Quote:
Originally posted by DDonnelly19
Disregarding bad mechanics, would it have been legal for Moose to have made an initial no-call on the play and then go ask for help?Dennis
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No, Dennis: MB was trapped the instant he didn't
corret his call.
Any call can be corrected. "
He's out!" the umpire screams, then, seeing the ball on the ground, sheepishly bleats, "
Safe."
Here's the main difference between MB's play and the UT play: Mike had
sole responsibility for the force out at second. The call is his -- and his alone. But when a batter is hit by a pitch, every umpire has concurrent jurisdiction. Any umpire who saw the pitch hit Ontiveros could have signaled dead ball. Only one saw it, and he froze -- from lack of experience.
Remember: When the pitch comes in and the plate umpire says nothing,
that is a call: The pitch didn't hit him. When the issue was being discussed earlier, some umpires neglected that vital point. In the UT play an umpire with concurrent jurisdiction later made a call: "The pitch
did hit him." Two umpires made opposite calls on the same play; one was legally changed.
In the play that encited the thread, the umpire at second had sole jurisdiction, made a call, saw the ball on the ground, did not immediately "correct" his call (which would have been legal), and then went illegally to his partner, who quite rightly refused to intervene.
Finally, the initial error was compounded by a lie: "He dropped the ball on a transfer, Coach."
MB had several chances to extract himself from the goo, but like the second-base umpire at UT, his admitted lack of experience at that level worked against him.
We can all learn from the fiasco, though, both the original play and the UT play:
From the FIRST PLAY:
1. Use proper timing: See the play through from start to finish, which is: ball into glove, ball into hand.
2. Be ready to correct a call instantly if your timing goes bad. "He's out! No, safe! Safe!," pointing to the ball on the ground.
3. Choose the most likely result when something untoward happens. MB didn't see the hand move, but he did see the ball on the ground. The probable result is a drop.
4. Don't involve your partner unless he has concurrent jurisdiction.
5. Don't lie to the coach. Say, simply: "Coach, if I had another chance, I might call it differently." Or say truthfully, "Coach, I kicked this call in all likelihood. Take a shot or two, but don't go too far. Nobody feels any worse than I do."
FROM THE SECOND PLAY:
1. Let the players help you call some plays.
2. If you have concurrent jurisdiction on a play, when the primary umpire makes no call, it is your responsibility to do so. It's not an appeal play. Take charge: "Dead ball! HBP!"