pulled foot at 1st - getting help

[Bfair]

Originally posted by GarthB
BFair writes:

It needs to be understood that the typical play where this is discussed is when BU is starting in C position where his responsibilities of the play can be at 1B, 2B and 3B. He cannot overcommit to any base, and a poor throw can result in F3 coming off the base directly at the BU where he is in poor position to see a pulled foot.

That is true when BU is standing in a bucket of cement at the C position. Anyone who simply remains standing in the same "C" position taking root in the grass while all this is going on is always going to be asking for help.


My previous comment stands. Spend as much time solving the problem as whining about it.

[Edited by GarthB on Mar 29th, 2003 at 11:02 PM]

Garth, there are varying levels of baseball out there, and you can't always react to what you anticipate to be the expected play. It's not a matter of feet in cement, but rather not overcommitting on your expectation so you don't find yourself out of position trying to make the call on a close slide play at 3rd. It's also possible to float toward 1B only to find a snap throw going back to 2B on a diving runner.

We are amateur umpires, Garth, of varying levels of experience.
While the more experienced may be able to better read the plays, there are still many in the learning process. If they overcommit they may find themselves in far more difficulty than that pulled foot. If they're willing to understand the weakness of the two man system on a play starting with R2 only, they are more likely to get the call right wherever the play occurs if they realize there may be times when they need to seek their partner's help. As the official gains experience, his needs for help should lessen.

Pure and simple---plays can arise where a BU starting in C has a crappy angle on F3's pulled foot. The PU has a significantly better angle on that play than the BU if help is needed. Angle over distance is a well known standard of officiating.


Freix