

And they are. Over the inner edge of home plate located closest to the right-handed batter's box (the left side of the screen on the Visual Representation graphic), at the current lower bound—the so-called true corner, where only a fraction of the baseball comes into contact with the planar edge of home plate—it is Ron Kulpa who holds the highest called strike probability (49.0%) and Jeff Nelson the lowest (19.9%). Over the corresponding left-handed coordinate, Vic Carapazza is the highest (22.0%) and Mark Carlson the lowest (2.6%). After raising the measurement site by a normalized two inches, it's still Kulpa (73.0%) and Nelson (42.8%) at the right box, and Carapazza (39.1%) and Carlson (8.6%) at the left.

In other words, while the percentages and probabilities change, by and large, the umpire names do not, though different umpires would be affected in different ways at different horizontal points along the front edge of home plate. The trend shown on the Umpire Low-In Zone Strike Call Probability graphic is generally consistent, given a static horizontal coordinate at the heart of home plate.

The Normalized Strike Zone and Bias Function
It is important to note that the vertical strike zone, which is at issue here, is variable from batter-to-batter, so the analysis must be conducted using a normalized strike zone (e.g., the standard BrooksBaseball strike zone, which is non-normalized [e.g., true to real dimensions] does not suffice); the zone used must stretch and consolidate pitches to match a constant strike zone that assumes each batter's lower and upper bounds are located at precisely the same graphical coordinates.

Changing rules will change ump mindsets, too.

Thus, when we discuss "two inches higher," we're speaking in terms of normalized averages: for the purpose of calculation, our normalized strike zone is exactly two-feet tall (1.50 to 3.50 normalized units), such that a two-inch reduction of the strike zone corresponds to a one-twelfth (8.3%) decrease in size. Thus, with a current lower bound of 1.50 units, we're looking at a proposed lower bound of 1.67 units.

Again, these are normalized—or symbolic—dimensions, not real ones. Two inches, or 8.3%, is a best-guess estimate, rather than a wholly accurate figure. As such, the percentages and other numbers mentioned above are only accurate as relative to the current zone (hollow of the knee), since Pitch f/x and computer modeling programs are only configured to calculate the current zone values. All of this "two inches higher" analysis is simply a projection based on an estimate...

A new thought will be, "how low is too low?"

...Which is subject to forecast bias if the strike zone downsize plan actually comes to pass, as quite presumably, umpires will not call top-of-knee pitches the same under the "new rules" as they do, presently, under the current rules. Succinctly, at present, a pitch at the top of the knee is more easily called a strike, since it is fully and unequivocally within the strike zone by two vertical inches. If the rule were to change, however, this same pitch would be "borderline," meaning that umpires would treat it quite differently than the "sure-thing" such a pitch represents under the current ruleset.

Therefore, because umpires will have to contend with a new lower boundary at this new knee-top location (and the corresponding psychological hurdle that comes with it), strike call probabilities at the knee tops, all else equal, will drop. This is the crux of why using present-day knee-top numbers to project future results is unreliable to some unknown degree.

The question is, "by how much will that percentage decrease?" and this is the unknown answer that will inject forecast bias into any calculation in regards to the "two inches higher" argument.

Accordingly, while using "two inches higher" to compare hollow-of and knee-top calls in the present-day may induce provocative statistical differences, due to the anticipated forecast bias that will result from changing the lower K-Zone boundary—and by extension, the umpire's entire psychological and philosophical construct of "how low should I go?"—using present-day data to project called strike probability in the future knee-top era is, ultimately, susceptible to an unknown degree of error and unpredictability, as we have no triangulated camera measurement data to cite or compare from 1995, when the rulebook last placed the lower limit of the strike zone at the kneetops.

MiLB to Test Extra-Inning Run Scoring Procedure

First WBC and now MLB. Baseball will test an extra inning tie breaker mitigation strategy by forcing teams into a situation that should logically lead to more runs being scored during the sport's overtime period: start all extra frames with a runner on second and none out.

