Volume 1, Issue 4 BCBUA Anniversary Celebrations August 2009 “To commemorate the 35th ing the original members who particular, we encourage you to anniversary of the BCBUA, are still with us. Most of our loan them to us for a display that organizers are planning to hold Past Presidents will be in atten- will be set up in the banquet a celebration on Saturday No- dance for this special occasion room. as we celebrate 35 years as an vember 21 as part of the An- Contact Steve Boutang if you association. nual General Meeting weekend have anything you wish to in- in Victoria. Long time mem- If you have any old memo- clude as part of our celebration. bers will be honoured, includ- rabilia of note, photographs in FUN Facts! You have all heard baseball same time as sunrise (heliacal 23-August 23). In many Euro- announcer‟s use of the phrase, rising), which is no longer true, pean cultures (German, French, the Dog Days of Summer….. owing to precession of the equi- Italian) this is still the period to but what does it mean? noxes. The ancients sacrificed a be the time of the Dog Days. brown dog at the beginning of As you will read, it has nothing The Old Farmer's Almanac lists the Dog Days to appease the rage to do with baseball. the traditional timing of the of Sirius, believing that the star Dog Days as the 40 days begin- The term "Dog Days" was used was the cause of the hot, sultry ning July 3 and ending August by the Greeks (see, e.g., Aris- weather. 11, coinciding with the ancient totle's Physics, 199a2), as well Dog Days were popularly be- heliacal (at sunrise) rising of as the ancient Romans (who lieved to be an evil time "when the Dog Star, Sirius. These are called these days caniculares the seas boiled, wine turned sour, the days of the year when rain- dies (days of the dogs)) after dogs grew mad, and all creatures fall is at its lowest levels. Sirius (the "Dog Star", in Latin became languid, causing to man Canicula), the brightest star in burning fevers, hysterics, and the heavens besides the sun. Dog Days can also define a phrensies" according to Brady‟s The dog days of summer are time period or event that is very Clavis Calendarium, 1813. also called canicular days. hot or stagnant, or marked by In Ancient Rome, the Dog Days dull lack of progress…..- Now The Dog Days originally were extended from July 24 through that represents some baseball the days when Sirius, the Dog August 24 (or, alternatively July games I‟ve been at! Star, rose just before or at the World Baseball Challenge Team USA‟s National Colle- Boutang, Rob Allan, Nick home plate. Line umpires for giate club won the recently Moore, and Kris Hartley were the 9 day event were: Lance concluded 6 team World Base- part of the regular 6 man infield Brommeland (co-ordinator), ball Challenge in Prince George umpire crew for the week long Andre Jean, Terry Shaw, and EBALL UMPIRE’S ASSOCIATION defeating Germany 8-1 in the event. Congratulations to Rob Sean Hardiman. final. BCBUA members Steve Allan who worked the final at Calendar of Events: August 6-9 Baseball Canada Jr. Championships – Trois Rivieres, PQ August 6-9 Baseball Canada Cup – Kindersley, SK August 13-16 Baseball Canada Midget Championships – Fredericton, NB August 20-23 Baseball Canada Peewee Championships – Red Deer, AB August 20-23 Baseball Canada Bantam Boys Championships – Vaughan, ON August 20-23 Baseball Canada Bantam Girls Championships – Bolton, ON August 20-23 Baseball Canada Sr. Men‟s Championships – Dartmouth, NS August 22-30 Canada Summer Games – Charlottetown, PEI September 16-20 Jim Wray Memorial Fall Classic – Vancouver, BC October 15-18 Baseball Canada Caravan – Edmonton, AB BRITISH COLUMBIA BAS November 7-8 Baseball Canada AGM November 21 BCBUA 35th Anniversary Celebration – Victoria, BC November 22 BCBUA Annual General Meeting – Victoria, BC Hey Blue! Online AGM announcement confirmed…. BCBUA President John Berry has con- in 2006. believed that John Berry will be running for firmed that Victoria will host the Annual election again. Berry has been President for The positions of President and Treasurer General Meeting November 22. Organizers the past 6 years. are up for election, along with a host of are working out details for the site of the Area Representative positions. It is event, which was last held in Victoria Say What??? This simple explanation of the „ins‟ and does count. out before they get any more in. Then „outs‟ of baseball was provided by BCBUA the last team out comes in to try and 2. When the team in has three outs, the Area Rep Dennis Windsor of Vernon. get more in before they go out. team that‟s out comes in and the team 1. The game is played by two teams, one that‟s in goes out to try and get three out The game ends when each team has team out & one team in. before the team that was out gets any in. been in the same number of times and one team has more in before they The team that‟s in sends players out, 3. When both teams have been in and out went out. one at a time to see if they can get in nine times, the game is over. before they go out. With a precise explanation like this The team with the most in without available, it’s hard to imagine why If they go out before they get in, the being out before they were in wins. If baseball is such a difficult game to come back in, but it doesn‟t count. both teams have the same number in teach and officiate and why spectators before they were out, the last team in If they get in before they go out, it don’t understand. goes out to try and get the other team Stump the Ump Answer from Issue 2 So here is the question from Issue 3 3rd out of the inning. However the Lots of people got this answer right this back in May. offensive manager comes out and dis- month. Here is the official ruling. If the cusses the play with the home plate batter is struck with the ball while With two out and a 3-2 count on the umpire. Everyone agrees that the swinging at a 3rd strike, the ball is dead batter, the pitcher pitches the ball. The pitched ball did strike the batter in the and the batter is called out. All runners batter swings at the pitch but is hit in hands as he was swinging at the pitch, shall return to their Time of Pitch base. the hands with the ball. The ball rolls but the ball hit the hands not the bat. It does not matter if the pitched ball out and stops in front of the plate The home plate umpire declares that struck the batter in the hands first in completely in fair territory. The batter the batter was hit with a pitched ball this situation. And the myth that the stands in the batters box holding his and sends him to 1st base. Now the “hands are part of the bat” is just that, a injured hand and makes no attempt to defensive manager comes out and says myth. If you are ever confronted with run to first. that hands are part of the bat and the that statement from a player, coach or Seeing the ball lying in front of the batter really should be called out. Who manager just ask them when the last plate, the catcher picks up the ball and is right? What should this poor um- time they bought a bat with hands at- tags the batter for what appears is the pire do? Tip of the Month (This exert was taken from the Gerry Davis Sports they get a great look at pitches because height places the bottom of your chin just newsletter June 2009) their head and eyes are well into the slot above the top of the catcher‟s head. When Plate Stance Specifics – The Scissors and as far forward as any umpire stance in doubt, work a little higher instead of a bit will allow. too low. Once Mandatory in the National League, the scissors stance is kind of like the wood Head Height – You‟ll establish and main- Location – Two factors to consider. Be bat – very functional if you know how to tain good head height by controlling how well in the slot, and try to be in relatively use it, but not all that popular and rarely far you bend your forward knee. Depend- the same position for each pitch. Get into seen as the right tool for a new umpire to ing on how tall you are, and the size of the slot by setting up about midway be- use to make a great first impression. players in the game, you might bend that tween the catcher‟s inside shoulder and the forward leg slightly or as much as 90 de- (Continued on page 3) Yet umpires who master the scissors know grees. Remember – your minimum head VOLUME 1, ISSUE 4 Page 2 (Continued from page 2) the back leg knee is bent, especially during into your stance by keeping the lead foot in the pitch, the stance loses a lot of stability. If place and stepping back with your back leg.