Quote:
Originally posted by wpiced
Well, I don't know about you guys, but frankly, I can't get a clear read on BR,s status on a close play at 1B when I'm butin' up the 1B line. I go out of my way to avoid a butt shot from a runner. On the otherhand, if I am 1/3 of the way up the 3B line, even at 40 feet away, I will definitely see an interferance at 2B. As far as I know, this is the correct two man-mechanic -- why the question?
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Marty:
Here's what Ty is talking about. The mechanic he's referring to was standard in my association for NCAA games for at least 10 years. The college committee was the first to introduce the "force play slide rule."
Our feeling was that in the early days of this "automatic double play" ruling for
sliding at a runner, with or without contact, it would be sheer folly for an umpire 80 feet away to make that interference call. (You say 30 feet up the third-base line puts the umpire 40 feet from the play at second. I wasn't great in geometry, but I question those figures.)
So our mechanic leaves the field umpire exactly where he plans to call the play on R1 and
keeps him focused right there. The plate umpire busts into the right side of the infield and makes the call at first.
Here's what we discovered.
On the sharp shot to F6 or F4, the batter-runner would be out a mile at first. The plate umpire, making that call from 20 feet in front of the plate, did not look unusually out of position.
On the slow roller, if there was a relay throw to first, the extra time always gave the plate umpire opportunity to get another six or eight steps closer to first.
In all the close plays the plate umpire would be as near first (and generally closer) as a field umpire is when he makes a call on the BR after beginning the play in Position C.
An additional fact:
The college coaches in the 80s loved the mechanic because they were reasonably certain the field umpire had a better chance to call the interference at second than the plate umpire. That is, they traded an "average" view of first for a "great" view of second and figured they were ahead of the game. As indeed they were. Why? A blown interference call at second is always a double play (or the lack thereof). A blown call at first may involve only one runner.
Finally:
That mechanic was used ONLY with a runner at first. That's because the plate umpire needs to favor the third-base side with a runner at second since R2 might become over-zealous at third and be subject to a throw back after the double play attempt ends at first.
BTW: We no longer use the play in NCAA since we've gone to three-man crews.