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Originally Posted by Julio Caliente
He was especially grateful when I busted my butt down to 1B when there was a rundown with a picked off runner yelling "I got 1st, I got 1st".
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I don't know exactly how you handled this part, but you might try this:
Don't say a word until you've ARRIVED. This lets the BU, as he should, own the call until you've stopped moving. Move most of the way (about 3/4 of the way) to 1st in foul territory, then when the runner is moving toward 2nd, move to the cutout in fair territory and announce your arrival. Announce like this, loud enough for your partner to hear you: "Joe, I've got this end."
Sometimes players will yell what you said--i.e., "I've got 1st!"--to indicate to a teammate that they've got the bag covered. By using your partner's name, and the verbiage, "this end" instead of the base you are covering, it helps eliminates any confusion between umpires about who is indicating what to whom. A player is unlikely to yell, "I've got this end!" but if a middle infielder coincidentally has the same name as the BU, the BU might hear, "Joe, I've got 1st!"
Any tag that takes place before your announcement is the BU's call. Even if the tag is right in front of you, it isn't your call unless you've announced your presence to the BU. After the announcement, PU takes the cutout back to 1st, BU everything else. If the tag is near the border of responsibility, the umpire who is facing the tag (the ball is between the umpire and the runner) makes the call.
It's important to pregame the responsibilities of timing and distance if you have a partner you aren't used to. The plate umpire has only about 15 feet to cover at 1st or 3rd (cutout to bag); the BU has the rest.