Get the call right

Ask Tim C about his recent adventures with a crew reversing a call!

Lets get a few things straight about "going for help".

First, nobody is "required" to do so. An umpire can live or die by his call, just like he has been able to for 150 years or so! The culture is changing though so that an umpire, who has some doubt in his mind because of his position etc... can now get his crew together, get information from the other crew members, and possibly change his call based upon the information he receives from his partners. I first I was reluctant to go along with this, but after I have seen how when used PROPERLY, this new approach has made a lot of calls that would have been wrong, right. Or, it simply reinforced in my mind that I got it right!!! There IS an up side to this!

Second, NOT EVERY PLAY REQUIRES THE CREW TO GET TOGETHER TO TALK ABOUT IT!!! The CCA manual outlines SPECIFIC scenarios when the crew should get together and talk about a call. I can assure you it is NOT on every tag and force out! The scenarios listed are GOOD reasons for everybody to get together and talk about it and make sure.

Third, this new approach WORKS. Since adopting it properly, it has really cut down on the long arguements about calls made. Coaches are more accepting of calls that the whole crew have agreed upon. Yes, I know for certain that the some calls that are reversed are now the wrong call, but I would say that this new approach has righted FAR more wrong calls than wronged right calls! Easily 50 to 1!!!