I screwed up ... how to fix it?

[Linknblue]

Interestingly enough, I had the exact same play the next day. I kept my mouth shut this time and the offensive coaches figured it out and I didn't have a LBR to enforce........................See, old guys can learn.

[youngump]

Originally Posted by Linknblue

Interestingly enough, I had the exact same play the next day. I kept my mouth shut this time and the offensive coaches figured it out and I didn't have a LBR to enforce........................See, old guys can learn.

Could just be coincidence to have it happen twice in close proximity, but have you considered that maybe your safe call isn't loud enough?

[EsqUmp]

Keep the following two philosophies in mind. While they won't always give you a guaranteed answer, they will help you out in oddball situations.

1: When in doubt, err on the side of ruling against the team that screwed up or caused the ultimate problem. You shouldn't penalize the team that didn't do something wrong. For example, B1 gets an outfield hit splitting F7 & F8. F3 improperly stands just off of 1st base and obstructs B1 as she rounds 1st base. As the base umpire, you aren't sure whether B1 definitely would have been safe at 2nd base if she attempted a double. However, you think there is a reasonable chance that she could have been safe at 2nd base. Give B1 2nd base. Why? Because B1 didn't do anything wrong and she was prevented from making a legitimate attempt to advance. Additionally, not awarding the base encourages teams to continual obstruct knowing that there won't be consequences. Don't mischaracterize my comment - If there is no chance for B1 to make 2nd base safely, obviously you don't award her 2nd base.

2: Generally speaking, umpires cannot penalize a player when the umpire put the player in jeopardy. For example, the base umpire doesn't hold his call and calls R1 advancing to 2nd base out even though F6 has dropped the ball. If R1 steps off of 2nd base, she cannot properly be declared out because the umpire's improper mechanic and ruling placed her in jeopardy. In the present case, signaling and verbalizing "pulled foot" and then signaling safe is the proper mechanic. It is the player's fault for vacating the base. The solution is for the runner to stay there unless she is sure she is out. Additionally, THAT'S WHAT BASE COACHES ARE FOR. It isn't our job to tell the players what to do. It's the coaches job.