Interesting Observations at MLB game
 

Yes, I know it is baseball, but due to previous discussions on this board, I am curious if anyone is aware of a softball organization that has adopted what I saw today.

Working the Philadelphia-Atlanta game today, PU Tim Timmons moved to the forward corner of the LH batter's box for all tag plays at the plate. He never set at the 3BL.

Also, BUs on the line had a strange stance. I don't know if this is new or something they have been using since I don't see that many MLB games. They would take a position facing each other, then turning their shoulders toward the plate, leaning and placing their weight on the home-side leg.

It looked uncomfortable, off-balance and seemed it would be a task to dodge a line drive.

Tim is a central Ohio boy, and he came up through the ranks in the same baseball umpire association to which I belong. He still takes the time to address our group each year, before he heads down to spring training, and two weeks ago organized and ran a plate mechanics clinic right here in Columbus, with proceeds going to a local charity. So I'm cutting him some slack on his positioning! :)

I see this a lot in MLB- plate umpires positioning themselves inside the diamond on plays at the plate. I guess it could work, depending on where the throw was coming from or where you happened to be standing and needed to adjust to see the play. But it certainly isn't what has been taught to me in my ASA training clinics!

The odd positioning of the base umpires I've never noticed before- I'll have to watch for that. I've been watching a couple of games on cable tonight and those guys seem to be setting up in the conventional wide stance, hands on knees, facing the plate stances.

That is what I was expecting which I guess is why something different stood out a little bit.

If I didn't know any better, which I don't, I am thinking it is up to the crew chief to set some of the styles/mechanics. I know who to ask however...will report back.

At that level these guys set their own styles at whenever they want to.