Can your partner change a judgment call?

[WestMichBlue]

An accepted part of good umpiring is to discuss a difficult call with your partner when requested by a coach or player. And if your partner, seeing the play from a different angle, says “yes, I saw her pulled foot” or “yes, I saw the ball on the ground under the sliding runner,” then you should have no problem changing your call.

But what if the difference between you and your partner is more of a judgment, or timing call? Let’s say you are in “C”, hot grounder to F6 who throws (low) to F3 in plenty of time to get B-R. However, F3 bobbles the ball and it is on the ground. He puts his glove over the ball and picks it up. “SAFE” you emphatically signal. Pointing down, you say “ball’s on the ground.”

Of course the defensive coach disagrees with you. “How could you possibly make that Blankity Blank call” he demands? “Simple, coach. Your F3 did not have the ball when the runner’s foot hit the base.” Coach and players aren’t buying it; ask that you confer with your partner. Now what?

One - do you say “No, it’s a judgment call; I made it and it stands!”
Two – you talk to partner and he says “yes, the ball was bobbled, yes it was on the ground; yes he put his glove on it.” And? “IMO, he definitely picked it up (thus demonstrating control) before the runner hit the base.

Forgetting the fact that you probably had a better angle to see the foot touch the base than the PU, would you change your call if your partner’s judgment was different than yours?

WMB