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A couple of years back when I worked games in East Texas and in Louisiana, it was common to see quite a few umps working solo behind the pitcher.
It usually was due to the fact that the umps were older and less mobile.
There were some leagues who expected a single ump to work from behind the pitcher, with the expected whine rate very high if you worked alone behind the plate.
You know the whines....how can you see that tag if you had to run all the way out there etc.........
Some umps just developed that method as a way of calling a game to the expectations of the local leagues.
I did work a game or two like that myself, but was never comfortable with it.
I recently saw a team from the Beaumont (14U) area at the Southern Nationals who talked about the same thing. Maybe it is a localized trend.
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