Catcher Pet Peeves?!

[iankelleyumpire]

I'm sure there have been other topics like this, but I thought about this driving home from the fields last night, thought I would post a topic for it. 

 

CATCHER PET PEEVES

 

All catchers have pet peeves of umpires, and are always willing to tell stories or complain. (Tight zone, Hand on back, trying to talk to them, etc..) But what are pet peeves WE, AS UMPIRES have for them? They can be our friend at times, protect us, and sometimes help us out, but them can also be our worst nightmare. 

 

 

Feel free to start posting your personal pet peeves that catchers do, and we'll see where this goes! 

[Dragon29]

F2s who won't work hard to get the high 'Ball' w/no runners on, letting it hit me

F2s who 'frame' (you know - drag the ball toward the center of the zone, that's "framing" - right?  ) every pitch, including strikes!

F2s w/no sense of humour or who won't engage in any type of conversation  (Hey!  I get bored out there!)

 

F2s who don't know enough to not look over their shoulder at you when they disagree w/your 'Ball' call.

 

 

But - generally, F2 is may favorite player on the field.  They are often team capatins, if not team leaders, understand the game better than most of their teammates, and for the most part understand their function when it comes to dealing w/us.

[BRUMP]

i had a f2 fart in a 12u game....not fun

[grayhawk]

I echo Dragon's comments, but will add the ones at the younger levels that have no idea where to set up.  WAY to far back, or always WAY outside, exposing me to the inside pitch that they inevitably whiff.

[Mudder]

i had a f2 fart in a 12u game....not fun

 

Had this happen a few times.

 

catchers who are constantly moving during the pitch, don't stick close pitches, constantly framing or pulling pitches that are not even close (then continue to hold after you've balled it!), flipping me the ball instead of handing it to me, when they ask for time to conference with F1, they walk slowly to the mound and back (instead of jogging), tall catchers who squat very upright that makes you always adjust your stance to get a good look, catchers who don't catch very often, constantly adjusting their equipment, always asking for time and slowing the game down,

[Mike Prince]

F2 is my favorite player out on the field most of the time.

 

I get somewhat irritated when the F2 turns into a batter and wants to disagree with every called strike on him.  When this happens I make sure to find opportunities when he is an F2 again to remind him that the called strike he just caught was the same pitch I called on him previously.

[plateumpire]

Catchers who jump out of the way of the ball.

Once I said the batter went on a checked swing and the catcher said to the batter, "I didn't think you went."

[blue23ll]

Tall catchers who rise up to catch high pitches, particularly on steal plays. Catchers who throw their masks every time a ball bounces, particularly when their mask hits me.

[scrounge]

One that turns into a rat....got burned last year in a U16 travel tournament by one. Real friendly the entire game, joking around, etc. Game tightened up and he caught a big, looping curve on the inside corner that clearly was inside at the plate. Just held it there, well after I made the call. The joking stopped on a dime and he kept yapping about for a couple batters till I finally said enough. Barely a word said the next inning. Anyway, his team loses a 1 run game on a called 3rd strike and he comes out of the dugout in the handshake line badmouthing and coming right up to the line of ejection.

[catsbackr]

#1  Catchers that jerk pitches, instead of sticking pitches!

[Minnz]

1) Catcher who HOLDING it for me to "see" it better.  I like to then inform them holding it there will do nothing to help their cause.  If they do it again it will do the opposite.

 

2) Catcher who will not go to the pitcher and talk to him after a ball hits me up high.  I always clean the plate and walk a ball halfway to the mound when it happens to him.

[BigUmpire]

1. Catcher who HOLDING it for me to "see" it better.  I like to then inform them holding it there will do nothing to help their cause.  If they do it again it will do the opposite.

Had a catcher in a 16u game do this for the first two innings almost every pitch.

 

Third inning first time he did this I yelled “freeze catcher, don’t moveâ€

I pulled my mask and walked around him looking at his glove from lots of different angles with him squatting there frozen.

 

When he would flinch I would yell “don’t move†that all took about 30 seconds BUT I am sure it seemed like hours to him. Coach came out and looked at me like “WTF�

 

I finally announced to the stands “NOPE it’s a ballâ€

 

Catchers coach started laughing like hell as did lots of others.

 

The TD and UIC came over as it got SOO quiet to see what was happening. They later said they went back to the clubhouse and howled!

He did not do it again.

 

Not recommended for all BUT most people don’t say much to me when I am umpiring for some reason.

[umpstu]

Pushing and pulling to get the ball back in the zone. If you really think about it the catcher is more than likely doing it because the coaches have instructed him to do so. I have had catchers continue to do it after I have let him know that he is showing everybody that it was a ball when he does it. They might be afraid of getting on the bad side of their coach.

 

I seriously have probably only had two problem children as catchers in my 18 years as an umpire. If you admit when you miss a pitch it goes a long way with the catcher. When I miss one I start cussing at myself and the catcher will usually try to calm me down.

