The Great Do-Over

(#18) (Most recent fine-tuning, October, 2024)

Hinds was hosting South Division rival Pearl River in the first game of a double header during the 1994 season. In the bottom of the second with the bases loaded, our leadoff hitter Andre Thompson hit a line drive down the right field line which landed about a foot foul; clearly foul, to everybody in the ballpark… except the home plate umpire.

No, it wasn’t Fish!

The umpire said he got blocked by the first baseman who moved into his line of sight just as the ball hit the ground. He had a 50-50 chance of making the right call, which was pretty good odds, for an umpire, but he “flipped a coin,” signaled the ball fair and it ended up being a “foul ball” triple that scored all three runs.

Chaos ensued.

PRCC head coach Jim Nightengale lost it, to put it mildly… physically, mentally, emotionally and verbally, and after a very long, intense tirade with the umpire, he got ejected, and deserved it… in the bottom of the second inning in the first game of a doubleheader, in what was now sure to be a very long day.

The scene got uglier as the Wildcat fans got involved and were relentless on the poor umpire. I thought I would never find myself saying something like that about an umpire. He made the wrong call and ejected the right coach and there was nothing he could say or do to change either of those things. And in 1994, there was no video review available.

So I decided to help restore order and do something that nobody else would ever do. I told the umpire that I thought the ball was clearly foul, and the best thing to do would be to reinstate Nightengale, take the runs off the scoreboard, put the runners back on the bases, bring Thompson back to the plate, and we would have a “do-over.” He was kind of trembling and simply said, “Thanks.”

I walked out behind the first base dugout where Nightengale was standing along the bank of a ditch that Bill Marchant had named Renfroe River (in “honor” of Hinds Athletic Director and football coaching legend, Joe Renfroe; who in his great “wisdom” had placed a baseball field right along side a big ditch). I asked Jim if he would like to come back and finish the game.

He quickly responded by emphatically screaming, and I quote, “Don’t patronize me, you son-of-a-bitch!” I had been called worse. To patronize someone means trying to make someone feel childish or treat them as though they are stupid. That could have very well been true, but it was certainly not my intent at that moment.

I told him that was what we were going to do and asked if he wanted to join us. Guess what? He did. The first coach in MACJC history to get ejected and then un-ejected. He deserved the former, but probably not the latter.

We took the runs off the scoreboard, put the runners back on the bases, brought Andre Thompson back to the plate and replayed the at bat. I’m pretty sure we were the first team in history to do this, certainly in the MACJC. And even more certainly in the South Division.

On the first pitch, Andre hit a line drive down the right field line, again, this time clearly fair and we scored all three runs...again. He ended up at third, again, with a stand-up triple, again. He is the only player in the history of baseball to hit two triples and drive in 6 runs in one official at-bat.

It was one of those “karma-is-a” kind of moments.

I really don’t remember whether we won two games, split the doubleheader, or got swept. But I think it worked out pretty well for the home team. Note: After this story was posted, our great catcher Joseph Horton sent me a message that we won both games and they were two of the best games he ever had.

Every time I have seen Nightengale since that time, he has said, “I owe you one.” So far I have received no renumeration.

But I know how my players and fans felt about it, at least since it turned out in our favor, and I think we gained something by doing it.

It was the first of it’s kind in baseball history and priceless!