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Signals


HokieUmp
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I feel stupid even asking about this, so I don't think snarky comments are going to bother me....

So I've moved to Texas, and have more or less recovered from chemo - or at least I've convinced myself I'm ready to hit a field.  Joined two groups here in San Antonio, and have three scrimmages on Arbiter next week.

Thing is, I might have to re-learn signals.  I was at a "new guy" clinic on the weekend, and found out I'm not signaling rotations like the locals.  Back in Ol' Virginny, and really, everywhere else I've been, you'd flash the outs, and both guys would point to 3rd.  Sure, BU's not going there, but it's just a signal that someone was on the move there, and if you didn't know by now WHICH of you were doing it .... well, may God have mercy on your soul.

Here, I guess the base guy points to 1st, since that's his "focus," if you will.  And I get that it's consistent with what I remember of 3-man signals, where you point where you're going.  But now it's making me think - what the hell else do I do differently than here, that will confuse or disrupt the smoothness of my game?  The clinic did not offer other chances to see much else, signal-wise, that I could notice.  But I was told that they use the CCA signals.

Has that already been posted here before?  Or could someone shoot me a URL, or the GIFs/JPEGs, or something?  I do not have CCA manuals of my own, being just a HS guy.

Thanks, fellas.

 

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Pregame it at your scrimmages. Talk to the evaluator. Find out what they do. At my old organization, I've seen umpires do both of your methods and some who just nod. Find out what your organization expects to see and do it.

If I'm PU and I give you the "I'm at 3rd" signal, unless you give me a "WTF?!" look, I'll know you understand and will be where you need to be. If you give the "WTF?!" face, I'm mentally checking everything to make sure I'm supposed to rotate, and - when I realize I was right - watching you as I move up the line on that base hit.

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12 minutes ago, yawetag said:

Pregame it at your scrimmages. Talk to the evaluator. Find out what they do. At my old organization, I've seen umpires do both of your methods and some who just nod. Find out what your organization expects to see and do it.

If I'm PU and I give you the "I'm at 3rd" signal, unless you give me a "WTF?!" look, I'll know you understand and will be where you need to be. If you give the "WTF?!" face, I'm mentally checking everything to make sure I'm supposed to rotate, and - when I realize I was right - watching you as I move up the line on that base hit.

I agree, pregame it. The CCA book only has the double tag signal and no rotation signals. You can sign up on the TASO website and have access to their manual on your member portal. They have the double tag (and also an error about only R2) and some rotation pointing signals along with the various other signals. But your groups might be doing their own thing.

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2 hours ago, Jimurray said:

I agree, pregame it. The CCA book only has the double tag signal and no rotation signals. You can sign up on the TASO website and have access to their manual on your member portal. They have the double tag (and also an error about only R2) and some rotation pointing signals along with the various other signals. But your groups might be doing their own thing.

Careful using the TASO mechanic. UIL wants FED mechanics to be used. They were not aware TASO was using their own until this past September, and were not very happy about it.

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15 minutes ago, Jimurray said:

Couldn't be much difference in 2 man. 

So I just quickly perused the 2019-20 FED umpire manual and can understand why TASO did their own and some Texas chapters use CCA as do some other states. Tag up coverage is different with R1 and R2. FED has PU take lead runner and BU take trail. All other codes give both tags to BU as PU is running down 3B line and won't have a good view of R2's tag. FED also retains the PU covering 3B with no one on and a base hit while BU rotates home. Too many moving parts. 

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Re: 2 man.

I’ve had guys point at third, I’ve had guys point to first, I’ve had guys motion in a circle with their hand, whatever. As long as both guys know it means rotate on a hit, everything should be fine. Personally I don’t think it’s a big deal either way. Communication is communication. The key is just knowing what the signal means and thinking that through before the play. Doing it to do it is where you get in trouble. I’m also a big fan of verbally communicating, especially as PU. Every time I rotate, I tell my partner “I’m here Dan” or whatever. I tell him in pregame I’ll do it every time. So if he doesn’t hear me, assume I blew it or fell and take a look. Once he hears me, he usually gives a point over there as in “I hear you, I know you’re there”. Talking is the fail safe IMO. I used to not talk much when I started, thinking I’d startle the players or something. Now I’m all about it. 

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Verbal communication is key once the ball is in the field. Here are a few that any umpire should know and use:

  • "I'm at third if he comes, Dan" and the "I'm at third, Dan" when he does come
  • "Catch, Dan" and "Down, Dan" on fly balls to the outfield
  • "I'm staying home, Dan" on those deep shots
  • "I'm on the line, Dan" when you can't rotate
  • "I'm going out, Dan" when you see trouble while in A

Like Thatsnotyou, I used to be skittish about talking to my partner, fearing it will confuse the players. As I grew, though, I realized that they had a completely different way of speaking to each other and they were too involved in doing what they needed to even process what Dan and I were saying.

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3 hours ago, Aging_Arbiter said:

Virginny - you put ketchup on scrambled eggs......

Texas - you use salsa

See, I'd agree with that, except for the eggs themselves.  Don't like 'em.  They're okay as part of a recipe, but I STRONGLY dislike eating them otherwise.

And I must have passed some magical line in the US on my way here, where 'chicken biscuits' turns into 'chicken 'n waffles.'

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For me, I work baseball in MD and Northern VA, and standard practice is to point at the base one is going to (like college) both in 2-man and 3-man (playoffs, Babe Ruth games, college games) mechanics. Older umpires may point to 3rd on the bases, but the norm is for PU to point to 3B and U1 to point to 1B (in a 3-man game, U3 points to 1B and U1 to home, because those are the bases that each base umpire covers on a rotation). 

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Different partners use different signals. Just stick with it consistently and do what you say you're going to do. Nothing worse than your partner saying he'll have 3B, then he doesn't.

 

I point to where I'm going. If my partner mirrors it, I don't really care much, because at least he knows what I'm telling him I'm doing and understands. That's the most important part of communication.

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  • 1 month later...
On 1/30/2019 at 6:51 PM, ilyazhito said:

Cue the jokes about Pennsylvania being Pittsburgh and Phiadelphia, with Alabama in between. If that is the way it is in your area, you must be somewhere in the "T". 

TRUTH!!! Lol

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