Quote:
Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA
I have always made the call first, even in 1966 when I was doing baseball & have never had a problem.
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Interesting, since the approved mechanic in baseball (at least it was in the years I actively umpired the game, which was from 1997 until 2011) is to request help first if--and only if--you feel there is something you didn't see. For example, the throw is slightly off line causing the first baseman to make a long stretch, or the first baseman has to make a swipe tag. On routine plays where the first baseman should have been able to easily stay on the bag, there is no need to get help before making the call.
And because that's the case in baseball, PUs always look to provide help in those cases. Any umpire worth his/her salt will watch that play at first, even when he/she has other base running responsibilities, such as a runner rounding third. Yes, a touch of third is his/her first priority, but chances that the runner will hit third at the precise moment that the play takes place at first are slim. So he/she should be able to handle both requirements. And if he/she can't, that's just the nature of the two-man beast.
So I believe that's the primary reason why this comes up so often. Many umpires have worked both baseball and softball, and the mechanic for this particular situation is 180 out, at least in my experience after having attended many baseball clinics in the past.