Not a FUN moment

[24sdad]

HS varsity yesterday between two pretty good teams. Competitive time around here as teams are fighting for playoff spots. I have the plate.

Fourth or fifth inning, everything is going just dandy, not a peep from anyone for either me or my partner.

Bases loaded and no outs. Partner is in C. Batter hits a chopper up third base line and everyone is moving. I move to just outside the RH batter's box on the 3rd base line for fair/foul. As R3 is approaching, I see F5 glove the ball just inside the line and point it fair just as R3 blocks my view of F5.

Still facing third, I drop step a couple steps into foul territory as the throw from F5 is now coming home. Moving into position, I see F2 has his foot on the plate and receives the throw inside. Beats R3 by a couple steps. I watch R3 for any INF/FPSR violations. R3 crosses the plate standing up and F2 moves into the infield and does not throw to any other base. i call R3 out.

Now, the wind was blowing pretty hard out to right field. Most things said from any distance you could hardly make out. But I did hear both dugouts yelling. The defensive dugout was yelling at F2 "you got to tag him!" The offensive dugout was yelling at me, "he's got to tag him!"

Oh crap.

Tag him? I knew bases were loaded as we had just communicated IFF. Then it hit me. I look at my partner and ask him if he had a force of R2 at third? He says he did. Attempting to muster as much dignity as I could, I then say R3 is safe. Just one comment from defensive team dugout's, "he's gotta see that." Don't know if he was referring to me or F2, but he is correct, I do need to see that.

I don't like mistakes (even one's that are easily fixable).

Post game - partner said F5 caught the ball right next to bag and stepped on it as he was throwing. Partner said he did announce and signal out. He even admitted there was no way I was going to hear him with the wind, and I didn't.

Looking back at it, I am trying to find something I could have done different. I needed to be on the line for fair/foul. Once that was called, I needed to vacate the line for a good position for the play at the plate. I am trying to visualize an opportunity to maybe "look around" approaching R3 so I never lost view of F5, but it happened so quick I do not believe I had that chance. I probably did though. It was not partner's fault with not being loud enough. Probably my fault with a little too much tunnel vision and not seeing him from C making the out call.

F2 and I both had a brief laugh about it as we both said we were blocked by R3. I said I felt stupid for missing the tag of third, he said "at least you won't have to run foul poles after the game like I will" for missing it.

Any comments/advice are welcome.

[umpcoachfather]

You fixed it. But in plays like that he needs to be loud on the out call, regardless of wind. Just like watching for tag ups and not hearing the call from your partner.

[carolinablue]

I don't know, it was a super moon lately. Maybe it was just one of those plays where unknown forces lined up against you. I had a play a couple of weeks ago where it was windy and had a borderline IFF situation and I didn't call it but my partner did but I didn't hear him due to the wind. Ball was not caught and I called an R2 out at third on a force . Had to change the call to safe at third and BR out. Everyone understood what happened and no problem at all. You feel bad on plays like this but at least you could easily fix it and also have a legitimate reason for what happened.

[scrounge]

Eh, I wouldn't sweat this one at all...you were watching what you were supposed to watch, the force at 3 wasn't your call, and conditions got in the way of hearing the out call. If you spent too much time looking at your partner to see if there's an out call, you might have missed a play at the plate. It happens.

[johnnyg08]

Remember coaches will always have advice for you on what you "gotta" see. Here's my advice: you gotta see what you're trained to see, not what some untrained body in the dugout or stands tells you what you gotta see.

[grayhawk]

Remember coaches will always have advice for you on what you "gotta" see. Here's my advice: you gotta see what you're trained to see, not what some untrained body in the dugout or stands tells you what you gotta see.

Agreed. What the folks in the dugouts and bleachers don't understand is all the things that we are obliged to think about that may or may not happen on a particular play. They see F5 field the batted ball and step on third without having to make a judgment on fair/foul and without having to get into position for a play at the plate or to see the touch at home if F5 throws to first. Oh, and if it does get thrown to first, we have to see a possible swipe tag or pulled foot (if we have time) and a possible overthrow, ball thrown out of play, etc. Not that you are thinking of all that at once, but they are all possibilities on that play. Oh yeah, and sometimes players get in the way when we are in the best position to make a call. In other words, coaches and fans can when it comes to what I "gotta see."

[boyinr]

I am not in any way second guessing or monday morning QB-ing this and I I am posting this to spur discussion and learn.

Would it have been better to go to 3BLE?

I say this as I had a similar play on a chopper down the line The R3 arrived in the home plate circle about the same time that F5 was touching the ball. Toss F2 into the mix and it was not as smooth as I would have liked. I tried to get my head on the line but I almost punched R3 pointing it fair. I was definately in the way of the play if one had been made. The only thing that I could come up with that would have helped is to go 3BLE That way I would have had decent look down the line and the possible play at the plate without being too involved.

[TNCoach]

I always tell umpires that I have never had before that our field is special. They always ask what makes it special. I tell them that no matter where I am on the field, I can see the call better than they can... That always gets a laugh.

[24sdad]

I am not in any way second guessing or monday morning QB-ing this and I I am posting this to spur discussion and learn.

Would it have been better to go to 3BLE?

I say this as I had a similar play on a chopper down the line The R3 arrived in the home plate circle about the same time that F5 was touching the ball. Toss F2 into the mix and it was not as smooth as I would have liked. I tried to get my head on the line but I almost punched R3 pointing it fair. I was definately in the way of the play if one had been made. The only thing that I could come up with that would have helped is to go 3BLE That way I would have had decent look down the line and the possible play at the plate without being too involved.

boyinr, second guess away...that is why I put my screw up out there so I can see if there is a better mechanic than what I used.