Straight Lined at First

[MPLSMatt]

Working a JV game solo.  Lefthanded hitter up, hits a stiff chopper to F6.  I clear the catcher and head to the working area, and turn and come set as soon as R6 begins his throw (I don't get real far because of the speed of the play, probably 2 steps past the dirt).  Throw is high and F3 catches it falling into foul territory, directly away from where I am (in the working area).  His foot comes down a step before the runner gets there.  I point "back on the bag" and bang him.  Everyone in the park seems surprised.  Defensive team is snickering a bit.  OHC (who was coaching third) wants to talk.

 

OC: How is he out?

 

Me: He came back down on the bag.

 

OC: He was three feet behind the bag, how can you not see that.

 

Me: Josh, I'm working alone out here and I have to call what I see.

 

OC: You have to get out here (pointing at or past the mound) so that you can see that.

 

Me: I got as far out as I could.

 

OC: You have to get that call right, there is no excuse of that.

 

Me: OK.  (kind of a dumb thing to say, but not sure what else to say - by this point I'm sure he's right and I'm wrong)

 

Coach goes back and we play on.  After I blew this call, my credibility with everyone was shot (coaches, players, fans).  This may have been a situation where I was the only person at the stadium that thought he was out but you can't take it back.  To compound things, I didn't do a very good job of forgetting about it.  My zone went to pot the rest of the night and it was just kind of a long, crappy game.  So I'm looking for a couple of things:

 

1) Anything I can do to not kick this call?  The way he fell I was completely straight lined and I have no idea if he's back on the bag or not.  I tried a lean but that didn't help at all.

 

2) Did I handle the conversation well enough, considering I knew I was wrong?

 

3) How do you recover mentally when you know you've kicked something?

 

Thanks!

[maven]

1. Sometimes you get straightlined. You got your read step, and it gave you nothing. Assuming "three feet" is an exaggeration, it sounds as if you did what you could. Schick happens. 2. You gave the coach the right answer: you have to call what you see, even if that ain't much. If I know the coach isn't a jack-wipe, I might add that everyone in the park prolly had a better look than me. Doesn't change anything. 3. Focus on little things: breathe before the next pitch, get your mechanics right, remind yourself of the count and game situation for each pitch, and ignore the fans. Out of curiosity: how tall are you? maven

[BalkHawk]

1) The biggest thing for me is to be aware that this can and does happen. Expect it. Learn to recognize a situation where this may have happened. Also, especially when working alone, don't be afraid to gather as much information as you can before making your call. It might have looked funny if you took several more steps toward the mound after the play happened, but if you do and you see that F3 is well off the bag, and it changes your judgement of the situation, its worth looking funny; in fact, now it doesn't look funny.

 

2) I have no problem with how you handled the conversation. "Somebody has to make the call skip, I'm working hard out here."

 

3) I can only focus on one play at a time. Any time I try to do more, I screw up more. I would rather not mess up the next play than try to figure out how to fix something that I can't. Anyways, it really is... just a game.

 

[sdix00]

I had a similar play in my first game of the year.   One-man.  No runners. 

B1 bunts hard past F1 and F4 has to come in and field it and F3 has to give up on it and go to the bag. F3 barely gets there and puts his foot on a direct line between me and the bag and fields the throw in time.   I am properly stopped between the mound and foul line, and I call BR out, and the world comes to an end.   

 

1BC flips, dugout flips, the monkeys are climbing the fence.  Crap, I might have missed it.    

 

I remember my first year of umpiring when @Semper taught me to move in to make the call on  those type of plays after seeing the play but before making a call. Specifically, to sell it and to give the illusion that I was much closer to the play. (edit: BalkHawk beat me to it)    Had I done this, I might have seen the "6 inches of dirt between the foot and bag!!!".   

 

 

Anyhoo, had to own that and play the rest of the game, and honestly I probably didn't do much better than you did to recover. 

 

Also, when the coach said 6 inches I almost laughed and imagined something closer to 3 inches since some of these coaches have a distorted perception of what 6 inches looks like. .  .  

[MB_Ump]

There is a reason why everyone says 1 man sucks. One thing I try to do is give myself an extra few seconds to read the play before I make my call. Reading the body language of the runner, defender, and base coach can give you some clues. The play I hate the most is a throw down to third to pick off R3-seems like I never have any time to do anything but stand up-no angle at all.

