officially not a virgin :)

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

That's not what I was instructed at two National Schools.

What happens when someone is running in your general direction and you need to get out of the way? 50% of the time you will choose the same spot on the field to go as the fielder. If you are 4-6 feet away, it is a simple pivot and the fielder is by you and you have a clear path inside the diamond.

And why in the world would you want to stand right where the batter wants to hit the ball?

Of course, you could be referring to the "imaginary line" (here we go, again) which has been emphasized the last few years as absolution for INT while standing in front of a fielder. I've seen people cite this when standing in front of a fielder. I disagree with teaching this as a standard mechanic, but agree is may be available in an extreme situation. While it does absolve the umpire from calling INT on oneself, IMO being in front of an infielder is never a good position.

If F4 is that deep, I'd rather see the umpire move up the middle. Yes, it takes you farther away from the play at 1B and take a little more hustle to get into position, but, at least, you are not in the middle of the play to the right side.

In the ASA umpire manual, the SP base umpire is directed to position him/herself on the 1st side off F4. I don't read that the same as halfway between the two fielders.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

What happens when someone is running in your general direction and you need to get out of the way? 50% of the time you will choose the same spot on the field to go as the fielder. If you are 4-6 feet away, it is a simple pivot and the fielder is by you and you have a clear path inside the diamond.

And why in the world would you want to stand right where the batter wants to hit the ball?

Of course, you could be referring to the "imaginary line" (here we go, again) which has been emphasized the last few years as absolution for INT while standing in front of a fielder. I've seen people cite this when standing in front of a fielder. I disagree with teaching this as a standard mechanic, but agree is may be available in an extreme situation. While it does absolve the umpire from calling INT on oneself, IMO being in front of an infielder is never a good position.

That's just it, I don't just make the line and take one step back. I make sure I'm back far enough that I still have plenty of reaction time. I won't put myself into a position where my reaction time could be overcome by the ball's speed.

And most of the time, F3 is playing so deep anyway, they're almost parallel to the base line.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

If F4 is that deep, I'd rather see the umpire move up the middle. Yes, it takes you farther away from the play at 1B and take a little more hustle to get into position, but, at least, you are not in the middle of the play to the right side.

And if I'm worried that being in that position between F3 and F4 compromises my safety, I use that option a lot, too. It's a good position, and I have plenty of hustle to get into a good position.

Let's remember that positioning 100% situational, and a good umpire will adjust as much as appropriate for the various factors on the field.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

In the ASA umpire manual, the SP base umpire is directed to position him/herself on the 1st side off F4. I don't read that the same as halfway between the two fielders.

Nor I, but again, this is what I've been taught at the NUS, and it has been reinforced by the various UICs I've met over the last 3 years.

And if I were to work one of your tourneys, I now know your opinion on the matter and wouldn't split the difference between F3 and F4. Problem solved.