[greymule]

Worked a Pony 16U this weekend, teams from several states. Did 4 one-man bracket games on Saturday, 3 elimination with a partner on Sunday. In the one-man games, I had several calls where I wished I had a partner. A checked swing, a bunt that may have come up and hit the batter, a play at first where the throw came from right field and an infielder blocked my view at the last instant, a steal of third where the ball beat the runner and F5 got the glove down but maybe the kid slid around the tag, a swipe tag that appeared to miss the runner but I wasn't sure, etc. I was relieved to have partners Sunday, especially because they were guys I often work with, experienced and sharp.

But as tough as one-man games can be, I'd rather take a chance on getting blocked on a few plays than work with somebody who does not know what he is doing. I've seen calls blown so badly that I simply could not let them stand. What else do you do when a runner beats a throw at 1B by three steps and nobody is even looking for a call, but suddenly there's "Out!"? How about a ball that's five feet fair and called foul? Or how about when he blows your own call for you and you have have to announce that it's your call and it's going the other way? But then the damage is done--and they're looking to you to correct every one of the stiff's calls.