[sdix00]

I remember when I last called out R3 on a pickoff in one-man.  

 

It was July 23, 1989.   And I got it wrong. 

 

Never again. 

[blue23ll]

Coach, if you don't like this, pay for another umpire. We are done talking.

[NFUA_44]

1) The biggest thing for me is to be aware that this can and does happen. Expect it. Learn to recognize a situation where this may have happened. Also, especially when working alone, don't be afraid to gather as much information as you can before making your call. It might have looked funny if you took several more steps toward the mound after the play happened, but if you do and you see that F3 is well off the bag, and it changes your judgement of the situation, its worth looking funny; in fact, now it doesn't look funny.

 

2) I have no problem with how you handled the conversation. "Somebody has to make the call skip, I'm working hard out here."

 

3) I can only focus on one play at a time. Any time I try to do more, I screw up more. I would rather not mess up the next play than try to figure out how to fix something that I can't. Anyways, it really is... just a game.

 

BalkHawk's #1 above (especially) gives you the best advice.  Nothing looks funny when you get it right, it might be ugly for umpiring standards but everyone there watching is gonna see you as working hard in tough circumstances.

 

There isn't much more to do with the conversation, I'd say you did fine, I might follow it with "I will keep working hard for you skip".  At that point head back to the plate get set and do exactly that.  Work hard, or even harder.  You may loose focus or be distracted but break it down to each pitch if necessary and focus on getting some little wins back under your belt.

[Aging_Arbiter]

1) The biggest thing for me is to be aware that this can and does happen. Expect it. Learn to recognize a situation where this may have happened. Also, especially when working alone, don't be afraid to gather as much information as you can before making your call. It might have looked funny if you took several more steps toward the mound after the play happened, but if you do and you see that F3 is well off the bag, and it changes your judgement of the situation, its worth looking funny; in fact, now it doesn't look funny.

 

2) I have no problem with how you handled the conversation. "Somebody has to make the call skip, I'm working hard out here."

 

3) I can only focus on one play at a time. Any time I try to do more, I screw up more. I would rather not mess up the next play than try to figure out how to fix something that I can't. Anyways, it really is... just a game.

 

 

I heard once that this is just a game...............and that the grand canyon is just a hole in Arizona.

 

 

Matt - You did what you could in a bad environment (one man).  I'm glad you're willing to take any & all suggestions, but you have to find what works for you at the time.  We each have our own ways of dealing with what just happend and moving on.  As long as you are willing to use this as a learning experience (which you have shown by asking for help), you're less apt to make that same mistake again.  PLAY ON!

[jkumpire]

Coach, if you don't like this, pay for another umpire. We are done talking.

 

+1 here! and if the coach gets mean or continues dump him without a 2nd thought, especially if he's the Home team coach. 

[coachump4]

Pretty simple for me if I am doing a one man crew I am not calling from behind the plate I will call from behind the pitchers mound and inform coaches I am not listening to complaints I am doing it alone and if you want a better called game you better dish out the money for a second umpire.

[scrounge]

Pretty simple for me if I am doing a one man crew I am not calling from behind the plate I will call from behind the pitchers mound and inform coaches I am not listening to complaints I am doing it alone and if you want a better called game you better dish out the money for a second umpire.

 

 

here we go again

[MPLSMatt]

Around here, all games through JV are one man and I've never seen or heard of anyone calling from behind the mound.  The fact that one man sucks and that you may be better from behind the mound are fin philosophical conversations, but if you want to work your way through here you'll do one man and do it from behind the dish. 

[coachump4]

Around here, all games through JV are one man and I've never seen or heard of anyone calling from behind the mound.  The fact that one man sucks and that you may be better from behind the mound are fin philosophical conversations, but if you want to work your way through here you'll do one man and do it from behind the dish. 

where do you call at?  In WV there is noone telling us where we must call a one man game from.  We usually never do one but on rare occasions that it happens it is up to the individual.  Actually I can make better judgements on bang plays  when doing it from the mound during a one man crew.

[BalkHawk]

JEFF!!!

[Mike Prince]

 

Around here, all games through JV are one man and I've never seen or heard of anyone calling from behind the mound.  The fact that one man sucks and that you may be better from behind the mound are fin philosophical conversations, but if you want to work your way through here you'll do one man and do it from behind the dish. 

where do you call at?

