Old Nr 24

As one who began his youth baseball experience in the 50s and was drafted as a pitcher simply because I was one of the few guys who could actually consistently throw the ball where I intended, I must agree with the "no curves" rule for youngsters. I know it's "cool" to make the hitter look bad when you throw a good one, I know the coaches love them, and I know a lot of people will tell you a kid will never go anywhere unless he learns the breaking ball early, take it from one who could not lift his right arm to comb his hair if he had any left, it ain't worth it! I had good instruction in mechanics and grip, body movement and positioning, and I was an eager student, as most young kids are, but the pains began in high school, and that's when I knew my future would not be in baseball. I moved back to my infield position at third base only to find one, maybe two good hard throws where I had to "show off" the arm was all there was, and I would probably be in the dugout not long after that second one. Oh no, fellas, it's not worth it, especially when there are so many other ways to teach a young pitcher to throw pitches that move...a pure changeup, a cutter, anything but that dreaded Yellow Hammer!

LMSANS: I guess I should have worded that better. I'm not advocating changing the zone. I have always been what is often referred to as a "pitcher's umpire." I much prefer a larger strike zone, calling those close pitches strikes. In my experience it just makes for a better game, a crisper game, a game that is determined more by the quality of play than by chance. Maybe it's because in my younger days I was often the one standing out on that mound trying to figure out how to record strikes and outs, but I just think if an umpire establishes a liberal but fair zone at the beginnnig of the game everyone gets the message. If he maintains that zone for both teams throughout the game everyone plays better baseball and everyone has more fun. But as I say, just my two cents worth.

Okay, not truly fan interference, but certainly a "fan" holding up the game! One league I umpired in held some games at a field that was on the grounds of a state mental hospital. I know, that sounds kind of spooky, but it was actually not that bad a field. This was an excellent league featuring a lot of very talented players, so the play was generally pretty good. One day I'm on the dish and working a 2-man crew. We are in the middle of an inning, couple of runners on base, maybe one out, close game...when I suddenly see this guy strolling onto the field from right field. He's dressed in the hospital issue "pajamas" and to me appears to obviously be a patient (should I say "inmate?"), and he is merely strolling, head down, across the outfield. I call time immediately as he passes in front of the right fielder headed for center. I yell out in his direction, "Hey, guy! We're playing a ballgame here!" He completely ignores me. The fielders begin to yell at him, and he ignores them as well, still walking, head down, eyes on the ground...and he's walking SLOWLY! Into centerfield, in front of the center fielder, who is now screaming at the guy to get the hell off the field. My partner is on the outfield grass now trying to get the guy to at least acknowledge him, but nothing. I begin walking across the infield, still yelling at the guy, and as I reach about the shortstop position I yell, "Come on, fella, get off the damn field!" The guy slowly lifts his head, slowly turns his face in my direction, still ambling along slowly. He looks directly at me as he approaches the left fielder, calmly and slowly lifts his left hand from his side, raises it with palm facing inward, curls his thumb and fingers, all but the middle one....and shots me the bird! He then lowers his arm, again lowers his eyes, and continues quietly in the direction of the left field line. That was it for me. Both teams and my partner were laughing their heads off, so I just spread my hands and said, "Okay! He'll be gone in a minute, guys, then we'll play." Best response I have ever seen to a whole group of people who are angry at you!

I can't resist just one more comment on this subject. For those guys who are adamant about the fielder touching the bag and/or the tag absolutely making contact, just remember that you must ultimately lie in the bed you make. Consistency is the name of the game, so you have to be ready to apply the same requirements for an entire game, game in and game out, through the entire season. Remember, consistency is the name of the umpiring game! I liken this approach to the guy who is making the pitcher toss it into a teacup in the first inning. I hate to see that when I'm working the bases with that guy because I know if he is true to the code of consistency it's going to be a very long game, especially if the pitching is not that good to begin with, which is the case in many of the lower age brackets. If you are consistent, that zone you establish in the first inning MUST be the zone for both teams for the entire game, and if it's 6 inches wide and 6 inches high, better call the wife between innings and have her hold dinner! Personally I would much rather stretch the zone in the beginning just to let people know we ain't gonna have a walk fest, nor are we gonna stand around watching the grass grow for 4 hours. So, if you apply those rules to the letter just remember you're stuck with that approach, at least for that game. I know, it may only come up once....but then again it may come up several times, so be ready to be consistent!

