When to call time??
 

R1 on 1st, hit to right field, throws to first BU calls BR safe, throw from F3 to 3rd going after R1, as PU I am down there for the play and call R1 safe. She requests time to get up from slide, I start to call time and see out of the corner of my eye that R2 (BR at start of play) is heading into 2nd so I wait to call time till R2 is on second.

So question is what if I would have called time prior to R2 getting to 2nd? 3rd base was not thinking about throwing on R2 and didn't, was doing the hold tag until runner gets up thing.....but what would you do if you killed it too early? Let R2 continue to 2nd? Send her back to 1st? What say you all??

You'd have to send her back, it was the last base she had legally touched.

Then admit to your mistake to the ticked off rats and let them know that everyone's human!

Or...do what my 5th graders would do...point to the runner at 3rd and blame her!:eek:

Catching yourself is a good thing. If you did make the mistake, it would depend on where the runner was when you killed the ball. If more than halfway, 2B. If not, return to 1B.

You screwed up, you correct it.

Really ?!!?
Is that a rule, Mike, or a judgement?
Thanks.

It's fixing your own screw up. Sure, if you want to be a stickler for the rules, then send them back to their previously touched base (and be ready for the offensive coach to rightfully ream you for jumping the gun). The fact remains that you screwed up by calling time when you weren't supposed to, and it can probably be fixed with little squawking by anyone.

Take that extra second to find the runners, make sure they're no longer attempting to advance, and then call time.

At one time, it use to be part of the obstruction mechanics in the umpire manual. If it is still there, I cannot find it, but that doesn't mean anything.

With OBS, by rule, you kill the ball when an OBS runner is retired. What do you do with a runner two steps from the base to which they were advancing at that time? Send him back and you just offended an already offended team.

I don't see any problem in using this as a guidance in correcting an obvious error by an umpire.

And as a preventive measure, say "wait" or "no" loudly to R1.

The old "rule of thumb" for placing runners last appeared in the 2004 POE 35 Obstruction. It disappeared in 2005. It is history; reguiled to the ASA dustbin; it only exists now in our memories.

WMB

Well, let's use the real "rule of thumb" and beat them with a stick no bigger around than our thumb if they ever do this again.

It may be the "old rule", but it is the only guidance we have and it seems fair enough to defend and sell on the field.