[ozzy6900]

Let me add (again) to this mess.

I am saying that we asked to huddle too much. I am saying that we should be doing our job. We should be making our own decisions and calls for the most part. Yes, there are those instances - the checked swing, the tag on the 1st or 3rd base lines, the conference for killing the game due to rain, at times base awards for one reason or another and of course the protest conference. Thee are few other times where we should be huddling up.

For example, last weekend, I was the BU and there were 3 pickoff attempts to 3rd base. The last one was an inside throw from the catcher so F5 made an outside tag on the runner. A quick glance to my PU proved to me that he wasn't even looking at the play so I banged R3 out based on the information that I had. F5 made it all look correct (the triumphant raise of the glove) and I was sure there was a tag. Some oo's & ah's and that's it. As I walked back to the "C" position, I ran the play over for the 4th time and I realized that I made the wrong call. Should I have huddled wtih my partner? Should I have dropped to my knees begging forgiveness from the baseball gods? NO! I made the call and I felt I had all the information (otherwise I would have asked for help before making the call). The call was wrong and I had to live with it. It's part of the game - the human element. An inning later, the manager came to me quietly and told me that there really was no tag. I just said to him that I if I had a chance to rule on that play again,the call might be different. He simply said "Well blue, that is just part of the game" and that was that. No screaming no yelling. Why? Because for the entire game I had done my job. I had good delay, took in all the information, was in position and rendered decision after decision.

Yes, if there is a question of rules application of the instances listed above, my partner and I need to get together. What I am against is that today, we seem to be expected to huddle for everything changing calls let and right. I am saying, do everything possible to get all the information to make the call. You as an umpire are responsible for that. You are not supposed to rely on a huddle to fix everything. And as in my case, if you make the wrong call, well, that is going to happen. When it happpens 3 or 4 times in a game, you need to concider getting some better training.