6. The runner gets the benefit of the doubt on a high tag.

In my April, 1988 "Doing It" column for Referee magazine, I wrote about optional umpire signals. Here's one: The ball beats the runner to the base (the runner is going to be out), but the fielder is lazy and doesn't bend his back. The runner slides and the glove touches the runner somewhere above the waist. I recommended that the umpire scream "Safe!" and then slap himself where the tag was applied: "You will be forgiven [I wrote] if you exaggerate a little when you show where the tag was made."

We're looking to be consistent. We're also looking to decide which team executes better on any given play. We all know that the better team gets the better calls, even though we may not admit that in public. A man I know in the Netherlands hates that idea. He claims it's an American invention. Well, so is baseball, Eric.

Continued...