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OK.........
This is your mission if you choose to accept it........grin
I was at one of our fields as an evaluator tonight ...... and this is a play that came up..........low level 12U game........
Veteran PU and Rookie BU...............
Nobody on.............ball hit to SS.........BU positions herself per ASA mechanic............ball gets by F3 and the BU does not move inside the diamond on the overthrow and lazily stays to the outfield side of the play and covers 2nd...........PU moves up to cover 3rd............the play DOES go to 3rd and the ball gets by the 3rd baseman...........BUT F7 is covering perfectly and there is a close play at the plate...........
PU has to charge back to home for the play at the plate and does not have a very good angle to make the call............
After the game............we discuss the play............
Our taught mechanics here.........bases empty in FP............
The BU owns the runner to 3rd.............in this case.........the veteran umpire recognized that the BU had NO idea that she should take this play to 3rd, so he slid up the line to cover the play at third (correctly in my book).............
I know with an experienced partner...........that the BU should cover home (although this should not happen in this situation..........FP mechanics).........
The following is not a fair question........since the BU does have the runner to 3rd..........and an inexperience BU at that...........
BUT.........if there is a runner at first..........is it an accepted mechanic in your association for the PU to take a secondary play at third and the BU to be ready to take a tertiary play at the plate?
The reason I am asking is there was some discussion between myself and the Vet after the game tonight.........
He did exactly what he had to do tonight with a rookie partner and made both calls............
BUT, he made the comment that at our State (Tx) school this year, that they taught at no time in 2-man mechanics was the BU to make a call at home...........(this was after I jokingly commented that since he had to cover the BU's play at third........the least she could have done was to cover his back at the plate).....
I did not attend the State School this year because I had attended the National 2 day the year before........
Can any of the numerous Tx umpires verify this teaching..........or did my Vet misunderstand it??
I have always been taught that there are times (although few) that it was acceptable for the PU to cover third and the BU to slip in and cover home in the 2 man system........
Have we been teaching it wrong.........??
Joel
[Edited by Gulf Coast Blue on Apr 2nd, 2002 at 05:58 AM]
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