8th District Legion tournament

[sportfolio]

Here are the final results of the 8th District Legion tournament at Athens which was compled Friday -- Pickerington wins the tournament unbeaten in four games and will be making its second straight trip to the state tournament which begins July 27 in Athens.



8th DISTRICT LEGION

BASEBALL SCHEDULE

TUESDAY

Game 1 - Athens 7, Meigs 6 (10 inn.) (at Rannow Field)

Game 2 - Gallipolis 11, Logan 1 (7 inn.) (at Dalton Field)

Game 3 - Pickerington 11, McArthur 1 (7 inn.) (at Alexander HIgh School)

Game 4 - Athens 5, Lancaster 3 (11 inn.) (at Rannow Field)

Game 5 - Pickerington 17, Gallipolis 0 (7 inn.) (at Dalton Field)

Game 6 - McArthur 11, Logan 6 (at Alexander High School) *

WEDNESDAY

Game 7 - Gallipolis 12, Meigs 11 (at Alexander High School) *

Game 8 - Lancaster 16, McArthur 2 (7 inn.) (at Dalton Field) *

Game 9 - Pickerington 10, Athens 8 (at Rannnow Field)

THURSDAY

Game 10 - Lancaster 12, Gallipolis 1 (7 inn.) (at Rannow Field) *

Game 11 - Athens 4, Lancaster 3 (at Rannow Field) *

FRIDAY

Game 12 - Pickerington 9, Athens 8 (at Rannow Field) *

1st place -- Pickerington (2) (4-0, 34-11)
2nd place -- Athens (4) (3-2, 19-19)
3rd place -- Lancaster (1) (1-2, 30-10)

(Number in parentheses after team names indicate seed position)

* - Indicates loser eliminated from tournament



LOCATION OF FIELDS

Rannow Field - Athens High School -At The Plains off Route 682 and close to Route 33 northwest of Athens

Dalton Field - West State Street (Athens) in Jaycee Fields complex

Alexander High School field - 6091 Ayers Rd. U. S. Route 50 westV

Here are the won-lost records and run totals from the tournament:


TEAM W L RUNS OPP

Pickerington 4 0 47 17

Athens 3 2 32 31

Lancaster 2 2 34 12

Gallipolis 2 2 24 41

McArthur 1 2 14 33

Meigs 0 2 17 19

Logan 0 2 7 22

TOTALS 12 12 175 175

[southfloridabobcat]

This makes no sense to start games at 1 pm during the week.
I can't remember this ever this way. I bet you check out other district schedules and they don't start at 1 pm during the week.
What is the reason for this?

[Rufus]

I was wondering the same thing. I can't ever remember games beginning at 1 p.m. during the week. Also...I saw that if Athens wins they play again on Tuesday??? That's going to cut through a pitching staff real quick. Did weather extend the season and force the district to start their tournament late and now they are trying to get it in really quick or what? Whatever the reason, I'm happy it's in Athens because I'll get to see A LOT of baseball in the next few days.

[sportfolio]

Because of the Legion World Series being a week earlier than in the past, the district, state and regionals are also earlier. The district commissioner set up the schedule to give teams as much a chance as possible to play regular-season games before the district tournament and still get finished by the end of the week allowing for a couple of extra days in case of any rain problems. All of the district winners are supposed to be into the state office in Delaware by Monday of next week to allow time to make housing and other arrangements for the team and to prepare the state tournaent program. It is unfortunate about the afternoon times but this is a partial answer.

[athens78]

Any updates on todays games?

[bulldog0909]

Pick-10
Athens-8

athens was up 8-4 until in the 7th and then pick hit two, 2 run HR's to tie in the same inning. then pick jst scored twice,great game though went down to the wire for athens again...

[g w mclintock]

Congrats to P21 for another big win over Lancaster tonight. Just keep ridin' the wave boys...Surf's up.

[Kramden]

Can't help but wonder if Athens would have beaten Meigs without the totally incorrect call on the OUTFIELD fly foul ball that was ruled fair because it was touched by the fielder. Athens scored two on that bogus call. The umpire called the ball foul but then explained that the fielder was in fair territory when he touched it, which he wasn't. Even if he were in fair territory when he touched the ball, I believe the correct call was foul ball. In fact, the umpire said the ball was in foul territory. Isn't the rule for an OUTFIELD fly ball different from the rule for a foul ball that doesn't pass first or third base? This was more than a missed call; the game was not played by the rules. Isn't a game legitimate only when played by the rules. The coaches correctly questioned the call and the umpire nearly went ballistic, which is often a sign of doubt. It's a shame that the 8th district can't hire knowledgeable umpires for the tournament (I don't think Athens was responsible for hiring the umpires). If my interpretation of the rule is incorrect, please prove me wrong by directing me to a credible source.

