Binghamton Umpire's Association
[and Binghamton Umpire's Chapter] 
Dedicated to sportsmanship and fair play

Member News
	Welcome to the Binghamton Umpires Association and Binghamton Umpire's Chapter Web Site.  If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a member, additional information is listed on the "About Us" page.  If you need umpires for your league or tournament, contact the Assignor listed on page two.  Meetings are held at the Moose Club, Henry St., Binghamton, New York.
Upcoming Meetings: Rules Interpretation Meetings: These start on Monday, February 8 @ 7:00 PM and will end as close to 8:00 PM as possible.  They will run every Monday until the season starts.  Attendance will be taken.
New Actives: At the September business meeting, the following associate members were promoted to active: Ryan Edmonson, Mark Mandyk, Bob Bennett, Ken Sisson, Mark Stanley, and Ryan Siciliano. Congratulations
Congratulations: One of our BUA umps, Ryan Bealo was signed to umpire in the Class A Gulf Coast League late in the season. He will be assigned to a pro league next season without having to go to umpiring camp.  Ryan has been waiting for this break and it has finally happened!!!
We get Letters: BUA services softball and baseball leagues and tournaments from Owego to Deposit, from Town of Binghamton to Norwich.  We hear from those we service and (without bragging) we get great reviews!  Check out a few of the letters we have gotten from satisfied tournament directors and league presidents on our “About Us” page.
Andy Grecko Scholarship Awards Devan Watkins of Binghamton and Brian Eggleston of Binghamton were the recipients of the 19^th Annual Andrew J. Grecko Scholarship awards. Each received $500. Names were submitted to Bill Kittle and the Selection Committee by coaches and athletic directors. Winners were chosen on merit both on and off the field.
Rules and Rules Changes Adult Baseball: If you are umpiring or playing adult baseball there are some special rules for those games.  Please go to: www.msblnational.com to makes sure you are aware of all rules that are specific to this level. ASA: The ASA Rules changes and the Non-approved Bats List are also posted on the Softball page.  For more information go directly to the ASA site at www.softball.org. NFHS Softball and Baseball: NFHS 2008 Baseball and Softball Rules Changes and Rules Interpretations are posted on the Softball and Baseball pages.  The rules interpretations make great reading for umpires, players and coaches.  For more information go directly to the NFHS site at www.nfhs.org.  Also included on that site are softball video clips showing specific violations (leap, crowhop, and 24" length violation), a list of softball and baseball rules differences, a softball signal chart, and many other useful items of information.
Balk Talk The best advice that fellow umpires can give about dealing with balks is to call it if one of these situations is at hand: 1. It’s an “elephant balk” when: The pitcher drops the ball while on the rubber, he starts and stops in the middle of his motion, he starts to throw to first without stepping off or he does not complete the throw, etc.  If it’s obvious then call it.  Remember the spirit of the rule.  A pitcher can’t deceive the runner and he can’t change from his regular movement nor can he throw to first without coming to a complete stop while on the rubber. 2.   The defense (pitcher) is gaining an advantage: If the pitcher is doing something that is giving him an advantage against the offence then call the balk.  For example, a LHP steps to home while throwing to 1st base or obviously breaks the back plane of the runner and then throws to 1st base, call it.  Next, there’s the “no stop” balk.  There are times to call this, and times to deal with it without calling it.  If it’s a close game with a runner on 1st base and the pitcher throws over to 1st base 3 or 4 times and then does not come to a set when delivering to the plate then call the balk.  He’s trying to gain an advantage. This requires an understanding of the game itself as well as an understanding of the balk rule.  For instance, calling a borderline no-stop balk with a runner on 2nd base isn’t a good habit to get into.  Most likely the runner isn’t trying to steal 3rd, and the pitcher isn’t deliberately trying to gain an advantage by not stopping.  This can be stopped immediately by the base umpire by simply walking in to the mound area to “check the ball” for scuffmarks.  “Give me a good stop pitcher I don’t like calling balks.”  The plate guy can do the same thing if he sees this as well.  Grab your plate brush and dust off that shiny plate while telling the catcher, “Please get him to stop for me, okay?”  This also holds true for games that are not in doubt anymore or when the 1st baseman is playing behind the runner on first.  Both the Plate and Base umpires have to call balks.  Some umpires are reluctant to call balks for fear of getting a coach mad or disrupting the game.  The lower levels of baseball can have some balks overlooked but when working a higher level baseball game it is important to know that the pitchers know how to pitch and if a balk has been committed we must call it. As you know, there are many rules in the rulebook that require umpires to interpret the rule and apply it to the situation.  It makes our job a little harder than it already is to try to determine which ones to call and which ones not to call.  It’s hard for me to tell you NOT to call a balk if you see it but I guess that’s pretty much what I’m saying.  Read the game, know the situation, know the PURPOSE of the balk rule (to prevent the defense from gaining an advantage) and apply all of that to the game.
If you have information, suggestions or questions for or about the web site please contact pastormac@juno.com