The discussion of wet baseballs and how to treat them brings to mind an amusing situation that had the potential for jail time. My partner and I were working a JUCO pre-season scrimmage between two local schools in the Baltimore area some years ago during a particularly wet spring. The field was damp and tacky when we started, so the home team manager approached my partner and me at the plate conference and produced a plastic bag about one-third full of a whitish powder. He handed it to us as two county policemen sat in their cruiser just outside the field area, there to watch the game. It was, of course, drying compound for the balls, but I had this sudden explosive vision of all of us being hauled to the klink in our uniforms and underoing extensive drug testing! And as for that ammonia-water compound -- it does bring down body temperature, but take care. Use a very low concentration of ammonia and don't ever over-use the resultant compound! It will tend to dry out your skin, leave your pores wide open, and if you use too high a concentration of ammonia, can even cause fainting if you are over exposed! Ammonia-water compounds are normally reserved for bringing down a very high body temperature as quickly as possible, so if you were to use it for just being hot on a hot day you could wind up having some serious side effects. You might even want to try an alcohol-water mixture since that will also work, though I don't think Jack Daniels would qualify!

Amazing how the mechanics, positioning, and timing have changed over the years, isn't it? And here we all are, standing on the shoulders of those old goofy looking guys who used to show up in starched shirt, tie, and dress coat to do a game in Philadelphia in August! God bless them all!

Just some comments in passing since I am no longer actively involved in umpiring. I can't really talk with any intelligence to how the economy is affecting the job, but I am thinking that maybe this idea of a shrinking amateur baseball program overall might not be a good thing in the long run. The sport on the amateur level, and specifically the youth level over recent years has exploded, especially when compared to how it was say 30 years ago. In most areas of the country there are now hundreds of teams, dozens of organizations, travel teams, select teams, and on and on. In my mind this has been the primary factor in creating this "big fish in a little pond" situation and developing what I have come to call the "ignorant primadonna" in amateur sports. By that I mean the kid who has been told since he was 3 years old he's the second coming of Babe Ruth or as good as Nolan Ryan at his best, and the kid begins to believe it! It's been a sore spot with me since I first got into youth sports as a helper on my son's team. Just possibly a shrinking of programs might put a larger number of better athletes on each team and get away from that "one super star" situation. You've all seen it, I'll bet -- one kid on a team whose job it is to win every game. Well, if he is generally successful he receives undue praise and usually becomes one of the primadonnas....a bad situation in my opinion. But let him fail a few times and see how quickly his ego is crushed, how total the collapse, and that is equally sad. Baseball, after all, is predicated on failure and how one handles that failure. If a player fails to fail now and then he has no clue how to handle it when it occurs (notice I said "when" and not "if") later in life....or in other aspects of life outside sports. I am a baseball fanatic, and would love to see very kid participate at every level possible, but maybe a bit of a downturn will be a good thing. Maybe the sport on the amateur level will return to what it was years ago....fun for everyone concerned. Just my two cents worth.

Very interesting reading, guys, and I have to chime in with my two cents worth if I may. I fully agee the umpire should call what he sees. That goes without saying I think. That said, I think two traditional comments about umpiring have to be considered here. The first one is "Don't look for trouble." So, if you are going to make a safe call on what appears to everyone on the field and in the stands to be an out, be prepared for the fallout. I'm not saying don't do it, just know ahead of time you are creating a situation rife with potential problems. Also consider that on most plays where the defense executes the play in an apparently proficient manner, everyone in the park expects an out call. It has been my experience that an umpire catches much less static on an out call than on a safe call, especially if that runner appeared to everyone to be out. The second saying is "Perception IS reality." We teach this to new umpires as it relates to their appearance, their demeanor on the field, and their conduct of the game. What did one umpire say? "You not only have to know what you're doing, but you have to look like you know what your're doing." So if you are the only person in the park who saw that shortstop's foot an inch or two off the bag, or saw that phantom tag, are you ready to go against everyone else's perception of the play? Bottom line in my book is, of course, call your own game. No one can (or should) force their game on you and your style. However, just know ahead of time that you may be going against not only baseball tradition (and yes, some good and some bad), but you may be going against those two umpiring axioms, so be prepared to handle the fallout. Are you prepared to toss an irate manager or player based on your decision? Are you prepared to let a relatively well played game get out of hand because of an inch or two? I'm not saying it will happen, but it certainly could happen.

