|
Umpiring seems to be going in the same direction as most of society - try to please everyone.
Here is the play and how many people want you to handle it:
R2, two man system and you are in "C". Ground ball to short, throw to first pulls F3 off the base and he sweeps at the runner going past. You move toward first, use everything at your arsenault to determine if there was a tag and call him "SAFE".
Here comes the coach, F3 and they are yapping at you. "Ask for help" they say. You tell them you didn't see a tag, they again say "ask for help."
So, you go to the PU, who depending upon your 2-man system may have been moving toward 3rd if R2 tries for 3rd on the throw to 1st. He says he didn't see the tag. Your call remains and the coach is p*ssed, yaps some more and stomps off.
Next inning, the other team has the same situation, this time you SEE the tag and bang him out from "C". Off course, here comes the coach, asking for help. You refuse since you SAW the tag. He is really steamed now, "You asked for THEM."
You try to explain that you saw a tag,but the coach doesn't want to listen. The conversation disintegrates and ends in an ejection.
So, is there anything that could prevent this? IMHO, on the first play, the BU needs to live and die by his call. Recently, leagues are pushing the umpires to get help more often. IMHO, that thinking will create more problems. Unlike the Pro's or high level D1 games, we are often with partners who are learning. To ask for help indicates that we don't KNOW and are unsure. Often the system creates angles where we can't see everything adn need to use other clues to make a call. ONce we do so, we need to be prepared to live with it.
To constantly ask for help will just cause problems down the road.
Thoughts?
|