Mechnics

First of all, BU should be in B with R1, R3.  Once the ball takes the BU to a play at 1st, the PU is responsible for FPSR/MC violations. He also has to watch R3's touch of the plate and has secondary responsibilities for a swipe tag/pulled foot at 1st base.

Since I don't speak Umpire, just want to confirm the "B" and "C" positions before I comment.  "B" position behind the pitcher correct?

I know there was a change in NFHS on 1st and 3rd plays from C to B - it came up in discussion with a local HS umpire who told me it was changed some time in the last year or so.  Of course I don't think there is a requirement for local associations to follow the mechanics exactly.

I was taught PU has the interference call responsibility - but the BU has the catch so I guess it could be either depending on the timing.

Either umpire can call it.  However, before the BU turns with the ball (if he does at all), he is going to be looking right at the play from 15 feet away.  There would have to be a felony at 2nd base for me (as PU) to call something before the BU takes his attention elsewhere.

B and C are both behind the pitcher.  Draw a tangent from the plate through the edge of the mound (both sides).  The B position is on the tangent on the 1st base side, about halfway between the rubber and 2nd base.  The C is the same position on the other side.

With any runner(s), the BU is in the B position any time there is a potential steal of 2nd base (R1 only, or R1, R3).  All other times, he is in C (there are certain 2-out exceptions where BU moves from C to B). With no runners, the BU is in the A position - between F3 and the outfield grass (depending on where F3 positions himself), just on the foul side of the line.

This is for 2-man mechanics.

Yea, that was my feeling as well... Unless the slide is way after the throw, I don't see how the BU doesn't make that call. On a full sized field I'm 100 feet away from that play watching for the touch at home, maybe screened by the pitcher... The trainer told me, "It doesn't make much sense to me either, but that's what the books says..."

On positioning; don't you umpires find it easier to call the steal of second from the C position than the B position. In C everything is in front of you; in B you are looking at the runners back...  I just think C makes sense for a tag play at second.

If the throw is offline (and it often is), from B you can get a step and a lean to see a swipe tag away from the base.  From C, you will be straight-lined and it will be a total guess.

Short story long our HC was ejected on this call.  Long story not really relevant to the question at hand.  I wasn't at the game so I'm trying to piece information together from various sources and a couple of things I can't my mind around.

We did appeal the ejection and the state director of officials told me the ump said he was in the C position to which the state director said is the correct position.  C didn't seem like the best place to be after really thinking about it.  

I don't know if the collision was when the play was happening or after the throw to first.  This is truly a had to be there situation.

Thanks for what you were able to help me out with.

Had similar thing happen at BFS jr's game recently, only our coach did not get tossed, though he probably should have.  In our case though the runner clearly slid directly into bag, and ump confirmed such, only he automatically rung up the batter at first even though he was safe.  The runner at first took the SS out with a hard feet first slide, flipping him in the air.  Field ump said the runner had to avoid contact.  I thought the rule stated the runner had three options:  give up, peel off, or slide...but you can't go in standing up.  In this case base runner slides directly into base, however SS did not do his job of getting out of base line during the throw.  Not sure if this is similar to your case.

The best spot is not just B, but deep B. Working a lot of 3-man, I've had the luxury of using it with R1. 

BFS, 

If the runner slides, he has to execute a legal slide.

In your case, even though the runner slid directly into the bag, the slide still would have been illegal if, for example, the runner's raised leg was higher than the fielder's knee or if he did a pop-up slide into the fielder or if he overslid the base and then made contact with the fielder.  

Swampboy:

slide was was hard but lead leg was not high, it was not a pop up slide, and he definitely did not slide past the bag.  Lead sliding leg clipped SS low at his ankles, which took him off his feet.  SS made no attempt to shuffle out of base line, instead he stood directly on 1B side of second attempting to throw.

Why no protest?

Some states don't allow protests.

And its never worth getting thrown out over.

COACHES TODAY DON'T PROTEST ENOUGH!!!

...Seriously, those are two potential answers, but I want to know the reason in this case. I'm of the opinion that coaches should protest more--if you honestly think you're right, go for it. I've had one protest in my career (it was denied) but there are so many times that I've wanted to tell a coach to stop wasting my time and energy and to just protest if he thought I blew a rule.

I'll find out if a protest is possible in our state, and if so, why it wasn't made.  Trying to not get off topic, but this game in question had multiple blown calls.  One was where batter swung at inside pitch, and ball hit him in chest....was clear to Home plate umpire it was not a foul tip, ump ruled HBP.... incredible!!   Call was reversed by field ump, but c'mon what HS level ump doesn't know that rule.  Umps also had problems with trying to award bases on ball that hit runner...eventually they reversed that as well.

I will let you know what I find out with regards to why no protest was made on the double play, slide rule.

If he ruled there wasn't a swing, that is the proper call.

Thanks for the follow-up.

Matt,

The discussion regarding thr HBP was at home plate, so it was audible to everyone sitting behind home plate.  He did not argue the swing (that was obvious), what he argued was the swing was nullified by the fact that the pitch hit the batter.  After the field ump got involved they made the right call.

Not only do they have issues with rules, they have discussions where others (including fans) can hear? If I have a discussion with my partner, it's hit-or-miss if he can even hear me, let alone anyone else.

Have your boosters take up a collection to get these guys a clinic.