Maybe a bit off topic, but I see several references in this thread to working on timing. I think we will all agree that's one of the biggest problems for new umpires, and in my old association's new umpire school we ran a drill that I know helped a lot of new umpires behind the plate. The drill consisted of having a pitcher and a catcher, and the student behind the plate -- blindfolded. The student's instructions were to call each pitch any way he wished, incorporating both ball and strike calls. It was a very useful tool in helping the new guys get the hang of waiting for the pitch to arrive since they made no call until they heard the sound of the ball in the mitt.

Absolutely, the standard clockwise rotation, or cover your partner's back. Sounds like your evaluator takes all these mechanics as gospel and doesn't understand they can (and will/usually do) change with the flow of the game.

Thanks, everyone, for the support.

I feel like I need to apologize for my "handle" being plastered all over this wonderful site in just a couple of days. However, there are secret and mysterious factors at work here, mainly timing. You see, I discovered the site on a Saturday afternoon late, in February as the Florida Grapefruit League is about to kick off (pitchers and catchers report this week!), and Sunday and Monday are my days off from work and my wife is out of town this weekend! Need I say more? My old lust for things baseball and umpiring sunk their claws in me before I knew it, and I had plenty of time to explore the site, each post bringing back something to mind and fueling that fire growing in my belly, which happens each spring about this time. As you all may have already deduced, I have never been shy about shooting off my mouth and expressing an opinion, good or bad, right or wrong. So, I ask that you bear with me for a bit until this blaze dies down, and I will do my best to cut back on my posting for a while. I don't want to become known as that old fart in Florida who always ties up the threads with his BS! But man, am I having fun and enjoying all the wonderful reading here. And I must tell you having done some umpire training in my day, a newbie could do a lot worse than learning from this site if he is unable to get into a good school! Thanks, guys, for understanding the passions. Dave Harris Melbourne, Fl.

I loved working both bases and plate, but I too was a bit of a plate whore given my choice. Just remember the words of Ron Luciano when he said, "Home is where the heartache is."

Umpire compliments are kinda like cops....never one there when you really need it. No offense to my friends in law enforcement, just quoting the old saying. Well, I've had a few compliments over my years of officiating, but since the one thing everyone says they want from us, and the one thing to which we all aspire is consistency, I have to say I got my best compliment from simply overhearing a comment from a Legion team manager. In a pretty close ballgame with a runner on second, his batter takes a sharp slider with 2 strikes, and I ring him up big time. Heck of a pitch. The batter is so angry he could eat nails, and he grumbles about the pitch being outside as he heads for the dugout, and apparently complained to his manager sitting on the end of the bench. His manager tells him, "Son, he's been calling that pitch a strike for 10 years. You gotta take that ball to right field and drive in that run. Now sit down." Consistency?? The next season this same manager, who was notorious for beating umpires like a rented mule (he was a rules guy who knew his baseball and played to win, and some umpire refused to do his games at all), paid me another compliment of sorts. He was taking a team to The Neatherlands, I think it was, to participate in the European championship series, or something like that. They were offered the opportunity to bring along an umpire from their league to join others in working the games, and he asked me. Unfortunately, other things prevented me from going, but I considered that a compliment as well.

Bad games, just like bad calls, must be put aside quickly because there'a another one to handle just around the corner. Learn from our mistakes, try not to make them again, and move on. Besides, as my father once told me, a man is never as bad OR AS GOOD as he thinks he is!

I once walked onto a J.C. field to do the bases for a game in Maryland in late March wearing the most beautiful pair of ear muffs you've ever seen...conservative dark blue, but fuzzy and they just looked warm! I got cat calls and hoots from both dugouts, of course....and by the second inning I had one player offer me $25 on the spot for my muffs. I chuckled and walked away, warm as toast.

