Force runner question - ASA

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by Ref Ump Welsch

I was taught only to give the safe signal, and no verbal in a situation where the runner was touched with an empty glove. Do you verbalize when you have this?

Reason I ask, is I had the same sitch in a coed rec game, where the male 3B touched female R1 heading to 3B (can't remember how many was on) with just an empty glove while cocking to throw to 2B. I only signaled safe, and didn't verbalize it. He ended up not throwing because R2 was pretty much already at 2B. I didn't call time right away, because R1 was starting to walk away from 3B, when the 3B coach yelled at her to get back on the bag, which she did. I called time, and everyone looked at me, "where's the out call on the runner (R1)?" I signaled and verbalized "safe, tagged with an empty glove". That ended that. (In retrospect, I'm shocked SOMEONE in coed rec had the common sense to tell the runner to get back on the bag!)

I've never been taught one way or the other on this. If someone has a better way, I'm all ears. Well, eyes...

I usually wait a second to allow the defense to realize their screw-up. Once I see that the defense isn't going to make another attempt on the runner, I sell the safe call.

A lot of times, it happens when F4 scoops up a grounder and attempts to tag the runner coming from 1B. I still allow the defense the chance to correct the mistake, but they almost never do. Once they've attempted their double play, I then call "safe at 2, safe/out at 1." The only reason I don't call it out right away is because, well, I want to focus on what's going to be the tighter play of the attempted double-play.

This may be wrong, and maybe I'm not describing it well. However, that's what I do. I get some crap for it for the players, but only from the standpoint of "I made the tag, blue!"