Double play dispute

[Jimurray]

Okay. I've never heard that one before. Okay, I won't do it. Thanks!

Now you won't have to take that brush with you when you do the bases.

[Texas Manny]

 

Okay. I've never heard that one before. Okay, I won't do it. Thanks!

Now you won't have to take that brush with you when you do the bases.

 

I just brush with my foot. No biggie.

[mstaylor]

I  used to but now I make the players do it. I don't get dirty and I don't have to waste time going to the base and back to my position. I just tell the runner or fielder," Give me the base."

[Texas Manny]

Are we talking about the same thing here? I just gently push the dirt from away from the sides, and softly scuff the top of the base with the bottom of my shoe to brush the dirt off. MST, sounds like you want a Dirt devil out there? LOL...

[Jimurray]

I  used to but now I make the players do it. I don't get dirty and I don't have to waste time going to the base and back to my position. I just tell the runner or fielder," Give me the base."

Other than a pick off, if the base was covered on the last play, it will be covered during the slide on the next play. I don't bother with it.

[mstaylor]

The only base I kick off is first base at the beginning of the inning, and that is superstition. 

[Texas Manny]

How did we go from a disputed double play discussion to how we clean off bases during a ball game? LOL... FWIW, I too as I sprint down the 1st base line, stop and give a couple of swipes on the bag, then I curve in around the rear arch of the infield into right field. Oh the weird things we do. Then I pop some Spearmint Life-Savers in my mouth, and we are all golden for the game! Can't beat good breath on the bases! LOL...

[blue23ll]

I have never cleaned a base, except the plate, in baseball. I will kick one occasionally, but I have never carried a plate brush when doing the bases. In fact, I never did it for the 2 or 3 years I did softball either. Those of you who do clean the bases in baseball, what prompted you to carry your brush? A mentor, or trainer?

[mstaylor]

Nobody in this thread has said to brush bases, only kicking bases. I only do first as the inning begins, the rest of the time I have players do it. Manny also mentioned kicking bases, never ever said anything about brushing them. That is a softball thing, and in softball there is more of a reason for it. Let's get back to the discussion. 

[blue23ll]

Sorry, I wasn't insinuating that anyone was saying to brush bases. I am curious as to how someone even thinks to do that though.

[mstaylor]

It is taught in softball, many that work youth baseball also do baseball. Many times they have no or little training so they see it done in one spot and carries to the other. It is similar to telling a pitcher the outs and base runner situation, lack of training or no access to boards like this. Most that have access to either training or the boards do things like this. The ones that do have access and still continue to do these things just aren't interested in improving. 

[UMP45]

Guys I didn't mean to cause this thread to be derailed. The point I was making was having dirt on a base can help in seeing if the bag is touched or not.

[dumbdumb]

The play in question brings into the problem with 2 steps fair concerning a player just barely brushing up against the back of the bag (not on top) such as Mr. Hallion's view  a couple days ago, or now this in front of the bag from the OP. The 45% angle might get a better shot or even down further like a play from the catcher would have caught this front side scrape. However, with the 45% if the pitcher scrapes the side towards the infield or the side towards the coaches box (not the top of the bag in any way), it has a good chance of being missed but would get caught in the 2 steps fair. There are always pluses and minuses to any positioning based on how the play develops and the percentages of which type of play happens most often, to develop umpire mechanics and positioning based on the best coverage overall to get the most plays correct. Once one has determined how the play looks like it is going to develop and gets to the position for that play, it is very hard to readjust if the play somehow ends up developing another way. Taking an extra step and lean one way or the other can help and usually gets the job done just like on a swipe tag, but sometimes that is just not enough. There is only so much one can do when the plays do not come through as everyone felt they would. You just got to umpire and do the best you can and suck it up.

[mstaylor]

The play in question brings into the problem with 2 steps fair concerning a player just barely brushing up against the back of the bag (not on top) such as Mr. Hallion's view  a couple days ago, or now this in front of the bag from the OP. The 45% angle might get a better shot or even down further like a play from the catcher would have caught this front side scrape. However, with the 45% if the pitcher scrapes the side towards the infield or the side towards the coaches box (not the top of the bag in any way), it has a good chance of being missed but would get caught in the 2 steps fair. There are always pluses and minuses to any positioning based on how the play develops and the percentages of which type of play happens most often, to develop umpire mechanics and positioning based on the best coverage overall to get the most plays correct. Once one has determined how the play looks like it is going to develop and gets to the position for that play, it is very hard to readjust if the play somehow ends up developing another way. Taking an extra step and lean one way or the other can help and usually gets the job done just like on a swipe tag, but sometimes that is just not enough. There is only so much one can do when the plays do not come through as everyone felt they would. You just got to umpire and do the best you can and suck it up.

This is axactly why I explain why we teach the angles we do. They are based on the most likely thing to have happen but then because you know the angle you need, when it goes south you know how to adjust. 

[Texas Manny]

 

The play in question brings into the problem with 2 steps fair concerning a player just barely brushing up against the back of the bag (not on top) such as Mr. Hallion's view  a couple days ago, or now this in front of the bag from the OP. The 45% angle might get a better shot or even down further like a play from the catcher would have caught this front side scrape. However, with the 45% if the pitcher scrapes the side towards the infield or the side towards the coaches box (not the top of the bag in any way), it has a good chance of being missed but would get caught in the 2 steps fair. There are always pluses and minuses to any positioning based on how the play develops and the percentages of which type of play happens most often, to develop umpire mechanics and positioning based on the best coverage overall to get the most plays correct. Once one has determined how the play looks like it is going to develop and gets to the position for that play, it is very hard to readjust if the play somehow ends up developing another way. Taking an extra step and lean one way or the other can help and usually gets the job done just like on a swipe tag, but sometimes that is just not enough. There is only so much one can do when the plays do not come through as everyone felt they would. You just got to umpire and do the best you can and suck it up.

This is axactly why I explain why we teach the angles we do. They are based on the most likely thing to have happen but then because you know the angle you need, when it goes south you know how to adjust. 

 

Just make sure that when you use your plate brush, you use the maximum angle to get all the dirt in as least amount of cleaning strokes as possible. Especially on the bases!

[Umpire in Chief]

You can see the bag move and you can see the dirt get jossled off it even in the first view.

 

Plus on the field you can probably hear F3 yell to F4 /F6 "tag him" or something to indicate the touch. (unless you think he's lying. lol )

 

That's what I'm betting he saw to make the out call. I doubt he could definitively see the touch.

 

[blue23ll]

Next season I am going to wear a back pack vacuum for the bases. That way when the coaches yell, "YOU SUCK", they will be right.