RULE 10 UMPIRING

            Section 1: General

Article 1...Game officials are the Head Umpire and one or two field umpires.  Any umpire has the authority to order a player, coach, team attendant, spectator, or other person to do or refrain from doing anything that affects the administration of these rules, or the conduct of the game, and to enforce prescribed penalties.  Other game officials may include the official scorekeeper, base operator (optional), and base judges.  If there is not a person available to keep score who is unconnected with either of the teams playing, the official scorekeeper will be the scorekeeper for the home team.

Article 2...If there is only one umpire, he/she has complete jurisdiction in administering the rules and may take any position he/she desires on the field.

Article 3...Any umpire’s decision which involves judgment, such as whether a hit is fair or foul, ball is legally fielded, or whether base is touched prior to legal fielding of ball, etc... is final.  If there is reasonable doubt about some decision being in conflict with the rules, the coach or captain may ask that the correct ruling be made.  The umpire making the decision may ask another umpire or official for information before making a final decision.  No umpire shall criticize or interfere with another umpire’s decision, on or off the field, unless asked by the one making it.

Article 4...No umpire may be replaced during a game unless he/she becomes ill or is injured.  His/her right to disqualify players or to remove non-players for unwarranted objection to decisions or for unsportsmanlike conduct is absolute.

            Section 2: Head Umpire

Article 1...If there are two or more umpires, the Head Umpire shall stand in the vicinity of home plate.  He/she shall call and count passes (balls) and strikes, signal fair hits, and call out “Foul Ball” while signaling a foul hit, he/she shall make all decisions on the batter/runner (i.e. safe, out, replay, dead ball, interference, obstruction, malfunctioning equipment, etc.).

Article 2...The Head Umpire has authority to suspend a game and/or recommend forfeiture in tournament play, he/she may forfeit a game in non-tournament play, and he/she has jurisdiction over any rules matters not mentioned in Rule 10, Sect. 2, Art.1, and not assigned to the field umpire in Rule 10, Sect. 3.  NOTE: The Umpire’s jurisdiction begins with the pre-game conference.

Article 3...The duties of the Head Umpire are those listed in Rule 10, Sect. 2, Art. 1, 2 and the following:

[a] Inspect equipment, condition of field, receive batting order of both teams, announce special ground rules and formulate such if the two teams cannot agree, designate the official scorer and see that each player takes his/her glove and other loose equipment to the bench at the end of his/her term in the field; and

[b] The Head Umpire will allow each batter to hear the bases one at a time on that batter’s first urn at bat in each inning.  Subsequent request by the same batter to hear the bases sounded will be allowed for valid reason; and

[c] Call “Play” and give hand signal to start the game or to resume play; and call “Time” whenever ball becomes dead; and

[d] Eject a player, coach, spotter or clear the bench or send coach or any other person from the field or spectator area if it becomes necessary; and

[e] Announce each substitution to the official scorekeeper; and

[f] Call or suspend game if conditions become unfit for play; and

[g] Penalize for rule infraction s(i.e. interference, obstruction, delay, unsportsmanlike conduct, unwarranted disputing of decision, etc.); and

[h] Make final decision on points not specifically covered by the rules; and

[i] Forfeit or recommend forfeit of the game for proscribed infractions by spectators, coaches, players, spotters, or attendants; and

[j] When protest are allowed, he/she shall report the protest to the proper person(s) along with all related conditions at the time of the protested play, provided the protest is entered by the offended team at the time of the play and before the next pitch, legal or illegal, after such play, or before both teams leave the field if the play in question is the last play of the game (see Section 4); and

[k] Keep a written record of defensive team charged conferences for each team and notify the respective coach each time a conference is charged to his/her team.  He/she shall also be responsible for keeping a line-up card for each team and recording all substitutions; and

[l] Not allow a player who has been rendered unconscious or sustained a serious head injury or suspected broken bone or dislocation to resume playing without written authorization from a physician.

            Section 3: Field Umpire

Article 1...A Field Umpire may assist the Head Umpire in administering the rules.  He/she shall make all decisions in the field except those reserved for the Head Umpire.  He/she shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the Head Umpire in calling time, attempt to alter tone of ball by pitcher, use of illegal pitch, caught fly ball, legal catch, double call by spotter(s) or in ejecting any coach, player, spotter, spectator or other person for flagrant, unsportsmanlike conduct or other infraction as proscribed by the rules.  In some instances he/she will rule on the ball being fair or foul.

