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Tips for Having a Great Plate Meeting


Umpire in Chief
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great tips and video ...

However, I have one small comment (it's my personal opinion) ...

Having the base umpire stand there like a statue I feel is a little silly (not directed at Warren as I've heard this before).  I personally like to finish my meeting by saying right before "Ok John, can you walk us around for the ground rules"?   ... is this:   "Mike, am I missing anything?"  It allows just a touch of banter, and will appear that we're a 'team' working together, making sure we've covered everything

Just  my .02

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Warren ( @Umpire in Chief), a few quick bits of feedback from watching this video:

  1. Don't apologize for an expectation. The hat shall be worn, bill parallel to the ground and forward. No "ifs ands or buts". If one is wearing their hat backwards, they are a clown.
  2. Consider obtaining a baseball-themed poster or print to hang behind you.
  3. Consider locating an LED-based lamp, dimmable, and placing it behind you, and low (off-screen). Aim it up the wall so as to "backlight" the wall. As it is, the light source is currently "confrontational", and it makes for some harsh shadows and unsettling contrast.
  4. Instead of sitting dead-smack center, consider sitting off to one side, and turned at a very slight angle. Again, you currently are positioned in a "confrontational" manner, where you could be more "conversational" by changing your position and seating angle. As you have it currently, determine what are the boundaries of your viewing plane (width). Mark those with tape on your desk. Then, mark dead center. Then, divide the overall viewing plane width into thirds (1/3rds). Shift your seat over (left or right, whichever you feel is your "better side") and then angle your body slightly away from the camera, towards the center line.

Your insight / encouragement to seek or request more baseballs? Brilliant, I like it.

You're right, the plate meeting is not a forum for a rules clinic. If we keep it to a simple acknowledgement of the Rules set we're using for that game, "OBR, NCAA, Fed, Tournament Mod'ed, etc." then that eliminates a lot of superfluous talking.

Strike zones should not be discussed at a plate meeting.

And, lastly, just as much as a Rules clinic is unnecessary at a plate meeting, so too is a tutorial on how to approach an umpire completely unnecessary, as well as being contemptuous and condescending. Our giving them this directive isn't going to change the habits of those jackwagons who storm out of the dugouts and verbally abuse us. Besides that, it doesn't paint ourselves in a particularly good shade of confidence in our abilities and judgement. What coaches are hearing when we burble on about "calling time and approaching the umpire who made the call" is, "Hey, at some point in this game, there's going to be a blown call and I'm hoping you don't chew my ass off about it because other coaches have done it (to me, possibly) before". 

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@MadMax Great points. And thanks for all the tips. I just got in a nice 96 LED light to help the lighting pointing at me and can point my desk lamp at the wall behind me. 

Great idea about the poster maybe I'll get a big U-E banner made. With some of the new equipment I just bought I can move away from the little webcam. I'll now be using my Galaxy S8+ for the video which can have better video quality and the mini shotgun mic will improve the audio. Below is the rig I bought for light and sound.

This is all new to me so I'm in very much need for any tips or advice so it is very much welcome. I plan on recording a couple tomorrow and will put this to use. 

us-B074M6K5P8-0.jpg

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