As hockey attempted to increase the potential for sudden-death scoring by changing its overtime period from a four-on-four to three-on-three format two years ago, baseball too is considering a tilt in the favor of extra inning offense by starting play with a free runner on second base.

Chief Baseball Officer Joe Torre told Yahoo! of several reasons for such a move: to shorten the length of games, relieve pitcher fatigue, and even compensate for modern players' 'me first' attitude: "What really initiated it is sitting in the dugout in the 15th inning and realizing everybody is going to the plate trying to hit a home run and everyone is trying to end the game themselves."

Bryce Harper is ejected during an extra inning.

Professional baseball will apparently test its newest game-shortening effort in the minors and rookie-level Arizona and Gulf Coast Leagues, which begin their shortened seasons in the summer.

The proposal has not yet been sent to the Major League players' union, which means it is not yet ready for consideration or adoption at the sport's highest level.

The 2017 World Baseball Classic already added the extra inning tiebreaker strategy to its rule changes, though WBC's modification will place baserunners at both first and second base, and will begin in the 11th, as opposed to 10th, inning of play.

Unlike the international rule, 2017's MLB/MiLB test will only add a runner to second base (not first), and may begin in the 10th, as opposed to 11th, inning. Strategy-wise, this would eliminate the potential for a force play at third base, unless the defensive team elects to walk the batter to set up the first-and-second situation...possibly by making use of the new intentional walk shortcut, pending players' union approval.

2017 World Baseball Classic Rules Mods Released

New rules for the 2017 World Baseball Classic will take effect at the quadrennial tournament in March. In general, the WBC uses the same Official Baseball Rules employed by the Major Leagues, but the international tournament modified the following OBR regulations to meet the specific needs of the worldwide pre-season showcase:

Game Play
>> Extra Inning Run Generation: In an effort to manufacture runs late in tied ballgames that have exceeded regulation, the WBC will place baserunners at first and second base to begin the 11th and any subsequent extra inning. The runner at first base will be the player in the batting order immediately preceding the batter, and the runner on second will be the player preceding the runner at first base.
Example: With the score tied after 10 innings of play, A7 (the player listed seventh in Team A's batting order) leads off the top of the 11th inning with A6 (listed sixth in the order) at first base and A5 (listed fifth) at second base, with none out.

Clint Fagan at 2012's WBC qualifier.

>> Video Replay Review: Due, in part, to technical and logistical limitation of some venues not ordinarily used by MLB, instant replay in the First and Second Rounds of the tournament will be effected in the same "limited replay" variety used by Major League Baseball from 2008-2013: The umpire crew chief may only review plays involving home runs or potential home runs (fair HR/foul, in play/HR, fan interference/HR, etc.), and the crew chief will conduct the review in the stadium himself with the assistance of a crewmate. For the Championship Round, taking place at Dodger Stadium, an MLB park, "expanded replay" (2014-present) will be used with the exception of manager challenges.
Example, Rounds 1/2: Batter A1 hits a fly ball above the height of the left field foul pole, ruled a foul ball. The crew chief and third base umpire retreat to a field-adjacent video monitor or room and determine the call on the field was correct. Foul ball.
Example, Championship: Same play as above. The crew chief and third base umpire will don headsets and speak with a Replay Official, who will make the final ruling.
Example, Rounds 1/2: Batter A1 hits a fly ball to outfielder F9 who attempts a diving catch, after which umpire U1 rules the ball was trapped (A1 safe at first base). This play is not reviewable.
Example, Championship: Same play as above. The crew chief and first base umpire will don headsets and speak with a Replay Official, who will make the final ruling.

