How to prevent double calls

[bossman72]

How do you guys prevent double calls in these situations since it's not something typically gone over in a quick pregame:


1) There is obstruction on R2 going home on a fly to right after tagging up (or on any play at the plate for that matter- this play is just an example). How do you as the plate umpire not bang the runner out when he's tagged and then have to reverse yourself when he scores on the obstruction? Or if your the BU, what do you do (other than the delayed dead ball signal) to let the PU know an obstructed runner is coming home.

2) There is a missed base appeal at third or first. How do you prevent you and the other ump making different calls at the base. When the defense goes through the appeal process, do you have any little signals with your partner to say who's call it is?



Like i said originally, this isn't something that people in my assoc go over a whole lot in pregames. Do any of you cover these things in your pregame?

[umpduck11]

1) I don't make an out call on an obstructed runner, therefore there's no need to reverse the call. Why would you call an out if you know the runner's
been obstructed ?

2) Knowing which bases are which umpire's responsibility will keep this from
happening every time. It's something I go over in pre-game. No need for any
"secret" signs either. If the player appeals to my partner and it's my call, I
will call out "Bill, I've got this", that way the teams knows it's my call, not my partners.

[bossman72]

Originally Posted by umpduck11

1) Why would you call an out if you know the runner's been obstructed ?

I'm implying that you DON'T know that the runner has been obstructed in the first situation - especially in this situation given since you have fair/foul and catch/no catch in right field

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by bossman72

I'm implying that you DON'T know that the runner has been obstructed in the first situation - especially in this situation given since you have fair/foul and catch/no catch in right field

Then make the call and let your partner come in and say, "Boss -- I had obstruction. That runner scores."

It's no big deal, especially if your partner has pointed and called the obstruction when it occurred.

[canablue05]

The base umpire should be declaring obstruction loud enough for people to hear. I can see how this might be a problem in a sold out park where crowd noise could be an issue...in this case call time, communicate with your partner what you have, and then get the call right.

[DG]

As PU:

1) If the obstruction call was mine to make I can generally refrain from calling an out. If the call was my partner's then I may not know about it and will make the call at the plate that I see and we will sort it out later.

2) I normally take touches of 3b, and 1B if my partner goes out on a play in the outfield, and this will be covered in pre-game, so I don't think we will be making opposite calls. If we do, my call stands for the ones I am responsible for. Coach might not like it, but he can get over it, because he knows down deep whose call it is.

[tiger49]

Originally Posted by canablue05

The base umpire should be declaring obstruction loud enough for people to hear. I can see how this might be a problem in a sold out park where crowd noise could be an issue...in this case call time, communicate with your partner what you have, and then get the call right.

According to Baseball Canada Rule Interpretation #4 the ball becomes dead the moment there is a play being made on an obstructed runner. Now I hope at a National my partners would loudly call the obstruction as well as point to the obstuction, so that we don't look like idiots with running in saying he had obstruction as I am pounding him out.