This was clunky...

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by shagpal

Why make the call, then go for help unrequested?

You will be asking either way, but asking after suggests you are willing to make up calls before making the call.

Because if you ask before, and remember, the PU is not your personal back-up, and s/he cannot provide help, you have no choice, but to rule the runner safe even though s/he may have been out by steps. If you didn't call the out, you obviously did not see anything to make you believe the runner out.

If you aren't going to make the call, why not just give up the call all together?

And, BTW, while you are checking with your partner on this, who is watching the other runners and defenders still playing the game? In my experience, the players and coaches want a call because they need it to do their job.

Other than those with the ancient baseball mentality who still believe that once an umpire makes a call, even God cannot change it, why would anyone have a problem in getting a ruling correct based on the facts and rule book? And I'm talking about umpires as much as coaches and players. Once knew an umpire who would turn back any game for which he was assigned a partner, actually two of them and both with the same reasoning. Neither wanted to have to worry about having a partner to which the teams could ask them to go to for help. Or as one idiot umpire put it, "I don't want anyone appealing my calls."