spotes wrote:
I am not familiar with your story. But if it were true, the catcher need not chase down the runner. My understanding of appeal plays is that runners that have already proceeded to the dugout are out when home plate is touched by a defender with the ball during the appeal. My other understanding of the appeal play is that it absolutely must be initiated by a defensive player and NOT an umpire. I think the offensive team could protest this play and win it becuase of how it originated. This play would be a major fail on the part of the umpire in both execution and understanding of the rule book. That doesn't make this scenario impossible (see this year's level of umpiring for confirmation...), but it certainly makes it seem highly improbable.
Damn, now I will have to try to Google something from decades ago, which will probably be impossible to find.
p.s. I once suggested that you become a TV movie critic. I will now suggest that you think about becoming a major league umpire. I'll bet you know more of the rules than many of them.
p.p.s The only time I ever umpired a game (softball) was at summer camp back in the mid 1960's. I made one controversial call. The batter hit a slow roller up the first base line, which the 1st baseman fielded, as a runner was trying to score from 3rd base. The player, who hit the ball, saw the 1st baseman starting to throw the ball to home to stop the run from scoring, and jumped into the air with both arms straight up to prevent the 1st baseman from having a good throw to the plate.
I called the batter out for interference with the 1st baseman's throw, and sent the other runner back to 3rd base. There was a big rhubarb, with the guy I called out screaming at me that he never touched anyone or anything, but I held my ground, and my ruling stood. Did I make the right call...?