Tenn v. Bama

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Don't like it and have never done it, but know of UICs that instruct (not optional) BU to "go out on everything that is not in front of you". I think it is absolutely absurd, but it happens with some UICs of any type of softball game.

Why do you consider it absurd?

Here's why I prefer to chase everything: It establishes a routine. Any fly ball that goes out, I know I need to make the call. If I don't make it a habit, that's when I go in and make my PU partner call a trouble ball that I really should have taken responsibility for.

Yes, I know all about Pause, Read, and React. But let's face it, even the best umpires sometimes React before they Pause and Read (how often have we seen MLB umpires make the dreaded "OUT...NO, SAFE!" call?) Stuff happens.

I've also heard the arguments that it makes zero sense to chase cans of corn. Perhaps. But those cans of corn can quickly turn to crap when the fielder suddenly raises his/her arms because he/she lost the ball in the sun, or he/she simply initially muffs it, and he/she adjusts at the last second to turn the ordinary into extraordinary. Ya just never know.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Manny A

I've also heard the arguments that it makes zero sense to chase cans of corn. Perhaps. But those cans of corn can quickly turn to crap when the fielder suddenly raises his/her arms because he/she lost the ball in the sun, or he/she simply initially muffs it, and he/she adjusts at the last second to turn the ordinary into extraordinary. Ya just never know.

Fair enough, but consider this.

Is 1 umpire covering 4 bases better or worse than 2?
Are 2 umpires covering 4 bases better or worse than 3?

Depending on whether you started with 2 or 3 umpires - every time you go out on a can of corn, you've diminished your crew for the rest of that play.

So ask yourself ... what is the percentage of those cans of corn that you're going out on that turn into "something extraordinary"? 1%? Probably less if you're honest. The question then becomes - is it worth diminishing your crew 99% of the time so that you can briefly have better coverage on the 1%?

[Andy]

I am an advocate of chasing all fly balls in three umpire in ASA and HS play where the umpires are not accustomed to working in a three umpire system on a regular basis.

For umpires at the NCAA level who work 30-40 games a year in the 3 umpire system, only chasing trouble balls makes sense due to the fact that they have more experience in reading the hit and making a quicker decision to chase or not.

Yes, it is better to have three umpires covering 4 bases, but umpires frozen because of hesitation on a fly ball don't do any good either. Since most umpires are more instinctual in the two umpire system, chasing every fly ball is a better option. JMHO....

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Andy

I am an advocate of chasing all fly balls in three umpire in ASA and HS play where the umpires are not accustomed to working in a three umpire system on a regular basis.

For umpires at the NCAA level who work 30-40 games a year in the 3 umpire system, only chasing trouble balls makes sense due to the fact that they have more experience in reading the hit and making a quicker decision to chase or not.

Yes, it is better to have three umpires covering 4 bases, but umpires frozen because of hesitation on a fly ball don't do any good either. Since most umpires are more instinctual in the two umpire system, chasing every fly ball is a better option. JMHO....

You just saved me a heap o' typing. I was thinking these same thoughts as I read along.

[Steve M]

Many of the Fed umpires around here also do baseball.
In that game, from A, they chase. We've not gotten into chasing from other starting positions. I've done so much prodding at our high school meetings over the past several years that some are now starting to chase from A in softball. I've harped on using the same chase criteria:
a ball to the wall
a ball on the line
a fielder charging in
a fielder charging out
multiple fielders coming together

As we move into 4-man games (no 3-man) high school games here, umpires are more prepared to chase - recognizing trouble balls.

[Chess Ref]

Originally Posted by Andy

I am an advocate of chasing all fly balls in three umpire in ASA and HS play where the umpires are not accustomed to working in a three umpire system on a regular basis.

For umpires at the NCAA level who work 30-40 games a year in the 3 umpire system, only chasing trouble balls makes sense due to the fact that they have more experience in reading the hit and making a quicker decision to chase or not.

