[UmpJM]

As a "rookie" last season, I got mostly "lower level" assignments which, in the area I live (Chicago suburbs) are unfortunately primarily one umpire games. So, over 60% of the games I worked last year were "solo".

Now, like Garth, I am loathe to call "Time" unles there is a reason to because it "slows down" and legthens the game.

However, like CO_Ump, I do not believe that there is a "sort of dead" condition for the ball. It's either in play or it's not. If it's in play, the offense's runners may attempt to advance and the defense may attempt to put out a runner.

My practice when working solo after I have come into the field to rule on a play is to wait until the action "relaxes" while continuing to face the ball. When the fielder with the ball starts to throw it to the pitcher, I start to jog back to the plate while "looking over my shoulder" at the ball/player with the ball.

On the handful of occasions where the defense initiated a play while I was returning to the plate area, I simply stopped, pivoted to the action, and ruled on the play.

This seemed to work fine for me.

If I found myself "far away" from the plate when action relaxed (say at the 2B cutout after taking the runner into 2B on a "stretch double") I would call Time when action relaxed then hustle back to the plate and explicitly put the ball back in play when the conditions for doing so were met.

JM