My 2015 Umpiring Resolutions

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by teebob21

You are 100% accurate. Willie Newman was my evaluator at a camp here in Phoenix this fall. He might emphasize ball status a lot more than some other people, but he was right: I was taking my eyes (and mind) out of a potentially live situation. In a lot of years of umpiring, no one had ever pointed that out as clearly as he did. Something to work on...

Without regards to my belief this shouldn't be a live ball anyway. I have a question. I've seen many FP umpires get lazy on this point, and then I've seen others exaggerate the point of standing frozen and stare at the pitcher with the ball until the partner moves into position for the next play.

On the occasions that I've worked FP games, I never seemed to have a problem negotiating movement to the next position and still keeping the ball in my range of vision. So the question as it relates to this is, is the emphasis on each umpire keeping an eye on the ball, or partners working together to insure one is always watching the pitcher with the ball?

BTW, is isn't a matter of a ball which could "become" live since that isn't possible without the PU indicating it as such.