missed 1st base mechanic

[mbyron]

Professional instruction on this play is: use your usual "safe" mechanic and verbalize "Safe!" If the batter-runner beats the throw, then he has acquired the base and he is safe. I do nothing different from the play where the BR touches the base before the throw arrives.

If the defense appeals the missed base before BR returns to the base, I will rule on it.

I don't have much use for the FED umpire manual, and I can't find my red book at the moment, sorry.

[SanDiegoSteve]

In my opinion, the FED umpire manual is a piece of garbage, which is where it would have ended up if I had ever seen one in 20+ years of HS baseball.

I would, as Mbyron says, go ahead and make your usual safe call. By giving the silent treatment, you are actually going against the book by the non-verbal statement of not saying, "safe," like you would usually do. That could tip off the defense even more than a verbal call.

Call the runner safe, as if he touched the base, and make the defense be bright enough to notice that he didn't touch the base.