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Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)
Al,
The PU was right.
For the tag of the base to be legal, the fielder must have "secure possession" of the ball while touching the base.
I believe it is FED that has a case play that supports the position that it is possible for the fielder to have "secure possession", even though a portion of the ball may also be touching the ground.
Now if I'm umpiring the game, I damn sure am going to make him "lift it clean" before I rule on the play. If he does, the runner is out. If he doesn't, the runner is safe.
JM
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On a sit like that, I will be more likely to call the play safe. The words "secure possession" is very open ended. If he picks up the ball, I KNOW he has secure possession; if he doesn't, then I have to make an assumption. I find it difficult to make an OUT call on an assumption that the fielder has "secure possession". My first umpire teacher once said - if you can't see it you can't call it. The same applies here. If his hand is rolled to the side and I can tell he has it securely, I'll make the out call.