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I got some bad advice when I started umpiring 6 years ago. I was young and didn't know any better. I had asked a "vet" how he sees tags and such at 1B during a pick off or 2B during a steal while working the plate by myself. He told me he tells the coaches at the conference that if the ball gets there first, and the tag is down, your runner is out, and he doesn't want any arguements.
I thought, BRILLIANT! Yea thats what I'll do. Boy did I screw up.
A runner slid into 2nd, ball got there, tag was down, and I was looking through a cloud of dust. I made sure that F4 had control, had the out and made the call" Grumbling about getting around the tag. I told the coach "ball got there first, I'm by myself doing the best job I can".
Next inning, runner cruises into 3rd, ball beats him there, F1 covering 3rd does not apply the tag. I signal safe no tag. D coach (same coach that had his runner called out) tells me the ball beat him, he should be out. I told him the tag was never made. Needless to say, 5 minutes and 2 EJ's later, we resumed play.
I've never used that philosophy since. I call what I can and if a coach doesn't like the call, I tell him I'm covering 360 feet of basepaths myself and doing the best I can.
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