[diamondD1]

Yeah, that was a tough call. I was standing right in line with the 3rd baseline outside the backstop fence and could see it pretty well. It was a very close and difficult judgment call, one which needs to be made quickly. Either way it would have been tough and worth an argument, whether called fair or foul.

Although that play did drive in two runs, I am never one to assume that an umpire can have that much influence in the outcome of a game. Meigs had plenty of chances before and after that one play, as did Athens. Adversity and tough calls are all part of the game, regardless of age (last weekend I coached a group of 10 year-olds in a tournament where this particular lesson was learned more than once).

Meigs has a very nice team and competed very well this year.

[hawkeyepierce]

The same exact thing happen in the McArthur/Lancaster game on Wednesday. McArthur's Right Fielder was chasing down a NOT a line drive, but it wasn't a pop-up either, the ball was hit by a left hander which it means it was curving towards the line. The RF extended to catch the ball, he, the ball and the glove was clearly in foul territory however, the umpire said it was fair ball because the RF's trailing foot was on the line. I am not sure of the rule either, but I would think it should not matter where the fielder is, but rather the ball. I would like to know the answer also.

[diamondD1]

The rule is wherever the ball is when it hits the ground OR when it is touched by the fielder. The placement of the fielder or where the ball lands AFTER it is touched is irrelevant. The focus is only on the baseball and where it is at the moment it is touched. If it is determined to be in foul territory, then it is foul. And vice versa.

In the Athens/Meigs game, the umpire may have in fact explained it wrong, thus causing more confusion. I don't know, I didn't hear what was said. But the call itself was a difficult one regardless, because it was very close and after the player touched the ball it landed very far into foul territory. But again, the determination must be made from the point of contact, not where it lands.

[Kramden]

Thanks for the kind words, diamondD1, but I'm not looking for sympathy. Meigs simply didn't play well enough to win down the stretch, and that's the story of a miserable season. My point is that the umpire judged the ball to be in foul territory (he stated so), but he didn't know the rule, and was unwilling to take the time to get it right. After determining the ball to be foul the next step is to apply the rule, not make a judgment. Perhaps I'm holding the umpire to the same standard that I would expect from a Supreme Court nominee (maybe too much C-Span lately). Maybe we should get women to umpire, since the men seem to get it wrong all the time.

[athens78]

Who won the tournament?

[g w mclintock]

Pickerington defeated Athens P21 tonight 9-8 to advance to the state tournament as 8th District Champs.

Good Luck to Coach Webber and Post 283 as they represent the 8th District.

[athens78]

Ah man, tough loss. Athens sure did get on a roll and play well late in the season. How many guys will be back next year from this same team?

[Yossarian]

I did not hear the conversation but have been told the ump stated the rule wrong, and that makes me wonder if he was qualified to call a tournament game. I have also heard that he went on to make unprofessional comments after the play that makes his intentions even more suspect. I have the utmost respect for umpires and what they are trying to do but ones who are arrogant enough to ignore the rule and do not make their best attempt to get it right should not be calling an important game like the district tournament. This was NOT a close call and I have seen it called wrong more than once this season. These kids put their blood and guts out there and are expected to perform to a certain standard. The umpires should be held to a higher standard than they seem to be.

[athens78]

You know sometime umps and refs make mistakes. So do kids such as errors or turnovers and so do coaches in making the wrong call on a pitcher or the wrong play or drawing up the wrong play. The bottom line is this call didn't decide the tournament. Meigs sounds like they just had a down year. Good luck to Pickerington in the State tournament.

[g w mclintock]

Ah man, tough loss. Athens sure did get on a roll and play well late in the season. How many guys will be back next year from this same team?

Yes it was a tough loss to a strong Pickerington team. Athens really came together mid-season and I know everyone at Post 21 is proud of this group.

17 of the 18 players on the roster are able to return next year.

[Kramden]

What does Meigs having a down year have to do with it? How do you know that it didn't affect the outcome of the tournament? What arrogance!!! At least the team could have played another game had they beaten Athens. The call resulted in a 4-3 score that had been sitting at 4-1; it was a real momentum changer for Athens. I suppose it's all ok because it didn't happen to your team. Don't you care about the integrity of the game and American Legion baseball?

[Gib25]

I was announcing the game from the press box and I couldn't tell if it was fair or foul. The umpire said loud enough for us to hear in the press box that the ball was in fair territory when it was touched and that ended any discussion. Whether it was fair or foul would probably be shown if we had instant reply, but of course we don't. I certainly understand the unhappiness that a call like this can cause. I have been on the receiving end of many such decisions and they are hard to accept. Unfortunately, someone is always going to go home unhappy at the end of a tournament except for one team. Good luck to the the Pickerington Post team.