Quote:
Originally Posted by TussAgee11
This is 4 man. He should be point of plate period end of story. He is over there floating around in the middle of nowhere for no reason. If you honestly think he was in position, I'm speechless. You watch touches of 3rd and home from point of plate, you don't start snooping around 30 feet up the line. That is true in 2man, 3man, 4man, 6man, Little League, High School, NCAA, MLB.
Umpiring is not simply getting plays right. Its about being in the right spot to see those plays. Was it the right call? It may have been the greatest, ballsiest, correct call for all I know. But it was horrible umpiring. At our state's biggest classification final.
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1) I looked at the photos from the game - four different sites. All show a 3 man crew. If there is a fourth, he isn't listed on a box score or shown in the photos.
2) With a runner moving from second on a shot down the left field line, the PU will drift up for a look at third or move up for a play, since the 3B umpire is out on the line call. You are mistaken about who covers what, where and when. I have read your posts and know you to be pretty aware of mechanics. Watch Quick Pitch in the morning and you will see plenty of HP calls made from 1B extended now. There is no perfect angle.
Consider that most of the umpires working your playoffs don't work 3 or 4 man ball during the year. There is a tendancy to revert to what you know and drift. He may have been caught in an undesirable spot but he had a perfect view of what mattered.
3) Umpiring is about getting the calls right. The best examples of our trade accept that mantra. Joyce, McClelland and Don Denkinger (to name a few) are all on the record in favor about instituting instant replay in MLB. They value getting the call right over evrything else.
4) I recall an NCAA Super Regional involving a game ending balk. At the time, many umpires were upset about the timing of that call. Others reasoned that it was correct and tough calls in big games are part of the job description.
This was a tough call to make. In Illinois, we had a Super Sectional game a decade ago or so that had a player hit a home run only to miss home plate. He was mobbed and walked into the dugout when the coach appealed and the PU agreed. It was a moment that few of us want but my friend nailed the call. He did what was right.