RULE 10

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 score keeper and note in the score book or on the score sheet, 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 Score keeper, and the score keepers for both teams will sign the score sheet; and

[e]

The game will resume and continue to its 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 are not protest able). 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 no 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 is the same as listed on the Official Score sheet for the protested game at the time of the protested play. The Head Umpire and the Field Umpire should also be the same.

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