Baseball -- why do umpires give players out who are 'home' ?

[CJGJ]

Always bugged me as to why so many are given out when the player receiving the throw has either not got the ball in his glove or has his foot off the 'plate' ?

 

They seem to just give them out if the player catches the ball -- no wonder they don't want 'Hawkeye' -- the game would change in such a major way.

 

Or do the umpires have the same sight problem affecting our referees ?

[CalMac]

Always bugged me as to why so many are given out when the player receiving the throw has either not got the ball in his glove or has his foot off the 'plate' ?

 

They seem to just give them out if the player catches the ball -- no wonder they don't want 'Hawkeye' -- the game would change in such a major way.

 

Or do the umpires have the same sight problem affecting our referees ?

 

Plays do happen quickly plus you are trying to watch the ball, see that it's been caught by the guy at the base & that they maintained contact with the base plate. So it's not as straightfoward as it may sound. That said, there have been some truly woeful decisions of late.

 

The cynic in me thinks betting scandal. I doubt the umps get paid that much & there must be the temptation to through a decision for dosh. Or they just rubbish like most SPL refs. You should see some of the MLS refs, they make the SPL ones look like professionals!