Rosters and Tiebreakers
>> Tie-Breakers: Because both the first and second place teams advance after the First and Second Rounds, no game is necessary if only two teams are tied for best record. Instead, the Pool Winner shall be the team that defeated the other team in that round. If there is a three-way tie, the same statistical procedure shall be used to rank the three, such that one of the teams will be deemed the Pool Winner. The teams ranked second and third will then play a tie-breaker game to determine the second-place winner. Additional tiebreakers, in order, are:
- 1) Fewest runs allowed divided by number of innings played on defense (Runs per Innings).
- 2) Fewest earned runs allowed divided by number of defensive innings (Team ERA).
- 3) Highest team batting average.
- 4) "Drawing of lots," or the WBC-controlled coin flip.
Example: Team Korea and Team Israel are the only teams tied for Pool Winner designation at the conclusion of the First Round; whichever team won the pair's head-to-head matchup will be the Pool Winner.

Kun Young Park at the 2016 qualifier.

>> Designated Pitcher Pool: Each team will identify a list of 10 pitchers eligible to participate in one or more consecutive rounds (e.g., a pitcher may not participate in the First and Championship, but not the Second Round). This list is independent of any roster submitted to WBC ahead of the tournament, but in order to use the pool list, the submitted roster must include a minimum of one and maximum of two pitchers from the pool list (if no pool pitchers are included on the roster, the pool list may not be used for the tournament). If a pitcher is removed from a roster at any time, the pitcher may not be used again in the tournament. Pitchers from the pool list, if used, may replace pitchers on the WBC roster after each individual round of the tournament.
Example (Legal): Team Canada names Pitchers 1-10 to its Designated Pitcher Pool list, and adds Pitchers 1 and 2 to its First Round roster. At the conclusion of this round, it replaces Pitcher 1 with Pitcher 3, such that Pitchers 2 and 3 compete for Canada in the Second Round. At the conclusion of the second round, Canada replaces Pitcher 3 with Pitcher 4, such that Pitchers 2 and 4 compete in the Championship Round. Legal.
Example (Illegal): Team USA names Pitchers 1-10 to its Designated Pitcher Pool list, and adds Pitchers 1 and 2 to its First Round roster, replacing them with Pitchers 3 and 4 for the Second Round. Team USA attempts to reintroduce Pitcher 1 in the Championship Round. Illegal, since Pitcher 1 may only compete in consecutive rounds.
Example (Illegal): Team Korea names Pitchers 1-10 to its Designated Pitcher Pool list, includes Pitchers 11 and 12 on its First Round roster, and attempts to replace Pitcher 11 with Pitcher 1 for the Second Round. Team is prohibited from using the Designated Pitcher Pool, since it did not include any pitchers from this pool on its submitted roster for the First Round.

MLB Considering Intentional Walk, Strike Zone Changes

MLB has proposed changing the strike zone and intentional walk procedures, according to a source. Major League Baseball's purported proposal to the players' union is an echo of concepts from years gone by, as baseball tried the same thing with its strike zone in February 2015, sending the matter to the Playing Rules Committee in an attempt to interject more offense into a game that has recently favored pitchers.

The strike zone currently is defined as:

The STRIKE ZONE is that area over home plate the upper limit of which is a horizontal line at the midpoint between the top of the shoulders and the top of the uniform pants, and the lower level is a line at the hollow beneath the kneecap. The Strike Zone shall be determined from the batter’s stance as the batter is prepared to swing at a pitched ball.

And it previously looked like:
1887: Batsman's knee - shoulders;
1907: Batsman's knee - shoulders (Adopted by both National and American Leagues)
1950: Top of the knee when batter assumes a natural stance - armpits;
*NOTE: 1957 was the Adoption of Rule 2.00 [Strike] referencing Rule 2.00 [Strike Zone]*
1963: Top of knees when batter assumes a natural stance - top of shoulders;
1969: Top of knees when batter assumes a natural stance - armpits;
1988: Top of knees when prepared to swing - midpoint between top of shoulders and top of pants;
1996: Hollow of the knees when prepared to swing at pitch - midpoint b/w top of shoulders/pants.
*NOTE: 2014 renumbered Rule 2.00 [Strike Zone] to Definition of Terms [Strike Zone]*
Key: Green = Strike Zone Expansion; Red = Strike Zone Shrinkage; Yellow = Stayed the same.

