ukce1861

I got nothing. Clearly it's not out of the baseline because he didn't have a play being made on him. Doesn't sound like abandonment either - in my opinion, he'd need to progress farther than that.

255 games - 3rd year overall.

A guy I respect once told me, "You win the job on the plate and you lose the job on the bases." A good "ball/strike umpire" is impressive, and I think, initially, that's the hardest thing to get "good" at. You can do an adequate job on the bases almost immediately. It typically takes more time to develop a consistent strike zone. But once you have a consistent strike zone and are a good ball/strike umpire, it takes far more time to master the nuances of the rest of the job - kind of like the 20% that Mike always refers to. I feel like I've been a good ball/strike umpire for a couple of years now (missing 3-6 pitches per game, with one "gross miss" every 8-10 games or less). And I'm good with routine plays at the plate/on the bases. But it's the quirky stuff that still gets me from time to time. And I know there's stuff I miss; most of the time everybody else misses it too, but I still beat myself up knowing I missed it. I know my game management is not at a high level yet - again, it's adequate for most situation and with the exception of some very early games, I've never had a major problem - but I certainly wouldn't put myself in the upper echelon. Now a lot of that is just my personality - it's going to take more work for me then it will some other people - but for everyone, that takes time. My point in all this is, most people outside of umpiring think calling balls and strikes is the hard part. But really, it's not that hard to get good at; for one thing, you get more practice with that then anything else. In a relatively short time, you can look really good behind the plate. Heck last year, I had a former AAA umpire ask me if I'd gone to pro school. But watch my footwork on the bases; watch me struggle to get the right steps on a pickoff; listen to me stutter on a explanation to a coach - then you know I never went anywhere... I'm a decent umpire, but I've got a ways to go and time's the only thing that's going to get me there. I did one JuCo game in the spring last year - I was kind of a fill-in when no one else was available. I was way over my head and it showed. While I know I've gotten a lot better since then and am sure I would be more comfortable now, I still think there's a lot of value in putting in your time and working your way up the system. There's a lot to be said for working from the ground up. Umped, understand I'm not knocking on you and this isn't sour grapes - if I had the opportunity to start at the college level I'd probably jump on it too.

Us too... Only kidding - look at it this way; you won't get that one wrong again.

It would be super handy to have the rule book in this bag and clipped to the fence. Then, anytime a coach disagreed, they could just run over and grab the rulebook and flip through it...

What he said.

Just be careful not to anticipate it too much... The lower the level the less you can predict what's going to happen and while it's great to anticipate the probable play, you have to be careful to make sure that's what actually happens - otherwise you're still going to be out of position.

I really don't understand the whole argument over calling time to brush the plate. I'm not going to come up with both hand and yell "Time!" as loud as possible, but if I've got runners on, I'll raise a hand and say time - then, if anything stupid happens, I called time. Is it really that hard to put the ball back in play? And no, I don't call time at every opportunity - I too keep the ball in play as much as possible. This is just a really easy way to avoid a potential problem. Oh yeah, and the water one is stupid. Yes, water may take time to get in your system. So when my game is over, I won't be dehydrated because I stayed hydrated during the game... And a water bottle stuck in the fence looks a whole lot better than me trying to flag some one down between innings saying I need a drink...

Thank you sir! ON EDIT,...wait ...I don't have 'display' in tools If you're using IE, then check down in the bottom right - there should be a magnifying glass with a %. Adjust that to fit. Or click Page>Zoom.

No problem guy 'Twas supposed to be guys... But I see you're a wise guy, so perhaps it was appropriate. :tantrum:

Thanks guy. I assumed that Chrome was something for the browser Chrome, so I didn't even try that...

Just saw Warren's post in the Wendelstedt thread about changing theme. Maybe something went wrong or he's in that process now... I'm guessing it's related at the least.

I think doing something like that would be a blast. I'd love to do nothing but baseball for two months...

Just logged in to the site on my desktop and it came up in mobile mode... That happen to anybody else? I can't seem to find a way to change it. The only two options to change my theme are to Mobile Mode and Chrome...

