Stealing with no base

[GIMNEPIWO]

Then the Blues on hand made the correct call. BR safe at 2nd. And that is what I thought the call should be. Of course the defensive crowd disagreed! In closing let me ask. Given UmpSteve's comment allowing play to continue. "SHOULD" BU have called time when R1 picked up the base that popped out? Thanks for the comments.

No ... not unless she interfered with F4 & F6's ability to make a play on the batter runner who was swiping second, which given your OP, she did not ... But, if she had interfered, the ball would be dead, runner closest to home would be declared out, all other ( if any ) runners must return to the last base legally touched at the time of the interference ...

[softballdadcoach]

Just to satisfy my morbid curiosity--if the girl stealing 2B was noticed and a defensive player got there in time and the ball was thrown in time for a play, how does an umpire make a call on a defensive tag versus the runner reaching the aforementioned missing 'base'? In other words, where or what would the runner have to have been touching ahead of the tag to be declared 'safe'? Is this nothing more than a judgement call?

Seems like an umpire on that play would be in a no-win situation where there is really nothing concrete to back-up the call...?

[ajaywill]

Just to satisfy my morbid curiosity--if the girl stealing 2B was noticed and a defensive player got there in time and the ball was thrown in time for a play, how does an umpire make a call on a defensive tag versus the runner reaching the aforementioned missing 'base'? In other words, where or what would the runner have to have been touching ahead of the tag to be declared 'safe'? Is this nothing more than a judgement call?
Seems like an umpire on that play would be in a no-win situation where there is really nothing concrete to back-up the call...?

Correct

[HugoTafurst]

(Snip)
Seems like an umpire on that play would be in a no-win situation where there is really nothing concrete to back-up the call...?
(Snip)

Not quite... any umpire who knows what he or she is doing is in a "can't lose" situation.
Discussion (if any) ends when ever the umpire's patience wears out.

[softballdadcoach]

(Snip)
Seems like an umpire on that play would be in a no-win situation where there is really nothing concrete to back-up the call...?
(Snip)

Not quite... any umpire who knows what he or she is doing is in a "can't lose" situation.
Discussion (if any) ends when ever the umpire's patience wears out.

Hugo, I understand your humor, but I can only imagine the discussion something like "How do you know she was safe/out since there was no base to compare with the time the tag was applied?" I wouldn't want to have to make that call and then justify it to the OC and/or DC...

[HugoTafurst]

(Snip)
Seems like an umpire on that play would be in a no-win situation where there is really nothing concrete to back-up the call...?
(Snip)

Not quite... any umpire who knows what he or she is doing is in a "can't lose" situation.
Discussion (if any) ends when ever the umpire's patience wears out.

Hugo, I understand your humor, but I can only imagine the discussion something like "How do you know she was safe/out since there was no base to compare with the time the tag was applied?" I wouldn't want to have to make that call and then justify it to the OC and/or DC...

Although said understanding the humor..... I meant it.
Bottom line is it's my (the umpire's judgement).
The coach's aren't blind, they saw what happened.
Sure, one of them isn't going to like the call and if he or she is reasonable, I'll let them talk to me about it, but it won't change anything.
My job is to judge that situation, ........ that's it.
It's similar to an obstruction call, isn't it? We have to judge the base the runner would have gotten had there been no obstruction....

I appreciate your sympathy, just pointing out that in the end, there is nothing to get excited about.
I hpe it doesn't happen, but if it does, it won't bother me to make the call, or will it bother me to explain it to an unhappy coach...