you refused to get the call right, you %&^*$#@

[mbyron]

Originally posted by SanDiegoSteve
Justme,

The same thing has happened to me, where ol' Smitty was to busy making a big show of his banger out call to see that the ball was lying there on the ground. Everyone in the yard saw it except your partner.

This is an exception to the unsolicited help rule. In this case it is the right thing to point out the fact that the ball is on the ground and that the runner is not out. This is not a case of judgment on your partner's part, it's a case of not seeing the play, when everyone else did.

I prefer not to think of it as an exception to the rule, as if I had been trained to do this.

Unsolicited help is bad, but there are worse things. I prefer to think of this as a "Smitty Principle": when working with Smitty, do what you can to minimize the damage. And try not to work with Smitty too often, or you'll pick up bad habits.