[WindyCityBlue]

I'm probably the biggest proponent of "Getting the Call Right" on this board. While it is true that you made the call without your partner's assistance, something must be eating at you, if you brought the matter here.

Your partner was correct in not rendering an initial call unless asked. Asking for his assistance post call is where it gets really messy. You have to have him tell you that the call was blown. Then, you have the coach to handle. This is where I disagree with a lot of umpires. I DON’T CARE, HOW IT LOOKS.

The player made your job much easier because he double clutched the tag. It was easy to sell that call. Had he not, you know what you should have done - asked “Did he have the bag?” immediately. This is not hanging your partner, it is utilizing your resources. Proper mechanics would have you point at him and ask the question. He would respond “Yes” or “No” and you would then make the call based on his input. The same mechanic is used for swipe tags, bobbled catches or a sliding tag to the back side of the bag.

Now, I have a problem with your partner who saw an obvious error and didn’t add his input when he could. Depending on the level of play and where he was on the play, this will make both of you look like a solid team. The play ends and he calls “Time” and trots out to you away from the players and coaches. He ASKS if you saw the pitcher touch first. You say “No” and ask if he KNOWS that he didn’t. He says “Yes”, you agree that the call needs to be corrected in order to be fair. You call the runner back to first and signal “Safe - No Bag”. The defensive coach will be upset, so you back-up your partner and let him explain the call to the coach. If he does this, not as crew chief - he is reinforcing your team work and commitment to getting the call right. The coach will certainly question you and your response should be, “Coach we try to get them all right, my partner had a great angle and let me know that we had a rule violation not a change in judgement. The pitcher did not have the ball and the base before the runner, so my call was incorrect. We got it right and will do our best to work together for the rest of the game. Can we get this game going again?” Now the ball is in his court. You’ve explained your intent and acknowledged how important every play is. You are a super ump and gosh darn it, people love ya’!

I’m sure that some guys are going to say, “Windy, you would never do that in one of your games!” Sorry, but I’ve been on both sides of corrected calls several times this year. Two of them happened in conference, D-1 games and a couple at the varsity high school level. We got the calls right and never heard a peep.

Keep the faith...even the guys pulling down the big bucks screw the pooch sometimes. This time, the guy made it easy. Next time, you'll be ready!