Safe or Out? You make the call!

Andy1265 wrote in post #5888617
Prolly a "I should know better" question, but when shooting through the fence, did you have to remove the hood?

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Andy:

A big NO to that question as the hood protects the lens from the fence. I actually place the hood right against the fence so as to get it just the right spot to avoid any interference from the links, which is minimal anyway because of the focal length. The only time I seem to notice an issue is when there is harsh sun reflecting on the links I am shooting through, otherwise I have good success doing this. Of course I'd much rather be on the other side of the fence but in the spot I was shooting these images from, there was maybe 10 feet if that between the foul line and fence so it was not possible.

Cheers!

Chris

Andy1265 wrote in post #5888617
I looked at your gallery. NICE! I've been shooting sons little league games but usually find that I get caught up watching the action and forget to take pictures.

Also that is one nice thing in that my son is not playing all star ball this year, so I have no emotional attachment to the games and can stay focused on the action. But I have found myself getting wound up a bit at his hockey games that I shoot, especially when he starts (he is a goalie)!

that's just plain lazy umping right there.

http://www.answerbag.c​om …2c-58cb-ba1d-f200acd54b47

dekalbSTEEL wrote in post #5889114
that's just plain lazy umping right there.

I've had the same ump myself as a coach for a number of games. He usually does bases and he has made some horrible calls, so when I saw him come out for this important league game I cringed a bit. The ironic thing was that he was originally doing bases but on the 4th batter of the game the home plate ump took a foul ball just above his protector on his collar bone (fractured it I think) and he dropped like he had been shot and was on the ground in some serious pain. He left the game as you would expect and this guy came in to do the plate. Ouch!

That is a really nice sequence of shots. This looks like a tie to me..probably shoulda gone to the runner.

Hey guys -

Umps have a hard job, I have 2 older sons, nearly 21, who do alot of umpiring for various leagues. It's a nice thing for them to do, and pick up extra funds, while going through college. It is a tough thing, and I worry about overzealous parents at times for them. At one game, one of my sons got pushed by a parent (he didn't tell me until way after it happened). This particular series of shots just demonstrates how hard it is to make a call. This looks like it could be either way (I agree with poster above re: tie).

BTW - very nice shots to the OP. This is the kind of action shot that has eluded me.

Pat

pigtailpat wrote in post #5891013
Hey guys -

BTW - very nice shots to the OP. This is the kind of action shot that has eluded me.

Pat

Pat:

Thanks! I am not sure if you play(ed) or coach the game, but I have and still do in some way, shape or form since I was a kid (a distant memory it seems!) and I find this helps immensely in anticipating the play and what might occur, and then being able to get the lens there, grab focus, and snap away. Sometimes I get it, some times I don't! I also have been shooting my son's hockey games and I find that player/coach experience helps even more when shooting that sport.

Cheers!

Chris

If the ump called it out he should have had a bottle thrown at him.
From what I see the runner is not just closer than the ball but much closer.
If anything it would have been a tie and that goes to the runner.
Also an error on the part of the runner, why sliding on a forced play, should have stayed standing and plowed through the catcher as its obvious the catcher is blocking the plate.
I coach little league and that is one of the hardest things to break the kids from doing is wanting to slide. In this case had he stayed upright there would have been no question as he is obviously bigger than the catcher and would not have lost momentum from the slide.

Justin_Thyme wrote in post #5895352
If the ump called it out he should have had a bottle thrown at him.
From what I see the runner is not just closer than the ball but much closer.
If anything it would have been a tie and that goes to the runner.
Also an error on the part of the runner, why sliding on a forced play, should have stayed standing and plowed through the catcher as its obvious the catcher is blocking the plate.
I coach little league and that is one of the hardest things to break the kids from doing is wanting to slide. In this case had he stayed upright there would have been no question as he is obviously bigger than the catcher and would not have lost momentum from the slide.

Justin:

Yes, possible in major leagues, but at this age group (12-13) Baseball Canada and our local associations have a "Slide or Avoid" rule where a runner only has two options, slide (and they can't slide head first either) or do something to avoid the tag. You can not barrel the catcher over and it is designed to prevent injury. In fact if the runner had done that, the ump has the discretion to toss him from the game. At the higher levels of ball this is a possibility, but not here. Yes, it goes against what you ultimately want to do in some plate situations, but for this level the aim is to prevent injury.

and if you look closely the catcher's foot is only on the plate and he is stretching toward the infield to make the catch, so the runner had pretty much full access to the plate. It was a bad call though! (IMHO too).

safe

Justin_Thyme wrote in post #5895352
If the ump called it out he should have had a bottle thrown at him.
From what I see the runner is not just closer than the ball but much closer.
If anything it would have been a tie and that goes to the runner.
Also an error on the part of the runner, why sliding on a forced play, should have stayed standing and plowed through the catcher as its obvious the catcher is blocking the plate.
I coach little league and that is one of the hardest things to break the kids from doing is wanting to slide. In this case had he stayed upright there would have been no question as he is obviously bigger than the catcher and would not have lost momentum from the slide.

I don't see anything obvious that the catcher is blocking the plate. Looks to me like it's pretty open. Catchers' left leg could be well in front of the angle of the sliding runner. Secondly, MANY MANY U.S. little league divisions have a mandatory slide rule.

First, nice shots!!

I have a friend, whose son (presently in college) used to ump little league. It's not easy, and he said it took him a while to get really good at making these calls. Eventually, he gained enough experience to do it correctly. You do NOT need to see the ball initially; you listen for the POP as it stikes the glove. Instead, you focus on the bag to make sure the bag is properly covered and to be able to catch the moment the base-runners foot touches the bag. Last, (and you are allowed to delay the call) you check to ensure the ball wasn't dropped. If the POP occurs first, the runner is out. If the foot touches the bag first, the runner is safe.

BTW, while the ball is further away in the first pic, even young players throw a baseball with much greater velocity than even an Olympic sprinter can run on foot.

Regardless, great pics, and this was a tough call!!

The kid is............... SAFE!
Nice shots.

Safe,, !