Should an umpire rule that which is expected

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by PeteBooth
Have you tried both approaches so that you can see for yourself? I have tried both and at least in upper ball, calling that which is expected works best.

Then keep calling it that way in the upper level of ball in your area.

It's the same here, BTW.

I had a player attemtp to steal second earlier (duh -- he couldn't have done it later!) this year. The throw was in plenty of time, but the runner did one of those "here's my hand, oops, I pulled it away" slides. Since this slide made a "usual" play "unusual," I called what I saw -- safe. No arguments.

The same player then tried to steal third. This time, he slid straight in. Third out. (no comments on the whether this was a smart play). As he was going to short to play defense, he commented that he hadn't been tagged, but since he slid straight in, he knew he was out. Said it was the right call. No complaints.

Sliding straight in when the ball is already there is one way upper level players "give themselves up." If that's what they want to do, I oblige them.