HankC

Thanks for the great replies ! I'll give a few rejoinders : check-swing appeals : The BU is asked when in the A, B or C , for both lefties and righties . It's better to be in the B/C for a lefty . Bang-bang plays : when we are on the dirt , the runner and F3 merge into one mass of legs . On the grass the runner is approaching from the right and there is better separation of the two players and we dont view the runner's foot through the first baseman's legs . Fair/foul : the PU has all calls down the left field line and the right field line with runners on . Rather than 85% of the time , or 67% or 75% , just make it 100% . The PU also has a better , smaller angle for fair/foul on a dropped running catch attempt . Pulled foot : the PU always has the best angle for a pulled foot and they are definitely watching with no one on . Swipe tags : F3's body is almost always in the way of a swipe tag . not so when BU is on the grass . I've never seen a swipe tag beyond the bag , always on the plate side , where B is . Fair/foul over the bag : PU has the calls at 3rd already . Umpire interference is always a risk , and happens , what , once a season or so ? With no runners on , F4 is less likely to be shading toward 2nd. On every outfield hit , BU uses the play's first 5 seconds running inside with our back to the runner and often to the ball . All in all , we spend two-thirds or three-quarters of the game on the grass . Lets make it 100% .

The A position provides no increase to better umpiring . it leads to unnecessary ' if-then ' scenarios for the PU such as fair-foul calls when the BU is in the A ( or not ) and the call on grounders down the line and over the bag . The B spot is much better for angle for all bang-bang plays at first . on every hit to the outfield , the BU in the A runs toward the B spot while ensuring the BR touches first and is not obstructed . we should start in the B spot and get rid of the A .

gotcha . thanks for helping

base loaded triple and the hitter is out of the baseline trying to stretch it to home . nfhs rule 8-4-2 ( penalty ) says runners return to base at the time of the pitch .

if you have to tell whether the ball is touched within . say , a foot inside or outside the foul line , an engineer might say that the angle , and the error , is smaller from a distance than up close .

when the catcher sets up way outside , i extend my arm with the palm centered on their back as a signal to the coaches .

i like the ' "PU has all fly balls" mentality ' . The PU always has the left field line so may as well take the right field line *all the time* as we do with runners on anyway . i view a ' trouble ball ' as a catch/nocatch situation rather than fair/foul . its difficult to judge a running catch near the line as fair/foul when you're out .

i dont think that much ; if it crosses the plate in the strike zone - its a strike .

in nfhs 2-ump mechanics , u1 watches the runner round 1st and moves inside the diamond for a possible play at 2nd . in 3-ump , u1 watches the tag and then rotates home , pu moves toward 3rd and u3 moves to 2nd - why such a cacophony of motion ? do we need our legs stretched ? it makes more sense to have u1 follow the runner to 2nd and pu and u3 stay put .

what is the philosophy , or need , for signalling a foul tip ? the batter swung , the catcher caught , the ball is live . why a special signal ?