The 2016 strike zone proposal would favor the offense by raising the lower bound of the strike zone to the top of the knees while keeping the upper limit at the midpoint.

Meanwhile, the no-pitch intentional walk previously made an appearance during the 2014 Arizona Fall League, when the League tested several pace of game proposals, including the since-adopted batter's box rule (except without the penalty of a dead ball strike) and inning/pitching change intermission clocks.

Needless to say, elimination of the four thrown balls requirement would eliminate: increased pitch counts; the potential for a wild pitch or passed ball, a pitcher or catcher's balk, a batter swinging at a poorly placed intentional ball, a stolen base; and the 30-seconds to one minute it takes to intentionally walk a batter.

The two proposals now stand for a players' union vote and, if they pass in a timely manner, could realistically be implemented in 2017. If they don't pass in time for Spring Training or the season, there likely would be no change made for the beginning of the 2017 season.

2017 Season MLB Umpire Crews - Pre-Season Edition

Here are the umpire crews for MLB's 2017 season, with 76 umpires on the staff spread over 19 umpiring crews. Visit the UEFL's Umpire Roster and Profiles page for a sortable list of all MLB and MiLB call-up umpires (which will be sortable by 2017 crew). This is an unofficial and preliminary pre-season look at the 2017 MLB umpire crew list and is subject to change prior to or during Spring Training or the regular season. Stay tuned for information regarding registration for the 2017 UEFL season.

2017 MLB Umpire Crews (By Umpiring Crew Chief Seniority)

Crew #	Crew Chief	Umpire 2	Umpire 3	Umpire 4
Crew 1	12 Davis, Gerry	11 Randazzo, Tony	30 Drake, Rob	[New Hire MLBU]
Crew 2	32 DeMuth, Dana	39 Nauert, Paul	68 Guccione, Chris	[New Hire MLBU]
Crew 3	5 Scott, Dale	77 Reynolds, Jim	91 Knight, Brian	94 Barrett, Lance
Crew 4	22 West, Joe	21 Wendelstedt, Hunter	49 Fletcher, Andy	64 Porter, Alan
Crew 5	38 Cederstrom, Gary	56 Cooper, Eric	80 Johnson, Adrian	[New Hire MLBU]
Crew 6	24 Layne, Jerry	51 Hudson, Marvin	2 Bellino, Dan	83 Estabrook, Mike
Crew 7	9 Gorman, Brian	58 Iassogna, Dan	16 DiMuro, Mike	73 Gibson, Tripp
Crew 8	8 Kellogg, Jeff	95 Timmons, Tim	92 Hoye, James	93 Little, Will
Crew 9	20 Hallion, Tom	10 Cuzzi, Phil	19 Carapazza, Vic	90 Ripperger, Mark
Crew 10	33 Winters, Mike	14 Wegner, Mark	60 Foster, Marty	76 Muchlinski, Mike
Crew 11	25 Culbreth, Fieldin	6 Carlson, Mark	54 Bucknor, CB	79 Gonzalez, Manny
Crew 12	65 Barrett, Ted	55 Hernandez, Angel	23 Barksdale, Lance	74 Tumpane, John
Crew 13	45 Nelson, Jeff	63 Diaz, Laz	88 Eddings, Doug	89 Blaser, Cory
Crew 14	26 Miller, Bill	44 Danley, Kerwin	13 Tichenor, Todd	[New Hire MLBU]
Crew 15	41 Meals, Jerry	46 Kulpa, Ron	15 Hickox, Ed	98 Conroy, Chris
Crew 16	27 Vanover, Larry	72 Marquez, Alfonso	4 Fairchild, Chad	86 Rackley, David
Crew 17	57 Everitt, Mike	52 Welke, Bill	1 Dreckman, Bruce	71 Baker, Jordan
Crew 18	50 Emmel, Paul	7 O'Nora, Brian	87 Barry, Scott	81 Wolcott, Quinn
Crew 19	34 Holbrook, Sam	53 Gibson, Greg	28 Wolf, Jim	70 Reyburn, DJ
DL/Ret	N/A	Obtained by	Close Call Sports	UEFL

New MLB Umpires ([New Hire MLBU]): Adam Hamari, Gabe Morales, Pat Hoberg, Carlos Torres.

