best way to handle a check swing
 

Sit: runner in 1st, 3-0 count, the pitch is out of the zone and called a ball. the runner advances and the catcher asks if she swung. HOw do you handle this ? And if your base umpire judges a swing, do you bring the runner back from second?

"Her" who? Batter or base runner?

The question refers to the base runner.

A runner can advance on either a ball or a strike. :rolleyes:

If the only reason the runner advanced was because of the ball 4 that was reversed on the check swing appeal, then yes, you return the runner. Its called umpire jeopardy.

And if the runner was stealing on the pitch, but the catcher didn't throw because of the ball 4 call?

If the delay of call or reversal of an umpires call allowed the runner to advance or affected the play, then fix it.

What is your criteria, beyond the runner standing on a base until a coach says ball four, go?

Didn't I just answer that question? If the umpire called ball 4 and it resulted in the catcher not throwing down or the runner simply advancing to 2nd on the apparent walk, fix it.

And if the catcher thought it was a swing, she should have followed through with the play.

You do not move the runner back.

If the catcher throws the runner out, are you going to negate the out and put the runner back?

If my ball 4 call resulted in the runner pulling up and getting tagged out, yes I would put them back at first.

Not really, about criteria.
Say runner off 1st, running, at the moment of the dead ball call.
Reaches 2nd, even if slowed up, how should we determine if a steal or umpire jeopardy?

Ignoring any poor coaching suggestion, the runner was going regardless of the pitch call; putting herself in jeopardy.

If there is a play in progress, the umpire shouldn't be going for help until it is over. After all, shouldn't the BU be moving with and watching the advancing runner and prepare for a possible play?

How quickly do you call the pitch? There should be about one second between the ball hitting the glove and your call. If you delay sufficiently, the catcher should have already released the ball (or be most of the way through her throwing motion) to have any possibility of retiring a runner attempting to steal. In that case, there should be no doubt that if the catcher did not throw, it was because she was not going to throw whatever your call was.