Horrible Mechanics

[Reffing Rev.]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

You are not AT THIRD. The proper voice is: "I've got third if he tags." Go to the library and wait.

Once the ball is caught and there's a runner and throw, THEN it's "I've got third! I've got third!" as you bust into fair ground into the cutout.

Once the ball drops, your place is at the plate in case R2 tries to score on the base hit.

All of this is pretty basic 2-man stuff, really.

I agree that is what the book says...
I disagree its the best way to cover this play. (and you are free to disagree with me)
I have enough intelligence to in the context of a proper pre-game adjust the mechanics to better cover the play.

If there is no play at third then I'm still able to move to cover the play at the plate, and if there is a play at 3rd then I'm able to cover there. I can move both directions from your library. And in any case I've alleviated R2 from my partner. Especially since he has R1 who may or may not have been trying to tag and BR who has probably rounded the bag by now too.

Now if we ever worked together in a pregame you told me you wanted 3rd in that case, thats fine, its yours. It is after all by the book.

When my partner doesn't show up until after the first pitch, I go by the book - no pregame.

If my partner does not have the ability to ammend the book's mechanics then I go by the book.

What I am saying is in the context of a proper pre-game, this is how we ammend the mechanics to cover this play.

I've never had a double call at 3rd on a play like this. In fact only once have I ever had a problem. When my partner was BU and wanted to do it by the book, so in pregame we agreed everything by the book. Fly ball to center everyone tagging, ball hit the center fielder's glove and landed half a step in front of him he fired to 3rd. By the book BU's call, only he didn't get it. He looked at me with that puppy-dog-just-relieved-himself-on-your-pool-table-look. So I bailed him out. That play in our local discussion group is why almost all of us ammend our mechanics.