Notes and Observations
≫ Mike Winters and Jeff Nelson's crews are the only two that remain unchanged from 2016 to 2017.
≫ Longtime 1-2 combos Scott-Iassogna, West-Danley, and Layne-Wendelstedt have been split.
≫ Former crewmates and small-tall duo Jerry Meals and Jordan Baker are on separate crews.
≫ Retirement Recap: Bob Davidson, John Hirschbeck, Jim Joyce, Tim Welke.

Statistical Promotions or Leftward Lateral Movement:
≫ From Umpire 2 (or Interim) to Crew Chief: Paul Emmel, Mike Everitt, Sam Holbrook.
≫ From Umpire 3 to Umpire 2 (Backup Crew Chief): Paul Nauert*, Tim Timmons.
≫ From Umpire 4 to Umpire 3: Dan Bellino, Chad Fairchild, Adrian Johnson, Todd Tichenor.
*NOTE: Paul Nauert was an Umpire 2 in 2015, and an Umpire 3 in 2016.

Statistical Rightward Lateral Movement:
≫ From Umpire 3 to Umpire 4: Alan Porter (switched crews).

Andrew Bell Injured, Spectator Wilson Fills in as Ump

ABL Umpire Andrew Bell was taken to hospital after a foul ball injury to his right forearm on Friday, and returned to work Sunday's game with only bruises to show for it.

With none out in the top of the 4th inning of Friday's Blue Sox-Bite game, Blue Sox batter Malik Collymore fouled a 0-2 fastball from Bite pitcher Sean Callegari above catcher Marcus Greene Jr.'s glove and into umpire Bell's right arm.

Bell was replaced for the remainder of the contest behind the plate by 1B Umpire Ian Reval, with 3B Umpire Payne Sowter remaining at third base while Mark Wilson—who was attending the game as a fan and is on the Adelaide umpiring panel—borrowed a uniform and filled in at first base.

After a scheduled day off on Saturday, Bell returned to officiate Sunday's game on the bases.
Relevant Post: Injury Study - The Slot and Mask vs Helmet Debate (May 30, 2016).

Video via "Read More"

ABL - Halligan Ejects Heat's Hughes for Punch

Australian Baseball League Umpire Blake Halligan ejected Heat 2B Luke Hughes for punching an opponent and player-manager Matt Kennelly for arguing Hughes' ejection.

With two out and one on (R2), Heat batter Kennelly hit a ground ball to Bite third baseman Jordan McArdle, who threw poorly to first baseman Jordan McArdle, to catcher Bas Nooij as baserunner R2 Derek Peterson attempted to score on McArdle's throwing error. Replays indicate that Nooij tagged Peterson prior to Peterson's touch of home plate, that Peterson's slide potentially violated the home plate collision rule (Rule 6.01(i)(1) Comment: "A slide shall be deemed appropriate, in the case of a feet first slide, if the runner’s buttocks and legs should hit the ground before contact with the catcher"; Peterson's knee appeared to make contact with Nooij's upper thigh prior to Peterson's buttocks and legs touching the ground), that Nooij subsequently shoved Peterson, and that Hughes (who was not involved in the play) ran from the dugout area to deliver a strike upon Nooij's head, the call was irrecusable. At the time of the ejection, the Bite were leading, 2-0. The Bite ultimately won the contest, 2-1.

As a result of the misconduct, Hughes received a three-game suspension and undisclosed fine.