Yes, it is better to have three umpires covering 4 bases, but umpires frozen because of hesitation on a fly ball don't do any good either. Since most umpires are more instinctual in the two umpire system, chasing every fly ball is a better option. JMHO....

In our area, not counting the DI umps, we all work 2 man.

The sectional championship games are 3 man system.

So the vast majority of us have very minimal experience in 3 man.

We go out on all fly balls. Sometimes it looks silly, but it works, so we continue doing it.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Manny A

Why do you consider it absurd?

Here's why I prefer to chase everything: It establishes a routine. Any fly ball that goes out, I know I need to make the call. If I don't make it a habit, that's when I go in and make my PU partner call a trouble ball that I really should have taken responsibility for.

Yes, I know all about Pause, Read, and React. But let's face it, even the best umpires sometimes React before they Pause and Read (how often have we seen MLB umpires make the dreaded "OUT...NO, SAFE!" call?) Stuff happens.

I've also heard the arguments that it makes zero sense to chase cans of corn. Perhaps. But those cans of corn can quickly turn to crap when the fielder suddenly raises his/her arms because he/she lost the ball in the sun, or he/she simply initially muffs it, and he/she adjusts at the last second to turn the ordinary into extraordinary. Ya just never know.

It is absurd because it is not necessary. I've seen umpires "go out" on a ball caught by an infielder that had time to camp simply because they were instructed to go out on any ball not in front of you. Same thing with a line drive leaving the IF at head level. I know where the outfielders are and if they are not going to be in a position to even come close to catching the ball. Why should I pivot, watch the ball hop three times and then have the OF pick it up and throw it in?

A good umpire knows how to handle this. There are UICs that don't trust all their umpires and will give a blanket command that, IMO, at a game at the national level, should never be necessary.

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

It is absurd because it is not necessary. I've seen umpires "go out" on a ball caught by an infielder that had time to camp simply because they were instructed to go out on any ball not in front of you. Same thing with a line drive leaving the IF at head level. I know where the outfielders are and if they are not going to be in a position to even come close to catching the ball. Why should I pivot, watch the ball hop three times and then have the OF pick it up and throw it in?

Well, that's a bit different. I, too, agree that a base umpire has no business chasing under those circumstances.

I was really talking of those catchable fly balls where the umpires may not be that adept at judging if it's going to be trouble or not since, as others have said, they just haven't worked as 3- or 4-man crews for a while. By always chasing, the umpire should be moving right away. If you leave it up to him/her to decide when to/not to chase, the umpire may hesitate while trying to gauge if he/she should go or come into the diamond. And that hesitation suddenly puts him/her out of position to either make a call on the ball, or make a call on a runner in his/her area or responsibility. So he/she is moving instead of being set when the play happens.

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

A good umpire knows how to handle this. There are UICs that don't trust all their umpires and will give a blanket command that, IMO, at a game at the national level, should never be necessary.

At the national level, yeah, you may be blessed with good umpires. But in ASA and NFHS games at the local or even regional/state level, the UIC may not know the abilities of all the umpires he/she is working with. A blanket command is probably a safer bet.

[MD Longhorn]

How about the 7th inning ball U1 chased in the Texas-ASU game - she moved out, got a worse angle, and possibly incorrectly called a fair ball foul, all while PU had a better angle by far on that, and the 3 steps out she took didn't help at all regarding the catch/no catch on a can of corn (that was dropped).

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by MD Longhorn

How about the 7th inning ball U1 chased in the Texas-ASU game - she moved out, got a worse angle, and possibly incorrectly called a fair ball foul, all while PU had a better angle by far on that, and the 3 steps out she took didn't help at all regarding the catch/no catch on a can of corn (that was dropped).

I really don't know if you call it "going out" or "going away" on this play. I have no idea why an umpire wouldn't start on the line (with the ball near it) and "follow" the player away from the line, if necessary.