I think we're in violent agreement here. The correct mechanic and the teaching is to look for the ball. The bad habit is to continue to stare at the base.

NCAA noticed that "too many" were falling into the bad habit and need to go (back) to the correct mechanic.

Thanks Bob, that was my point. I introduced it to the thread to differentiate how this would be viewed differently in collegiate baseball but how many pro umpires are now looking for more than the immediate snare of the ball.

There is nothing unethical about making a call and handling one's own business. And, we do require ethics, or as much as we can enforce legally from players, coaches, and umpires.

Each umpire has a job to do and this one failed at his. His job is to make calls at 1B, not rely on U2 to bail him out when he makes a mistake. And, then that umpire has to take the heat for U1's lack of "cahoonas". In essence, U1 "dropped the ball" worse than F1. And, "unethically" created a problem for U2 which wouldn't have been if U1 would have just done his job in the first place.

U1 screwed the whole play up and let U2 take the blame for it. That is the "unethical" part of it.

I'm confused, are you saying that by missing a call, U1 had a lapse of ethics?

Thanks, Bob, that was my point. Nothing new about the mechanic.

No, he's saying that by making a call that he disagrees with and then failing to correct it to what he believes is correct, he is lacking ethics or cahoonas or something.

I'm sure RandyBrown has something to say about that, too.

I'm wondering whether it's kahoonas or cajones. Or, possibly, both. :)

I didn't see anyone mention that it was a new mechanic, just a point of emphasis this year for the NCAA.

The new OBR rule will talk about the same voluntary release...as the NCAA has.. you see it soon.. I go to hear the rule changes a month ago.