Straight Lined at First

[BalkHawk]

 

 

 

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.

 

 

putting the wagon before the horse.

[Mike Prince]

 

 

 

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

 

 

I don't even call little kids' Saturday morning machine pitch games from behind the mound - and I take those games every bit as seriously as a prime Friday night HS V game under the lights.  We should be out there to give our best every game (and for the whole game) regardless of the level of play.  If a game isn't "taken as serious", why accept the assignment?

[mstaylor]

This is a much discussed topic, the general concenses is to call from the plate. The only call you can see better is a steal at second. The working area in front of the mound gives you about the and distance and a better angle. It gives a much better strike zone and fair/ foul calls. Of your area calls from the mound then do it but you take the limitations of one man and magnify it expodentially.

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[HeadHunterLA]

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!

I have been working a number of one man games this year and bottom line is you can't get an angle on every play, you do the best you can and hope that you get the close ones right.  Timing is really key, let the play finish and see how players and coaches start to react, might be able to get a clue or two as to what happened.  But you have to let it go, don't let one call at 1B ruin the rest of the game, take control, sell the close ones and you will be fine.