If a batter's foot is still pivoting in the dirt from a swing (- the most common)and/or the foot is still planted and is now pushing off the dirt to start running to 1B (and I'm positive it wasn't in the air during the contact) and/or and/or coming up from the dirt to start running to first base (and I'm positive it wasn't in the air during the contact - and I can see the entire cleat-print under the shoe/where the shoe was - also pretty easy to see) - I'm suggesting that more often than not, depending what type of swing/swinger it is/was, it's usually pretty easy for me to detect whether or not they violated the rule - agregiously or not - when the bat made contact with the ball.

In my mind, it's somewhat similar to other events that happen on the field of play which occur when the ball is arriving at/around the strike zone that I'm responsible for seeing from time to time when I'm PU - especially when working in a one-person system - i.e. a runner not being in contact with a base when the ball is hit; contact between catcher and batter on pickoff/steal attempts; a batter offering/not offering on a pitch that is a ball. These things often do require I pay attention to 2 things at once, or at least very close to doing so.

I completely understand what you're saying - and I would also submit that, especially on things such as bunts and anything else where an immediate fair/foul ruling may be necessary, that I would obviously not take my eye at all off the ball.

That must be it. I'll run out and buy another Hockey Mask tomorrow. Then, I'll set it so tight that I'll begin to believe that taking my eye off the ball at time of contact is more important than watching the contact, or that where the foot is after contact must be where it was at contact.

Hey, Rich. You're a helmet fan. Why didn't you tell me that was all I needed?

I get it probably once or twice a year, and it's always on a bunt attempt. One can still track a pitch and see a batter's foot out of the box when it's as blatant as it has to be for me to call it.

Helmet masks are for cathers, not umpires.

Woooooooo! Here we go now! :D



buckles up for another 10 pages of "You suck!" No, YOU suck!"

When the pitch is coming in, i can see the batters feet out the corner of my eye; from the slot stance

Is that with a helmet on or just a regular mask?

I use both...from the hockey mask i cant see it as well as with the regular mask.

Let's see, "When the pitch is coming in..." translates to "when it really doesn't matter."

Tell me, when you track the pitch all the way to the bat making contact on the outside corner by moving only your eyes, what do you see?

(By the way, the slot is a location...heel to toe is a stance.)

Outside corner i usually dont see the batters feet. inside part of plate...I do see it. I follow the pitch from the time the pitcher has it, from the time it the catcher get it.

If the slot is a stance, what other stances could there be?

What matters, I'll say yet again, since it's not getting through to several here ... is not where the foot is when the pitch comes in, nor just after contact. What matters is where the foot is WHEN the ball is contacted - that exact moment.

Positive (non-blurry) peripheral vision is about 25-30 degrees from where one is looking - everything else is not clear, if you think it is, you're kidding yourself.

The angle on MOST pitches between the umpire and the ball vs the umpire and the feet is WAY more than 25-30 degrees (it's closer to 90 on anything above the waist, closer to 60 on even low pitches). Those using GD have slightly smaller angles than these, but still no where near 25-30 degrees unless the ball is a VERY low (out of the zone) pitch.

You CANNOT see these two events simultaneously - if you are looking at the feet, you aren't doing your job. I can't be any clearer than that.

If the catcher got it, we have no issue, right? :)

Seriously, if you're watching the pitch until it is hit, and then looking down to see feet - you've likely lost significant sight of where the ball is going. The natural thing is to watch where the ball is going, and except for this one minor thing that happens exceedingly rarely (foot being out of the box at the moment of contact), you're going to find you're much better off keeping an eye on where the ball is going than losing it to check foot placement and then trying to pick it up again.

But, do you wear them both at the same time? Now that I'd love to see!!!:D

LOL a can of gasoline is so easy to light!

What do you think!?!?! lol No...its not possible to wear both...unless one is wayyyy bigger then the other.