Article 2...When there is only one Field Umpire, he shall make all decisions in the field as set forth in Article 1 and any other decisions delegated to him by the Head Umpire.

Article 3...When more than one Field Umpire is used, they will position themselves so as to provide the best coverage of the field.  They will have concurrent jurisdiction with the first Field Umpire.

Article 4...When there are only two officials, one shall be the Head Umpire and the other shall be designated Field Umpire.  The Field Umpire shall rule on the legality of a “catch” by calling “Caught” when the ball has been legally fielded.  The Head Umpire shall watch the runner for obstruction, interference, and legal touch at the base, he/she shall call “There” when he observes a legal touch.  The final decision of safe, out, replay, or penalty belongs to the Head Umpire.

Article 5...If there are three or more officials, one shall be designated Head Umpire, and shall assign the others as follows: Two will be Field Umpires and will call the field and bases.  The Field Umpire at the activated base will rule on a legal touch by the runner by calling “There” when he has observed a legal touch.  The second Field Umpire will rule on the catch, calling “Caught” when he/she observes a legal catch.  The Head Umpire will make the final decision of safe, out, replay, or penalty.  Other personnel may be assigned as the Head Umpire sees fit.

Article 6...The Head Umpire of a field may confer with other officials present on that field at any time to acquire information prior to making a decision on a play or other situation.

Section 4: Protest Procedure

At the request of the NBBA Board of Directors, the following formal procedure was developed for use in NBBA sanctioned Beep Baseball play:

[a] The coach or captain of the offended team must request “Time” to discuss the situation with the Head Umpire of the field before the first pitch, legal or illegal, to the next batter.  The Umpire will not refuse to grant such time out for this purpose, nor will an offensive or defensive conference be charged; and

[b] after being granted time out, the coach or captain of the offended team must inform the Head Umpire of the game that a protest will be filed concerning the previous play; and

[c] The Head Umpire will inform the official scorekeeper and note in the score book or on the scoresheet, the facts of the protest and the game situation existing immediately prior to the protest; and

[d] Both coaches and captains, the Head Umpire of the game, the Field Umpire (if there is one), the Official Scorekeeper, and the scorekeepers for both teams will sign the scoresheet; and

[e] The game will resume and continue to it’s conclusion or to the next protest; and

[f] Immediately following the game, the coach and/or captain of the protesting team will prepare a full written or dictated report of the protested play, giving the game situation existing prior to the play, details of the play, and reason for protest, citing any rules references believed to apply (judgment decisions can not be protested).  This report should contain as much detail as necessary to clearly convey the situation to another person not on the scene.  The report must be presented to the head of the Tournament Committee or a person designated by the Tournament Committee or the NBBA to hear protest before the next game in which the protesting team will participate; and

[g] The Head Umpire and the Field Umpire for the game will also prepare and present written reports of the protested play before the next game in which the protesting team will participate; and

[h] The person designated to hear protests should not be a coach, captain, or player for any team participating in the game, series, or tournament.  The designated person will select at least two, but not more than three, additional persons to sit as a protest committee to hear the protest.  At least one of these persons much be a coach or player and at least one person must be an Umpire and none of them may have any connection with either team or specific interest in the outcome of the protest game; and

[i] The Protested Committee will read the reports and issue a ruling within 24 hours of the time the first report was received.  In the process of making a decision, either team’s score book, the official Score book, and personal interview with nay reliable witness, team member, coach, and/or Umpire or other official may be used, unsolicited testimony will be ignored; and

[j] If the protest is upheld, the game will be resumed at the point of the protested play with the game situation exactly as it was immediately prior to the protested play and will be played to its conclusion as if the protested play had not occurred.  The Official Game Record will be that of the resumed game and all previous records from the protested play to the end of the game will be erased; and

[k] If the protest is denied, the Official Record will be that of the protested game; and

[l] There is no protest of an Umpire’s judgment, only rule applications may be protested; and

[m] It is suggested that a protest fee of not less than twenty-five dollars nor more than fifty dollars be assessed with each protest filed.  Only one play may be protest per report.  The protest fee is to be paid in cash by the protesting team at the time the protest report is filed.  If the protest is upheld, all or part of the fee may be returned; if the protest is denied, the entire fee is forfeited to the Tournament Fund or the NBBA general fund.  A low fee or o fee may encourage frivolous protests; and

[n] If a protest is upheld and a game is to be replayed from the point of protest, the line-up of both teams will be the same as listed on the Official Scoresheet for the protested game at the time of the protested play.  The Head Umpire and the Field Umpire should also be the same.