 

 

Only one place to call balls and strikes...

 

(in before the thread lock)

[NFUA_44]

JEFF!!!

HURRY!!!!

Must resist the demons in my head!

[Richvee]

Pretty simple for me if I am doing a one man crew I am not calling from behind the plate I will call from behind the pitchers mound and inform coaches I am not listening to complaints I am doing it alone and if you want a better called game you better dish out the money for a second umpire.

yep...and some of the most important calls, like fair/foul, are so easy from there.     

[Richvee]

 The play I hate the most is a throw down to third to pick off R3-seems like I never have any time to do anything but stand up-no angle at all.

+1.  Amen brother. Had one Sunday. Called the runner safe. The whole park except for me, F2, and the batter knew his head first slide came up short.  

[coachump4]

 

Pretty simple for me if I am doing a one man crew I am not calling from behind the plate I will call from behind the pitchers mound and inform coaches I am not listening to complaints I am doing it alone and if you want a better called game you better dish out the money for a second umpire.

yep...and some of the most important calls, like fair/foul, are so easy from there.     

 

Only time we ever call a one man crew is in a middle school or jv game.

[Mike Prince]

 

 

Pretty simple for me if I am doing a one man crew I am not calling from behind the plate I will call from behind the pitchers mound and inform coaches I am not listening to complaints I am doing it alone and if you want a better called game you better dish out the money for a second umpire.

yep...and some of the most important calls, like fair/foul, are so easy from there.     

 

Only time we ever call a one man crew is in a middle school or jv game.

 

 

Unfortunately that doesn't make the calls any less important!

[coachump4]

 

 

 

Pretty simple for me if I am doing a one man crew I am not calling from behind the plate I will call from behind the pitchers mound and inform coaches I am not listening to complaints I am doing it alone and if you want a better called game you better dish out the money for a second umpire.

yep...and some of the most important calls, like fair/foul, are so easy from there.     

 

Only time we ever call a one man crew is in a middle school or jv game.

 

 

Unfortunately that doesn't make the calls any less important!

 

That maybe true but the majority in our board would rather get the calls right on the bases and do our best to hustle over to get the foul/fair right then miss tags from steals and bangers from being behind the plate.

[scrounge]

 

That maybe true but the majority in our board would rather get the calls right on the bases and do our best to hustle over to get the foul/fair right then miss tags from steals and bangers from being behind the plate.

 

 

If you hustle - and maybe the old guys on the board can't or won't - and run out from the behind the plate, you'll be about the same distance to 1B as you are from C, so I'm just not buying the banger argument. Not great for pickoffs but I'm not banging them out unless I'm sure from B/C either so not a material change either. The only real weak spot is steals at 2B. But I'll gladly trade that off for a better view of the fair/foul lines AND how on earth can you call a close play from behind the mound for a play at home? Grounder to F6 and he throws home? You've got no chance from B/C. Hot line drive just inside the fair/foul line? No chance. You mean you'd rather blow those just to get a better view of a steal at 2nd?

 

Bad cost-benefit trade to me.

[coachump4]

 

 

That maybe true but the majority in our board would rather get the calls right on the bases and do our best to hustle over to get the foul/fair right then miss tags from steals and bangers from being behind the plate.

 

 

If you hustle - and maybe the old guys on the board can't or won't - and run out from the behind the plate, you'll be about the same distance to 1B as you are from C, so I'm just not buying the banger argument. Not great for pickoffs but I'm not banging them out unless I'm sure from B/C either so not a material change either. The only real weak spot is steals at 2B. But I'll gladly trade that off for a better view of the fair/foul lines AND how on earth can you call a close play from behind the mound for a play at home? Grounder to F6 and he throws home? You've got no chance from B/C. Hot line drive just inside the fair/foul line? No chance. You mean you'd rather blow those just to get a better view of a steal at 2nd?

 

Bad cost-benefit trade to me.

 

not that I would rather blow anything just stating on a jv or a middle school which is not taken as serious in my area I am not doing a game alone behind the plate.  Much easier behind the mound for me and several others in my board

[MPLSMatt]

coachump4, its honestly fairly common where you are?  I've only heard of it once here and it was because of an injury or equipment issue or something funky.