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Regarding the check-swing question. I would only NOT ask for partner's opinion if A) I was absolutely sure of the call and/or B) I knew partner was not in position to see it better than me. This may be the one major exception to my long post above, in that the check swing call is an exceedingly difficult call to make from behind the plate when your main focus is the ball and the zone.
One note - on a RHB, seeing a check swing from the 2B/3B slot is problematical, but will usually result more often in false "No-Swing" calls. If BU there saw a swing - it was probably a swing.
An example of B above - admitting that this doesn't happen often. You might decline to ask BU for help on that call if they are moving or looking partially away due to an attempted steal. Also - we have one umpire in my local association who is a board member. He's NOT a solid umpire, and only works when we're shorthanded. However, he REFUSES (despite several coaching attempts) to step on the field before the play starts. Meaning he's either behind 1B or behind 3B (like a MLB 5th umpire might be). I'll NEVER ask for his help on an off-side call (LHB if he's at 1B, RHB if he's at 3B) because A) he's got bad position, and B) he really doesn't pay that much attention until the ball is hit.
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