 

And I love a catcher who can carry a conversation. I have been turned on to so many good movies and cheeseburgers. Ha

[guyinaredhat]

Catchers who think they must set up inside to get that in side pitch. 

   Only thing your doing is is pushing me into  a worse view, and a higher % im going to get whacked in the face. 

 

F'2 who constantly ask for the count

[boyinr]

I will put my $0.02 in for pulling pitches or setting up way, way outside and wanting the pitch that hits the target a foot off the plate.

[mjr_2013]

The one who tries to kiss ass until he doesn't like a call...

 

Had a 12U one who was all friendly, laughing and joking around... Late innings, pitch crosses at shins for a ball... He's about to toss it back and asks me where it was. I say "low".

 

He pump fakes the throw, spins around, and says, "Wait, WHERE??"... I get very annoyed very fast and say emphatically, so that the coach could hear me, "Low!!" ... It might have become a problem, but the coach was smart enough to see what happened and yelled at him, "What the heck are you doing? Get in your crouch!"

 

And then when I used to do youth games without plate shoes, catchers who would randomly take a big step back and step on my toe annoyed me.

 

Oh, and catchers who don't understand their job is to catch the f-ing ball. I hate that.

[mjr_2013]

I will put my $0.02 in for pulling pitches or setting up way, way outside and wanting the pitch that hits the target a foot off the plate.

 

THIS... Had an F2 in a tourney that did this! For the whole tournament! And of course it looks from the bench like he's hitting the middle every time, so that just led to more issue's from the bench.

[KLAH316]

Feel free to start posting your personal pet peeves that catchers do, and we'll see where this goes! 

F2's who can't catch!!

[Jesse]

catchers catching too close to/too far from the plate

[iankelleyumpire]

When you shake hands and meet each other at the begging of the game, they just mumble their name real fast with some pre rehearsed line about "how we'll be working together tonight," and then they shake your had with a weak, soft, women-like handshake. 

 

Like, I sure hope you can squeeze the ball better than my hand. 

 

If your abilities are like that handshake, it's about to be a long night, with a lot of D3Ks, and we will not be working together very good. 

 

 

 

Just tell me your name, shake my hand like a man, and catch the ball. 

[BuckeyeMike]

All these things, but particularly:

1. Won't talk/no sense of humor.  I talk and am jovial.

2. Turns away from the bouncing pitch with an outstretched glove, inevitably leading to me being hit....usually in my upper thigh, groin, or gut region.

3. Requests "TIME" to give defensive signals with an R1 & R3.

4. Shifts to the "full buttocks out" setup at the last second because there's an R1 who might steal.

5. Gives me an evil glare when I call a strike on him as a batter when I've been calling that pitch for his pitcher.

6. Looks at me when there's a high foul ball that, if he saw it off the bat, might have been caught.  (It makes for an awkward moment, each of us staring into the other's eyes.  LOL)

[Baton Rouge Blue]

All these things, but particularly:

1. Won't talk/no sense of humor.  I talk and am jovial.

2. Turns away from the bouncing pitch with an outstretched glove, inevitably leading to me being hit....usually in my upper thigh, groin, or gut region.

3. Requests "TIME" to give defensive signals with an R1 & R3.

4. Shifts to the "full buttocks out" setup at the last second because there's an R1 who might steal.

5. Gives me an evil glare when I call a strike on him as a batter when I've been calling that pitch for his pitcher.

6. Looks at me when there's a high foul ball that, if he saw it off the bat, might have been caught.  (It makes for an awkward moment, each of us staring into the other's eyes.  LOL)

 I used to talk so much with the ump I believe they got sick of me. I can distinctly remember this one ump I had all the time that we would discuss MLB baseball the entire game. Even as a pitch is coming in we'd be talking about how terrible the Astros are or some bench clearing brawl. It was fun but I'm sure he got sick of me.

 

A catcher who routinely acts as you described in #2 won't be a catcher for long. 

[Mike Prince]

I had an F2 this year who quietly sang the whole game, no one but me and the batter could hear him.  And he was a good singer.  Was like having a radio on for background music every half inning.

[Jesse]

I had an F2 this year who quietly sang the whole game, no one but me and the batter could hear him.  And he was a good singer.  Was like having a radio on for background music every half inning.

i once told an F2 about a MILF in a red dress in the crowd. I then preceded to sing "Lady in Red."

 

After I finished and the awkward silence came, he informed me that she was his mom. 

 

Needless to say, i never sang or called out MILF's again.

[JHSump]

I've had catchers of all ages from 9 to about 18, so I have seen lots of "interesting" things (many already mentioned).

 

Here is one which is not rare at the lower levels, and I find hard to stomach:

 

Clearly the catcher has been told to throw off the mask for a foul pop up.  So, on every foul back --- even if the ball obviously flew quickly over the backstop --- he immediately flips his mask/helmet off then turns around to see what happened.  What happened is his mask/helmet smashed into my mask/head.