Wrap/Log: Perth Heat vs. Adelaide Bite (Australian Baseball), 1/15/17 | Video via "Read More"

Tmac's Teachable Moments - Let's Fix Replay

Tmac's Teachable Moments presents a review of ways to fix instant replay.

It's a new year and would you believe it's less than one month until pitchers and catchers report. If you're a baseball fan and if you're frequenting Close Call Sports, and there's a really good chance you are, then you've probably been frustrated about the way MLB has handled replays since their 2014 expansion. I propose some ways to fix MLB instant replay in this offseason addition of Tmac's Teachable Moments.

First of all, how many times have I said MLB is horrible at communication. To begin, let's fix part of that problem.

Umpires in Japan's NPB have access to a mic.

1) Give the Crew Chief a microphone
Football and hockey refs have mics, and basketball officials can communicate what's going on because the media table is court side. Not knowing a ruling is like missing twenty minutes of a movie. The result is the fans become informed by announcers who don't know what they're talking about. We get announcers making stuff up while attempting to fill in the blanks. A simple explanation after every replay would suffice. It also allows the CC to explain ejections, complicated situations, or perhaps a strange play. We have the technology, so lets do this. It makes it easier for people in the press box (well above the playing field) or sitting at home to understand the call on the field. Communication can always be better.
Gil's Note: The Nippon Professional Baseball Organization (Japan's MLB-equivalent) outfits its umpires with access to microphones on the playing field level. When a ruling requires explanations, the umpire-in-chief can simply walk over to the warning track, pick up a microphone, and explain the play over the stadium PA for all to hear. SEE IT IN ACTION: Dropped Third Strike = Home Run.

2) A manager gets two challenges, and a challenge must be IMMEDIATE

Quick decisions may eliminate delays.

Let's eliminate the Crew Chief-initiated challenges. A manager should use his challenges judiciously.  When games are delayed for 30 seconds here and 30 seconds there, it adds up. We had some great postseason games, but they routinely went over four hours. Even the most arduous of baseball fans can't spend that kind of time watching baseball in October. Gil and I tried to cover every post season game and I was worn out by the end. There are some people saying this was the best WS ever and many people missed the crucial moments because the games lasted forever.

Let's get rid of "turning the umpire" strategy.

So, what does "Immediate" mean? By definition, "occurring or done at once; instant." When a call was missed in the "old" days before replay, a manager would come out IMMEDIATELY to dispute or seek clarification. He didn't wait for 30 seconds or more to hear from his replay technician on whether it's worth a challenge. What does this do? It eliminates the sliding challenges were a guy is clearly safe and his butt or his legs comes off the bag for s split second. There's a difference between coming off a base by over sliding it and having your front foot come off a base because a base is hard. Replay is designed to fix the egregious errors.

If a manager is successful with each of his two challenges then he gets another and another until his challenge is not successful. Now there's no penalty for an incorrect challenge after the 6th inning.  Managers are bailed out by getting a Crew Chief Review every time they ask.

HBP or Foul? This play should be reviewable.

Umpires tend to not miss three calls against a team in a game (according to my records, it happened just twice this year), so if you use your challenges properly you will be fine.

I'm adaptable to "immediate," but considering Stadiums have clocks why not have a 5 second countdown clock after every play? You could even hire a 5th umpire to man the clock. This takes the replay technicians out of the game where they don't belong.

How does a manager challenge, you must be asking!

3) Give the manager a beanbag
You can make it a flag or whatever; just something that keeps him off the field.
Gil's Note: As of 2015, managers have been ordered to remain in the dugout to challenge most plays, but the manager is still notably permitted to hold play while consulting with the replay coordinator and bench coach about whether to challenge the call.

4) Let's replay more things
Fair/fouls in the infield, batted balls off batters, and full swings that turn into HBPs are some of the disasters that are not reviewable. I've been asked where to draw the line. We're currently reviewing interference, so why can't we also review obstruction? I'm not sure where the line is drawn, but let's get it right. This is a slippery slope, but we can make it an exciting one.

Let's put those stadium clocks to good use.

