Don't get yourself straight-lined!

[briancurtin]

It's not the best screen capture, but the positions weren't any different half a second before this.

[briancurtin]

Here's the video: All Top Plays | LAD@COL: Hairston incorrectly called out at first - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia

[umpjim]

Went 90 to throw; probably didn't read throw and no adjustment. 2SF would have worked here. Pick your poison.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by umpjim

Went 90 to throw; probably didn't read throw and no adjustment. 2SF would have worked here. Pick your poison.

I agree. While it's easy to get to 90 and looks like you're really hustling, it more often than not puts F3 between you and the play at the base, especially on the longer or off-balance throws from F5. Two to three steps fair is plenty.

[MrUmpire]

Horrible. No excuse. Pure laziness.

[MrUmpire]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I agree. While it's easy to get to 90 and looks like you're really hustling, it more often than not puts F3 between you and the play at the base, especially on the longer or off-balance throws from F5. Two to three steps fair is plenty.

If it's really a 90, it will not put F3 between you and the base. Most often, as in the case, he went beyond the 90. He was set up for a throw from third base or even then the mound and it came from the SS position. The bad throw and his failure to adjust made it worse.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

If it's really a 90, it will not put F3 between you and the base. Most often, as in the case, he went beyond the 90. He was set up for a throw from third base or even then the mound and it came from the SS position. The bad throw and his failure to adjust made it worse.

Yeah, looking at it again, he was more like 45 degrees from where the throw originated.

[thumpferee]

Is there another?

[SE Minnestoa Re]

When you figure how many games these guys work and how everything is being videoed, it is surprising there aren't more calls like this made. I might work 60 games a year. I wonder how many calls would show up on You Tube if every call I made was taped?

The MLB guys are great. I wish I were as good as the worst one. But the law of averages will catch up to them too.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by SE Minnestoa Re

When you figure how many games these guys work and how everything is being videoed, it is surprising there aren't more calls like this made. I might work 60 games a year. I wonder how many calls would show up on You Tube if every call I made was taped?

The MLB guys are great. I wish I were as good as the worst one. But the law of averages will catch up to them too.

I think we can all live with mistakes of judgement - it happens. But among this group, bad positioning that leads to a wrong call is going to get no sympathy. I agree that for the most part, MOST of the MLB umpires are as good as it gets. However, I believe we should be able to expect these guys to have stellar mechanics - and when they don't, it's not accepted here. There's no excuse for his positioning on this play.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

If it's really a 90, it will not put F3 between you and the base. Most often, as in the case, he went beyond the 90. He was set up for a throw from third base or even then the mound and it came from the SS position. The bad throw and his failure to adjust made it worse.

Too damned far -- well beyond 90 degrees. And no read step on the bad throw -- he focused on the play before reading a bad throw. Happens to all of us. Horrible time for it to happen to him considering it ended up all over the web.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by SE Minnestoa Re

But the law of averages will catch up to them too.

No such thing. The explanation is that they're human, and that's ok too.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by MrUmpire

Horrible. No excuse. Pure laziness.

I do not think it has anything to do with laziness, but an old mechanic that umpires that are older love to hold onto. Actually he had to hustle to get to that spot, but it is just a bad spot.

Peace

[505 ump]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I do not think it has anything to do with laziness, but an old mechanic that umpires that are older love to hold onto. Actually he had to hustle to get to that spot, but it is just a bad spot.

Peace

Agreed. Used it myself for many years. Fellow ump showed my 2-3 steps a few years back. using it since.

[Publius]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I do not think it has anything to do with laziness, but an old mechanic that umpires that are older love to hold onto. Actually he had to hustle to get to that spot, but it is just a bad spot.

Peace

It's a bad spot in our games. In MLB, where the throw is accurate 99% of the time, that is a far better position than 2SF to judge whether the runner beats the throw. When things go awry, the shortcoming of the position is magnified, but that doesn't detract from how good a spot it is at that level.

"90 to the line of the throw" is a meaningless standard. You're always at 90. The length and direction of the perpendicular varies with the throw, but you're always at 90.