Thanks!

[gdpmumin]

I'm a new umpire this year. Last night I was BU for a Dixie Youth Majors game and the PU I worked with couldn't have been a better partner. The game was a great game. Couple of close plays. Mechanically, I didn't get everything right, but I'm getting better because of guys like the one I worked with last. He was willing to say, "In that situation, what you want to do is..." He was kind and helpful. In fact, on one call, I thought I had hung him out to dry by deferring to him and he said, "Nope. You were blocked out, no way you could have seen it. You knew I would have seen it. You did the right thing."

I've worked with another PU who is so used to calling games by himself he basically pretended I wasn't even on the field. Well, that is until a lightning delay, and he comes out to restart the game without his mask. We only have time for a few pitches after the restart before the skies opened up and we have to suspend the game. Then he gets on to me for letting him drop behind the plate without a mask. Maybe I should have noticed that, but how about a little help on what you see I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong?

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks to the experienced umpires who take time to help us new guys learn the ropes.:clap:

[JaxRolo]

I did a game without Leg Guards once.

But to get behind the plate without a mask? How is that possible!!! :shakehead:

[yawetag]

I thought I had hung him out to dry by deferring to him and he said, "Nope. You were blocked out, no way you could have seen it. You knew I would have seen it. You did the right thing."

What was the situation for you to get blocked out? Why did you "defer" to your partner, and what steps did you take? What could you have done to prevent being blocked out? Were you in the right spot initially? If so, what could you have done to get a better secondary spot when you found the primary wasn't going to work?

Answering those questions will lead you to not missing the call next time.

[gdpmumin]

I thought I had hung him out to dry by deferring to him and he said, "Nope. You were blocked out, no way you could have seen it. You knew I would have seen it. You did the right thing."

What was the situation for you to get blocked out? Why did you "defer" to your partner, and what steps did you take? What could you have done to prevent being blocked out? Were you in the right spot initially? If so, what could you have done to get a better secondary spot when you found the primary wasn't going to work?

Answering those questions will lead you to not missing the call next time.

Those are excellent questions, yawetag. The situation was a very close play at third. I had been in C (Dixie Youth base umps start "outside") and busted in. R2 had rounded third, stopped, and tried to get back to third. R2 slid and because the throw was a little off and took extra time, F6 slid, too, to try get the tag. F6 completely blocked me out. I couldn't see the ball and could only see a little part of the back side of the bag. PU had come up the line and I simply pointed to him. He made the call. The only other position I could have been in to see this play properly would have been in foul territory. I would have never made it and as far as I know there's not a mechanic for getting there. I've thought since then that getting closer to the bag might have helped, but then there would have been a big risk of umpire interference.

I need to clarify with him (we have two games together on Tuesday). Something he said in post-game made me think it might have been his call to begin with. The way he was talking, it seemed like he would take all calls at home and third if there were runners on (except third base calls involving BR). I would take BR all the way to third and hand him off. Now, he may have also said that in pre-game and I didn't pick up on it. I don't think he did, and those mechanics are slightly different than the ones I've studied. So I need to clarify what it is he wants me to do. You guys may have some advice here, too. As BU, am I responsible for calls at 3B or do I leave those to PU?

At any rate, if it was his call to begin with, he ended up making it anyway. If it was my call, I got blocked out and as far as I can tell, there wasn't a position I could have been in that would have improved my line of sight.

[JaxRolo]

Its hard to tell from your description where the runners are originally before the play happened.

Was it R2 only since you were in "c"?

[gdpmumin]

Its hard to tell from your description where the runners are originally before the play happened.

Was it R2 only since you were in "c"?

Honestly, I can't remember if there was R1. Pretty sure there was, so that would have made R1 and R2 at TOP. Either way, C was the position I was supposed to start in. According to DYB mechanics anyway. Do other systems handle that differently?

[yawetag]

Honestly, I can't remember if there was R1. Pretty sure there was, so that would have made R1 and R2 at TOP. Either way, C was the position I was supposed to start in. According to DYB mechanics anyway. Do other systems handle that differently?

With R2 only or R2/R1, in any mechanics I've used, BU has the play at 3B. I should mention that I've never worked mechanics that required me to be outside, so I can't comment for this.

There's one exception: R1/R2 and fly ball to the outfield, PU has R2 tag-up into 3B.

[mstaylor]

With runnners on first and second the PU has the R2 coming into third on a tagup. He has third on a first to third and a first and third. You should have it the rest of time. The only time that is different is when the PU has a fair/foul on the first baseline.

[gdpmumin]

I think I figured out what my partner was suggesting I do. He was wanting me to drift closer to the mound to be in position for a call at any base. What I was doing without realizing it was drifting closer to 3B, ultimately abandoning any potential play at first. He wasn't asking me not to make the call at 3B (because technically he's required to stay home if there's a runner in scoring position); he was helping me get into a better position for all bases. Once I replayed my actions in my mind and realized I was drifting too far to third, his comments made sense.

He and I work a couple of games together Tuesday, so it'll be another learning experience. My goal is get fewer things wrong each time I take the field.