Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
First, it is the league's fault for expecting a one umpire system to cover the entire field. It WILL break down and leave some things uncovered.
Second, I think it is great you ask what you could have done differently; despite the fact that your hands were tied by the one umpire system.
Third, of course the defense says the runner you cannot see left early. What else would they say? Even if the runner was camped on the base the whole time, the defense's own players never looked until well after they were sure their outfielder had caught the ball; so of course the runner was not on the base that long. You could have 6 umpires and that would be the claim.
Fourth (and easy to Monday morning quarterback); in hindsight, may have better to have trailed down the first or third base line (foul side) than head toward the circle. Possible tougher angle on the catch/no catch depending on which outfielder dove in which direction; but it would have put all three bases in the same one side of your peripheral vision, and the lead runner in sight.
That may not have allowed you to see if the runner on third was close; but would have clued you to him leaving early and never returning.
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Well the outfielder made such a long run, dive and great catch "one of the best I have seen all year" that I had to make sure that he really held on to it as he was probably at the 290 mark and diving away from me, so that took an extra second or two. Had he trapped the ball and I missed it the other team would have been going crazy. It just pissed me off because it was such a close game and I felt like I was having a great clean game until that point. After that happened I was kind of hoping the next batter would just pop out to end the game instead he hits a 3 run HR.
A few guys on the losing team did say to me that they understood one ump can only see so much of the field. Then the guy who was in question told me he did go back and tag so who knows?