Mechanics Q's

[CecilOne]

Situation: 14U travel teams, bases loaded, no outs, 2 umps, BU in C2, passed ball.
Play: R1 starts home, retreats, ends up in rundown, BU ends up several feet inside 3rd, calls R1 out on tag by F5.
Question: Should BU have been somewhere else?

Reason: When R1 started for home, R2 went to 3rd w/o seeing R1 return, but then starts back to 2nd. After the R1 out, R2 tries 3rd again, sees F5 coming and starts back to 2nd.

Meanwhile: BU is turning (counter-clockwise) to get an angle on R2 and R2 bumps into BU.
Then: F5 throws to F6 who tags R2 out 20 - 30 feet from 2nd and the offense coaches blame BU for being in the way.
Question: Should BU have been or going somewhere else?

[mcrowder]

Inside 3rd, in the baseline?

Or inside 3rd toward the pitcher?

I'd have tried to get inside the baseline first (without getting in R2's way), and once past the runner (out of the baseline), tried to get between 3rd base and F1 in position for a tag play at 3rd. This should keep you out of any runner's way, and ready to dash for position on a subsequent play after a tag between 3rd and home.

Bases loaded passed ball is ALWAYS wrought with a possibility of having bad position on an unexpected play (especially if F2 suddenly fires to 1st base).

[CecilOne]

Inside 3rd - toward 2nd, apparently in baseline. Reaction to passed ball was expecting a play at the plate or closer play at 3rd. Apparently, R2 passed behind while rundown was in progress.

I agee with "I'd have tried to get inside the baseline first (without getting in R2's way), and once past the runner (out of the baseline), tried to get between 3rd base and F1 in position for a tag play at 3rd. This should keep you out of any runner's way, and ready to dash for position on a subsequent play after a tag between 3rd and home", but I think it happend too fast.

[Steve M]

From the C position, with a passed ball, I am moving straight in. With R2 present, I am going to go 1 stride beyond the base path (that would give me a 90-degree angle on a tag play coming back to 3B). From there, I may make up to 2 strides toward the 3B line so that I am 6-8 feet away from a tag play with as close to a 90-degree angle as I can get. When that play is done, I am not in a position where R2 should need to go around me - but I am in position to locate R2 and make sure R2 is on a base before I go back to my starting position.

With the runner running into BU, be prepared to take some grief - accept it, BU earned it. But at the end, R2 is still out, the grief-giving is done because we don't talk about history during the rest of the game, and it's time to play ball.

[mick]

Originally posted by CecilOne
Meanwhile: BU is turning (counter-clockwise) to get an angle on R2 and R2 bumps into BU.
Then: F5 throws to F6 who tags R2 out 20 - 30 feet from 2nd and the offense coaches blame BU for being in the way.
Question: Should BU have been or going somewhere else?

YU.P.
BU was just in a bad place.

From U.P. here, it also looks like BU turned the wrong way and failed to open-up to the rest of the play, ... or BU never got as far inside as the 2b-3b baseline.

mick

[CecilOne]

Your help is very appreciated and will be reflected in future games.
I also would like to defend the BU (me if you haven't guessed) a little. The play happened quickly, so coming from deep C2 to the quick two-throw rundown and stopping to call the swipe tag out seemed to leave me without time to find the best position for subsequent action. As said, in the future, I'll make sure I'm out of the line in case there is a confused R2 behind me.
After the tag, I turned counter-clockwise to check R2 at 2nd, so maybe that kept her behind me longer and therefore out of sight.
The learning/refreshing:
- get inside the baseline before stopping
- turn quicker, probably clockwise in case of a play at 3rd which was closer to the ball at that moment.

Just FYI, half the grief was caused by the earlier play when I was in B and the coaches blamed me for my PU partner not covering 3rd. Both led to endless complaining the rest of that game and a later game.

[Blu_IN]

On this play there is simply too much action in the infield to be going inside the diamond. I don't even care for getting on the baseline for the 90 degree angle. I really only see two options.

1. Stay outside the diamond in fair territory similiar to where you would be for a steal from second to third. This keeps you outside the action and you should be able to get close enough to see any possible play at third base if the runner comes back. In this spot, you are certain not to get involved in any crazy action that may result.

2. Foul territory with a 90 degree angle. This is great in the three man but you are leaving yourself way out of position if there is a play back toward second base or first. If you do have a sharp PU though, you might be able to pull this off if he comes up the first baseline and then toward the pitcher's plate as he sees the play developing back at third base. It would look sharp as hell but too many variables involved for this mechanic to work reliably.