Get a clue . . . from BU's position (mechanics question)

[NuggDawg]

Saw this in a college game last year and now wanted to know if the runner could have picked up the clues.

Situation: BR hits double and now stands confidently at 2B. Pitcher (a bit agitated) receives the ball out of the circle on her way to talk with F2 in front of home plate. PU does not raise her arms, and she moves ten feel or so up the 3rd base line and stands like a statue facing the field.

I took the PU's movements and position shift to indicate what she would do in a live ball situation.

Is this the proper mechanic for the BU? And could the BR, recognizing it as a signal that the ball was live, have safely lost contact with 2B and attempted a steal of 3B?

[umpinva]

Saw this in a college game last year and now wanted to know if the runner could have picked up the clues.

Situation: BR hits double and now stands confidently at 2B. Pitcher (a bit agitated) receives the ball out of the circle on her way to talk with F2 in front of home plate. PU does not raise her arms, and she moves ten feel or so up the 3rd base line and stands like a statue facing the field.

I took the PU's movements and position shift to indicate what she would do in a live ball situation.

Is this the proper mechanic for the BU? And could the BR, recognizing it as a signal that the ball was live, have safely lost contact with 2B and attempt to steal 3B?

How many umpires were being used during this game?

[NuggDawg]

How many umpires were being used during this game?

Div-I regulation game which would have a required number (I'm thinking that's three). But I recall that there were certainly two blues.

[umpinva]

Saw this in a college game last year and now wanted to know if the runner could have picked up the clues.

Situation: BR hits double and now stands confidently at 2B. Pitcher (a bit agitated) receives the ball out of the circle on her way to talk with F2 in front of home plate. PU does not raise her arms, and she moves ten feel or so up the 3rd base line and stands like a statue facing the field.

I took the PU's movements and position shift to indicate what she would do in a live ball situation.

Is this the proper mechanic for the BU? And could the BR, recognizing it as a signal that the ball was live, have safely lost contact with 2B and attempted a steal of 3B?

If one of the umpires went out on the hit, perhaps the PU was positioning herself in case a steal attempt was made and a rundown occurred.

[MTR]

Saw this in a college game last year and now wanted to know if the runner could have picked up the clues.

Situation: BR hits double and now stands confidently at 2B. Pitcher (a bit agitated) receives the ball out of the circle on her way to talk with F2 in front of home plate. PU does not raise her arms, and she moves ten feel or so up the 3rd base line and stands like a statue facing the field.

I took the PU's movements and position shift to indicate what she would do in a live ball situation.

Is this the proper mechanic for the BU?

Don't know, you haven't told us where the BU is.

And could the BR, recognizing it as a signal that the ball was live, have safely lost contact with 2B and attempted a steal of 3B?

If the pitcher doesn't have the ball in the circle................

[wadeintothem]

Sure, go ahead steal. If you get lucky the PU did call time and puts the runners back, other wise you get thrown out by about 48 feet. I'm thinking I did not call time out and this is my nice easy out.

[NuggDawg]

The question posed is can the runner, simply by noting the BU's position, understand the situation and her opportunity?

After sliding into 2nd, the BR pops up, lifts her head to see her base coach at 3rd, arms raised with the stop sigh on. The defensive players get the ball the pitcher (who receives it near the circle, but not inside the chalk) and they adjust their positions for the next at-bat, and perhaps the 3rd baseman moves closer to short for a chat.

The runner dusts herself off, and when she lifts her head again she sees the pitcher standing within spitting distance of home plate, her back to the field, talking with her catcher. She also sees the BU standing statuesque, ten feet up the baseline towards third with her steal-protected toes on the chalk, holding her mask in her left hand.

Now, the runner could be thinking, was time called or not? The defense looks pretty casual right now. Do they think time was called? A peek to 3rd and she notices the base isn't covered, but her coach isn't indicating anything. In a split second, the runner debates her situation: "With time called, I can casually trot over to my coach and stand on third, then safely return to 2nd when the conference in front of home plate ends. But if it's a live ball, my trot turns into a stolen base. And if ten feet into my trot, all hell breaks loose, I'll dive back into 2nd—no harm, no foul."

Does the BU's mechanic relay the live or dead ball status the the players?