"C" position - how can I improve?
 

Game 2 of Varsity doubleheader yesterday. Runner on 2nd w/2 outs. I am at "C" position. Ball is hit sharply to F6. I stay put with eyes on ball (I expected the throw to go to 1st). R2 breaks for 3rd. F6 throws high to F5. R2 tries to go low and around (to HP side of F5). Runner was not out of his baseline. Attempted tag in chest area of runner. Since I have no x-ray vision, I am shielded pretty well from the tag/no tag. I take a mental picture of play but before signaling I breifly look (less than a second) to HP to see if he could help. He couldn't/didn't. I make the call. Coach complains more about the pause than the call. In postgame debrief, HP said I got the call right.
Obviously this is my primary call. How can I do better?

When inside and the ball is hit to the infield, step up. You'll gain an angle on this play and get a better view.

But don't kick yourself too much: no position inside will guarantee a good view of that play and still make you available for the call at 1B. It's one of the compromises of a 2-umpire system. With 3 umpires, it would have been an easy call.

Your mistake was looking to the plate area. It looked indecisive. Step up, make a confident call, and move to your next position. As you said, this is your call all the way and you shouldn't even be *thinking* about getting another umpire involved on this.

The only reason you should be pausing is to make sure you the fielder still has the ball on the tag, not looking at anyone for help. This is your call and you have to just make it the best way you can. You will never be in a perfect position all the time to make this call. It is all about angles and timing.

Peace

You don't say what you do after the F6 fields the ball, apart from mentioning you "stay put with eyes on ball". If you made the call at 3rd from your original position at "C" then you didn't have the best angle you could have had. Once F6 fielded the ball and you could tell that the play would go to 3rd, move toward the 45 at third, even one step would have given you a little better look. After you get your look at the play while stopped, take a step or two more toward the 45 and make your call.

Bottom line, you made the correct call. The pause to look at your partner didn't help your situation in the eyes of the coach, especially if it makes it seem like you were listening to the bench to "help" you make the call.

Thanks for the advice all.
Achieving a 45 deg view was pretty hard in this case due to the quickness/unpredictable nature that this play developed (I overheard the coach chastize his F6 for not going to 1st like he should have and like I expected) . I have also been concentrating lately on being stationary at the time of viewing the play. This may have actually hurt me in this case. A moving 45 degree view would probably been preferable to the stationary, not-so-good view.
I also will not be tempted to hope my partner could bail me out for my misfortune. I'll make a quick call and take my lumps.

Always anticipate the unexpected play, then you'll never get caught off-guard. Don't necessarily make a "quick" call, just a decisive one...sell it if you have to on bangers like that if they're that close. And even a couple steps toward the 45 degrees gives the perception that you were moving into better position. Remember, you should only look for help on a swipe tag/pulled foot at 1st base only, and then as sparingly as possible. I made the mistake of asking on a similar play at 3rd base once a long time ago, and got a glare and a "Not my call" response from the wiser, more experience PU. Never did it again.

When a coach is bellyaching about how I made a call or my positioning instead of the call itself, I have been known to say something along the lines of, "So you're saying you didn't like my positioning/pause, but I don't hear you saying you think I missed it. I agree with you. My positioning/mechanics weren't the best, but I feel I got it right, coach."