Umpire Positioning

There has been a lot of talk about umpires in this post-season. We've already had a few blown calls and the talk of replay has come up again.
In the wake of Brooks Conrad's third error the other day, there has been talk about the positioning of umpires.
When I saw Conrad's third error I immediately wondered if he lost sight of the ball because the grounder went past the umpire who was stationed on the infield grass. As Conrad moved to his right it looked as if for a split second the umpire was in his line of vision.
To Conrad's credit he didn't blame the umpire or anybody for letting the ball go through his legs which cost the Braves a run and the game. No excuses from Conrad. But the next time you see the replay look at the positioning of the umpire.
I've played a lot of baseball in my day, mostly middle infield, short or second. I still play in an old guys league. I've always hated umpires stationing themselves on the infield grass. There are many times when a grounder is hit to either side of you and you do lose sight of the ball for a fraction of a second. I don't like seeing an umpire move around in front of me when a ball is hit in my direction. This year during a game, I made a throwing error when I fielded a ball at short and the umpire was running from the infield grass towards first to get in good position to make a call. However, as I was in the middle of my throw the ump was directly between me and the first baseman. I altered my throw a bit, not wanting to hit the umpire (he's in play afterall), and the ball floated towards the first base line for an error. I was mad because he interfered with my throw. So yes, umpires do get in the way of infielders. I would much prefer they position themselves a few feet beyond the lip of the outfield grass. They would still have plenty of time to get into position to make a call, they wouldn't be in the way of a fielder and would have more time to get out of the way of a sharply hit ball.
Also, in the Major Leagues, in the post-season, umpires are stationed down the first and third base lines. It sounds good in theory but they are poorly positioned anyway. These extra umpires are way too close to the first and third base umpires. They are about 60 or so feet behind the infield umps, rendering them basically useless. They should be stationed deep, near the corners. Then they wouldn't have to turn to watch a ball, it would likely be in front of them. Plus, it is easier to run in than back. I don't know why they stand so close to the infield when they are needed for plays in the outfield, especially for fan interferance, fair or foul calls, plays at the wall and home run calls.
Baseball, at all levels need to examine if it is time to reposition the umpires so they don't become a distraction or a hindrance. One look at the Conrad error I wrote of at the top of this piece should convince baseball they need to fix this problem.