What could I have done different?
 

Had a Championship game last night. ASA slowpitch one man system

Team A in the field is up by 3 in the bottom on the 7th. Bases loaded with one out. Batter rips a deep line drive between the right fielder and the right center fielder. I come out between home plate and the mound to see if it will be caught....all runners are moving as it appears it is a gapper. The right fielder dives and makes an unreal catch of the ball and I signal out. Now the runners on first and second are scrambling to get back and tag. It was chaotic. The runner on second gets back and tags and makes it to third. The runner on first goes back and does not advance as the throw come into to second. Runner on third has scored.

When I call time the away team is going crazy saying the runner on third never went back and tagged. To be honest the whole play was to the right field area, and the play on the bases was going to be at second on either a catch or a hit. With all the runners action on first and second and the ball being hit to right field I never saw the runner on third tag or not tag.

They appeal and I call safe as I did not see it and they are going crazy. Catcher bitching that the game should be over and how could I miss that. As fate has it the next batter hits a 3 run 2 out HR to win the game for the home team.

What could I have done any different. How can a one umpire game see all three runners on base while trying to figure of if the outfielder has caught or trapped the ball?

I would suggest that instead of coming out in front of home plate to observe the catch with a runner on third, that you move to the holding zone between third and home.

This lets you at least observe the runner at third peripherally and have a chance at catching the tag up or not....

When you're working solo, you have to prioritize. Your first priority is catch/no catch, then the tag ups at third, second, and first, respectively. The closer a runner is to home, the higher priority they have. Once you have the catch and tag up at third, you can move into the infield as the runner on third should score easily on this play, the runner on second should make it to third, and the likely play could be on the runner going from first to second. Make sure you keep your head on a swivel to try to catch the runner touching home. Lots of stuff to be responsible for.

If you work in these priorities, and they bitch at you about missing a tag up at first, you are much more credible when you tell them you have to work in priorities and a tag up at first is not the highest priority with bases loaded and a caught fly ball.

First, it is the league's fault for expecting a one umpire system to cover the entire field. It WILL break down and leave some things uncovered.

Second, I think it is great you ask what you could have done differently; despite the fact that your hands were tied by the one umpire system.

Third, of course the defense says the runner you cannot see left early. What else would they say? Even if the runner was camped on the base the whole time, the defense's own players never looked until well after they were sure their outfielder had caught the ball; so of course the runner was not on the base that long. You could have 6 umpires and that would be the claim.

Fourth (and easy to Monday morning quarterback); in hindsight, may have better to have trailed down the first or third base line (foul side) than head toward the circle. Possible tougher angle on the catch/no catch depending on which outfielder dove in which direction; but it would have put all three bases in the same one side of your peripheral vision, and the lead runner in sight.

That may not have allowed you to see if the runner on third was close; but would have clued you to him leaving early and never returning.

Well the outfielder made such a long run, dive and great catch "one of the best I have seen all year" that I had to make sure that he really held on to it as he was probably at the 290 mark and diving away from me, so that took an extra second or two. Had he trapped the ball and I missed it the other team would have been going crazy. It just pissed me off because it was such a close game and I felt like I was having a great clean game until that point. After that happened I was kind of hoping the next batter would just pop out to end the game instead he hits a 3 run HR.

A few guys on the losing team did say to me that they understood one ump can only see so much of the field. Then the guy who was in question told me he did go back and tag so who knows?

Even in two-man mechanics, deep fly balls to RF (juggled, no less!) with a tagging runner at 3B are a bear to cover. It's the nightmare scenario for anything less than a three-man crew. I second what Andy suggests: move to a holding zone between 3B & HP so everything is in front of you. Maybe even get deeper toward the dugout than usual so you have the runner completely in your peripheral vision. This also has the advantage of letting you see runners at 1B and 2B with your central vision as you watch the catch.

Listen to Andy. He nailed the correct answer imo.

Andy is spot on, ASA is just outright wrong and their one-umpire mechanics in some scenarios contradict the sensible mantra of keeping all the elements of the game in front of you. I've argued this point since the first video came out. I have seen too many calls missed because an umpire allowed running action to occur behind them. I have also seen umpire driven to the deck avoiding a thrown ball to make a play on a runner. Not only do they get dirty, possibly injured, but also make the call.

In the manual, ASA states to not let the players and coaches make the call for you, but IMO this is exactly what ASA did by placing the umpire in jeopardy instead of keeping all four elements in front of them.

wow
 

A "championship" game with only one umpire? Good luck with that. Can't recall ever being put into that position.

I'll second that notion.

We have a few SP leagues we work w/ 1 umpire during regular season play, but when playoffs start the leagues want 2 umps.

There is one co-ed league we do that has only 1 umpire for both regular season and playoffs. They get what they pay for.

Great response Andy. Couldn't have been said better. I agree 100%.