[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Sure it is. If the throw is coming from F4 near the base line or F6 shaded toward 2B, it is most likely F3 will stretch toward your general direction. That is a dimension lost compared to a throw from the 3B line area. Even if you step toward the play inside the diamond, you will still have the same angle and can easily loose any view of F3 touching the base.

C in just about ANY case is never ideal or even good or adequate for detecting slight pulled foot and I think any good umpire would be willing to check with PU on that.. so I'd put pulled foot from C in the category of something a BU should be willing to discuss with his partner if requested by the coach; benefit of the doubt at the time of the call given to the foot touching the base.

The BR must still advance three more bases to affect the score whereas a runner on 3B needs, but a single base to have the same affect. As Steve noted, the play and runner at 3B is much more critical and an error on behalf of the umpire can have an instantaneous and direct affect on the game, much more than an error on a call at 1B. This is covered during schools and clinics.

Of course, but the importance of that rests with PU, i.e. a score - and theres no problem calling @ 3B from a modified position which favors the BR call. I have good hustle and can be there for the play easily, steve could probably beat a diving runner back to the base from there.

From another game maybe. The only time I've heard anything close to a "degree" mentioned is moving into fair territory at 1B to an imaginary line running across the base, corner to corner.

Around here its discussed quite a bit by those who do NCAA and I think thats where I get it from. I'm too far from civilization to do NCAA but the guys who teach the ASA clinics all do NCAA and they use it quite a bit. It may not be discussed in those terms as much back where you are.

I will not say that there are not some people of higher position in certain areas that may be anal (and trust me, I know anal ) approach toward the mechanics. Sometimes, that is not bad depending on the level of experience of the umpire.

Thats what I meant by catering to the lowest common denominator of umpire. Probably from the upper mgmt standpoint, that really isnt a bad idea..

Like it or not, whether the game you agreed to officiate is sanctioned by ASA, U-trip, NSA, AFA, USFA, NCAA, NJCAA, NAIA, NFHS, LL, ISA, ISC, etc, you are being paid to represent that respective organization and should be more than willing to adapt to each's prescribed mechanics.

I agree with this certainly (a pet peeve of mine is little ball umps calling the softball strikes pointing with their finger), but as everyone has noted, mechanics are ever changing.. change is based on ideas, testing, and discussion and thats all I'm doing. If there was no change we'd all be wearing top hats and calling little ball with pillows strapped to our arm. Not that I think I would ever be a catalyst for change in mechanics.. basically just blowing hot cyber air into cyber space.

This issue is a little deal, but what else we got to do? No games til next weekend