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Greg, many years ago I had a similar call to make in a rather important Fed game. With bases loaded and less than 2 out, batter hits a high fly toward right against a strong wind. F4 and F3 each break toward their respective bases while F9 is bustin his butt toward the infield.
F4, upon approaching 2B looked up to see that the wind was hanging this ball well short of F9, turned, and started bustin his butt toward an area maybe 20 ft. behind F3. F3 had his bag well covered and a bulldozer wasn't about to move him. His mind was somewhere on the yellow brick road as this guy was dreamin of Oz.
The ball eventually came down at the grass cut maybe 15 ft. inside the foul line. F4, in a half-hearted dive had the ball tip off the end of his glove toward F3. Neither myself as PU nor my partner called for an infield fly. The runners advanced, but F3 was able to recover the ball and throw out R1 at 2nd base. However, a run scored.
Neither my partner nor I felt that this was an infield fly because no player at any time made an attempt that would have allowed that ball to fielded with normal effort. That is what we both judged separately while it was occurring. Had F3 made a play toward the ball, it's likely we both would have rang the IF call immediately, but with him nailed to 1B that never occurred.
After the game, the assistant coach of the offensive team approached me to to discuss the play. I knew the coach as he was an umpire within our chapter, and he had umpired MLB during the MLB strike (1979 or 1980 I believe). He knew his umpiring well, and he advised me that I blew the IF call---that it should have been made. Not only did I disagree, but I told him I felt it was one of the best judgement calls I had ever made. I judged it (as did my partner) close enough that the fielder could get to the ball, tip it off his glove while diving, yet not make the catch.
Bottom line, based on the effort of the fielders during the play, this ball was not going to be caught with normal effort. Even when it dropped (or if caught), there was little possibility of a DP. That, indeed, is the intent and purpose of the rule---to prohibit a purposeful "no catch", allowing the ball to drop, so that the defense can obtain a DP on 2 runners that had to hold their base in fear of being put out if the ball is caught.
I still think it was a proper call...perhaps it wasn't. You can judge for yourself.
Just my opinion,
Freix
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