Says who? I'm pretty sure Maximizing says on the side of the team coming up to bat. I also like being on that side so when I say, "2 more" the on-deck hitter can hear me too. I really don't think it matters though, as long as you alternate - wouldn't want one side to think you were scared of them.

Pregame ....... Good place to start! I doubt if many people discuss this at pre-game. But my question was really intended to address the issue happening during the game. The only thing I can suggest is being "cordially cold". Answer his questions, but don't chit-chat. And don't let it hold the game up! When the pitchers had 5 or a minute, get it moving... I loudly say "2 more" after three pitches and that usually gets everybody going back to where they're supposed to be. As far as talking between innings, I have no problem with it once or twice a game, depending on the game. Obviously, in a serious or tense game, this may not apply. And if something happened that inning, then it definitely doesn't need to happen. The biggest thing is, you've got to keep the game moving. But if you pop in for a few seconds to say hello, no problems with me...

Same here. Had a game Saturday with a CAT-5 they kept using. I picked it up after the first batter got a hit and the on deck batter was quick to assure me it was 32"...

There's a guy I work with (e.g. see and talk to almost every day) who has a son playing for the local JV team. Tuesday night, I had his game on the bases and his son hit a home run. Today, I asked him if that was his son's second home run (he told me about the first the other day) and he goes, "Oh, did I tell you about that?" I said, no I was there. "Really?" Now, I called a balk on his son's team and had at least two whackers that went against his son's team. But I was totally unnoticed... P.S. This was also my first eval game with my HS association - as a result I have my first varsity games in a couple of weeks... EDIT: For clarity.

2 hours to complete 5 innings.

We're expecting a detailed review upon your return. Good luck and have fun. I've had my eye on this clinic for a couple of years now because it's fairly close and the short duration is nice, so I'll be interested to hear what you think about it.

Welpe, good post. The more I think about this post, the more I reject the entire premise. When I step on the field, it's not to be noticed or not noticed. It's to do a job. If, in the course of doing my job people notice me, great. If I'm invisible and forgettable - equally good. If I do my job and get my calls right, that's what matters. Obviously this is an oversimplification; I'm setting aside that we should look the part, our calls should be clear, crisp, etc. But going out there to either be noticed or not be noticed shouldn't really enter into the equation. We have a part to play in this game - play that part and let the chips fall where they may.

The Ump-Attire is actually the worst shirt for me. It snagged noticeably the first time I wore it. It was actually the first shirt I noticed snagging, so I assumed it was just a bad shirt. I got it replaced and the next one snagged the first time I wore it too... I don't think it's an issue with the shirt per se, more with my mask.

I've got the Diamond mask and something's snagging my shirts as well - not sure if it's the frame or the Wilson Wrap-Arounds (velcro?). Interesting to hear that someone else is having this problem too. I just don't see how it could be the frame, since the front of my mask faces my sleeve, but it's not the sleeve that's messed up - it's the side of the shirt. I think I'm going to get some Team Wendy pads and see if that helps. Also, I'd be curious to know what kind of shirts they were wearing. The Smitty and Ump-Attire shirts snag real bad. The old Honigs' were fine, but the new Honigs' snag some, but not as bad as the others.

I'd probably just point at the fielder, "That's Obstruction! You [pointing at the runner], second base!" No safe mechanic needed. Now, the other thing to ponder is why does the coach think your point looks like your out mechanic? Is he just not paying attention or do you have a sloppy out mechanic? Obviously I have no idea, but it's something to consider. Also, maybe you needed to be a bit louder on your obstruction call, so it would've been clearer what you were calling.

Yeah, I had a game like that last Friday (and almost as bad Saturday and Tuesday). These kinds of games are tough - especially on the bases. On the plate, you at least have to focus every pitch, but like Andrew said, I try and use these games to work on my game; plate stance, tracking, footwork, etc. It's harder on the bases, but I still try and be a lot more conscious of my footwork and positioning. If nothing else, it helps you focus on the game because you just know that something's going to blow up on you and you'll be surprised...