5) Ninety second limit once headsets are put on.
We can waive this in the postseason, but I can't tell you how many times in the late stages of a game we have had a 3+ minute replay delay in a game that was all but decided. While I agree the classy thing to do is to let the play be, managers are constantly fighting for players, trying to get them a base knock or lower a pitcher's ERA. So I don't begrudge them for challenging, but with the technology there is no reason MLB replay should take two to three times longer than NFL, NBA, or NHL.

These changes are simple.  There is no question replay is here to stay and there is also no question MLB is obsessed with shorter game times.  This might not take a large chunk of time but it would help with game flow which was just brutal last year.

Source - Jim Joyce Retires, Holbrook & Emmel Promoted

"Imperfect Game" umpire Jim Joyce has retired with crew chief promotions to Sam Holbrook and Paul Emmel, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. No official announcement has yet been made.

In 2014, Joyce granted an interview to the Portland Tribune in which he stated that he "could very easily have walked away from the game of baseball" after the infamous June 2, 2010 game in Detroit featuring Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga and the so-called 28-out perfect game after Joyce's safe call with two outs in the ninth inning extended the game by one batter. At the time, Joyce said in postgame comments that he "blew the call" and eventually co-authored the book Nobody's Perfect with Galarraga concerning sportsmanship and lessons learned from that night.

Joyce was in the right place at the right time two years later when a Diamondbacks stadium employee entered cardiac arrest; Joyce performed CPR on Levy employee Jayne Powers and received praise by many who said that Joyce had saved Powers' life.

In the 2014 Tribune interview, Joyce also mentioned that he had "a couple of more [years]" left, "if my knees hold up." The 2015 and 2016 seasons make for a couple of years and, according to a source, Joyce is following through on that retirement projection. News of Joyce's retirement was also broadcast over the air via Portland, Oregon radio station AM 1080 The Fan.

Joyce, who entered the American League in 1987, officiated 3,268 regular season games during his three decades in the Majors, ejecting 73 people, and additionally called three All-Star Games, 10 Division Series, four League Championship Series, and three World Series.

His obstruction call to end Game 3 of the 2013 World Series constituted the first Fall Classic game-ending obstruction or interference play, and capped off a stretch run for Joyce during which he received two UEFL Honorable Umpire of the Year awards (2010 and 2012) and two UEFL Umpire of the Year awards (2009 and 2013).

Joyce is a member of the Central Catholic High School Sports Hall of Fame (2000) and Irish American Baseball Hall of Fame (2009).

Sam Holbrook, Paul Emmel Promoted to Crew Chief

Umpires Sam Holbrook and Paul Emmel have purportedly been tapped to replace retiring crew chiefs Joyce and John Hirschbeck, according to a source.

Holbrook is just shy of 2,000 games in his Major League career (AL debut: 1996, NL debut: 1997) while Emmel is over the 2,000-game mark (NL debut: 1999); both have officiated all levels of special events, with Holbrook most recently presiding over Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

Mike Everitt, meanwhile, has served as fill-in crew chief since January 2016, in the stead of Tim Welke, who has since retired after spending one year on umpiring's Disabled List. Everitt has 2,388 games of regular season experience heading into 2017.

All three have served as acting or interim crew chief on several occasions throughout the past few seasons, including Holbrook's extended stint as crew chief in place of regular Joe West when West missed the first few months of 2013; Hawk Harrelson has the story.

Holbrook himself missed the 2014 season upon the death of his wife Laura "Susie" Glass, and worked the 2016 World Series with Hirschbeck, who himself spent time on bereavement after losing two sons.

Joyce's retirement comprises the fourth since September 2016 (Bob Davidson, Hirschbeck, T Welke), accounting for MLB's purported quadruple hire of umpires Adam Hamari, Pat Hoberg, Gabe Morales and Carlos Torres, while the Hirschbeck/Joyce/Welke retirements as crew chiefs account for the purported Holbrook/Emmel/Everitt promotions.