Umpire incompetence - mine

[lawump]

[/B][/QUOTE]Sounds kind of blunt but, thats life. Then again, in 20yrs I have NEVER had this come up. YET [/B][/QUOTE]

I've never had it come up in a pre-game conference either...However, I have had umpires come to me for help on plays at first base when they shouldn't have needed to...which was really the "rant" behind my first post in this thread.

There are just too many umpires, in my opinion, worried about getting help on force plays at first (even though they might not express it in a pre-game meeting). I think they are worried because they have experienced numerous plays where they don't get a good look at the play at first. I think they don't get a good look because too many have poor mechanics (for example, moving toward first base from "B" or "C" instead of toward the 45-foot line; not adjusting to see a swipe tag when you read that the throw from the fielder to first base is "not true").

(In truth nothing, and I mean nothing, gets under my skin more than a base umpire asking me for help on a play at first when there were no runners on base...but I digress).

In my opinion as a person who has been an instructor at numerous clinics in Charleston, Columbia and Charlotte in the Carolinas the biggest mechanic flaw I see on the bases is "chasing a play into the bag," instead of getting the proper angle. The other place I see this happen ALL THE TIME is on a 4-6-3 or 6-4-3 double-play where the base umpire moves toward the second base cut-out for the first play...and thus have no angle for the play at first.

I personally think we (whoever "we" may be) need to drill the concept of "angle over distance" into the heads of new or inexperienced umpires with the same vigor we drill the concept of "timing" into their heads.

Just my two-cent rant.