Mechanics

[wadeintothem]

Sounds to me like this coach knew what he was doing and had the crew pegged.. all of this could have been solved with the sentence "coach I didnt see it that way, lets play ball".

Too bad your partner hung you out to dry, but there was a simple solution to be had, even if neither of you were watching due to one thing or another. its 2 man, not everything can be watches so tough luck for the coach.. but I dont see a need to admit what you werent or were watching at the time something did or didnt happen. The coach saw what you guys were watching and nailed you both. No one missed a base IMO.

[SRW]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

Sounds to me like this coach knew what he was doing and had the crew pegged.. all of this could have been solved with the sentence "coach I didnt see it that way, lets play ball".
...
its 2 man, not everything can be watches so tough luck for the coach

I disagree with this statement for the OP's situation.

The coach didn't "peg" the umps - they f'd up themselves. And a justification won't solve it - ever. Proper mechanics will.

2006 ASA Rules, Ump Edition, Page 214: (to paraphrase), with a R1 on 1B, trail the BR up the line, then be aware of the potential play at 3B on R1.

Pg. 239: (to paraphrase), the Base Umpire ascertains that all runners touch second and first bases.

In this play, both pairs of eyes should have seen this. It's the BU's responsibility to turn his head and look as he hooks in. Even if he didn't see it, it's a lot easier to sell than if he didn't even turn his head. Once R1 touches 2B, and heads to 3B, R1 isn't the BU's responsibility anymore (unless she comes back into 2B) - the only one he has to take care of now is the BR. The PU, on the other hand, was/should have been looking down the line, and for him to see the BR touch 1B is right in front of him (about 30-45 feet in front of him assuming he was trailing the BR like a good ump should).

Making an excuse that "gee, coach - not everything can be seen - there's only two of us out here" in unacceptable and inexcusable. The mechanics work well when used properly. And in the OP's situation, there shouldn't have been any reason (other than poor mechanics) for neither person to see the BR touch 1B.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by SRW

In this play, both pairs of eyes should have seen this. It's the BU's responsibility to turn his head and look as he hooks in. Even if he didn't see it, it's a lot easier to sell than if he didn't even turn his head. Once R1 touches 2B, and heads to 3B, R1 isn't the BU's responsibility anymore (unless she comes back into 2B) - the only one he has to take care of now is the BR. The PU, on the other hand, was/should have been looking down the line, and for him to see the BR touch 1B is right in front of him (about 30-45 feet in front of him assuming he was trailing the BR like a good ump should).

Unless.......the PU had to stay with the ball longer than normal for a catch/no catch or fair/foul. If that's the case, the priority runner for BU would be R1 touching 2B and then BR touching 1B. Though I think it would be a stretch, if there was a play at 3B, the BU needs to be able to adjust and cover it should the PU not be able to get into position in time. This would obviously involve umpire-to-umpire communication, but nothing is ever cut and dry.