As is true with about 99% of game management, the OP is very subjective, and I understand why. That said, I would usually listen to any argument or comments from coaches as long as they were not abusive and out of control. However, I would not have the game delayed for 10-15 minutes while they continue to beat a dead horse. I made a comment in another thread about admitting I kicked a call, and here is my other one. Yea, you read it right..."ONE!" HS game with two of the best teams in the state, and Old Nr. 24 has the dish....again. I'm having a great game...in the zone...on top of everything! But I got lazy I guess, and when the home team's catcher dove for a little blooper of a foul ball that never got 6 feet off the ground, I tried to make the call from behind him! It happened so quickly. The ball was not in the air for more than 3 seconds, I swear. Anyway, he comes up with the ball and I call the out....as the visitors in the first base dugout explode, yelling, "The ball was on the ground!" I call time and only THEN do I go to my partner at first. Duh! I walk up the line and he meets me about half way, on the infield grass well out of anyone's ear shot and I ask him, "John, did he catch that ball?" John smiles down at me from his 6'4" frame and quietly says, "No freakin' way, Dave. He picked it up as he rolled." I can just see the mess that awaits me now. I turn to the home team's third base dugout and signal no catch, just a foul ball. The coach looks like a heat seeking missle coming at me! I had known both coaches for a long time, so in this case I figured familiarity might just get me off the hook without having to toss this poor guy. After all, he's just trying to win a ballgame and make the playoffs, and I'm out there screwing his chances! But he passes me by, heading instead for my partner at first! I jump in front of him quickly and say, "Whoa, whoa, Barney. I made the call so talk to me, not John." And so he begins. I stand quietly, arms folded, listening intently as I watch the veins on his neck grow larger and larger, wondering to myself just how up to date my CPR card is. And all the while every time there was a pause (and there were not many!) I simply said, "Barney, we got the call right. Barney, we got the call right. Barney, we got the call right." He finally runs down after a few minutes, and while the blowout was demonstrative and "energetic," it was never abusive or personal. And finally he returned to the bench and we continued what was an excellent ballgame. The batter came back to the plate and promptly grounded out to second. In the next visitor half of the inning I asked the home team's catcher if he caught the ball and he said, "No way. I was trying to buy it." And get this footnote! After the game the manager comes over as we are leaving the field....and apologizes for blowing his stack! He has spoken with his catcher and his first base coach, and both confirmed our call.

Could not have put it better myself, Dobie. In my day a rule book on the field and someone was going to leave quickly....end of story!

How much leeway do you give a player or coach with profanity? Is it more situational than absolute? Does it depend on the level of play? Does it depend on who might have heard it? I know some divisions and rules say it is an absolute, but I wonder, and would love to see the responses these questions might draw. I always based my treatment of that on the level of play and the situation. If it is loud and abusive, of course the culprit is going to leave, but I have also tempered my reaction many times, especially at the higher competition levels with older participants. I played the game and I can still remember how intense it got sometimes. Okay, maybe I can't remember breakfast, but I CAN remember that! As an example, I once was working the plate in a J.C. game...tight game so each at bat was crucial. A very good hitter was at the plate, and he tried to drive a 2-2 pitch into the next county, but missed it. As a right-hander, his follow through turned him toward the third base line, and his momentum kept him turning, so he was virtually face to face with me when he grunted under his breath, "F**K!" Immediately he got that deer in the headlights look on his face, just knowing he was headed for the showers. Absolutely no one but me and the catcher heard anything, so I looked at him from behind the mask and said, "I know exactly how you feel." He sheepishly headed for his dugout without a word.

Players....coaches...and rules. When will they ever learn? This quick story is actually the direct opposite of heads up baserunning. Working a 12-13 community league game early one spring with no outs, a runner on first and a 2-1 count on the hitter. As the next pitch is delivered the runner breaks for second and the hitter swings at the pitch. Classic situation, classic hit-and-run, right? Okay, at this level it was probably all classic only by accident, but there it was. The batter swings, the runner is moving, and everyone within a quarter mile of the field heard that distinctive "clang" of horsehide on aluminum as the ball is fouled directly into the catcher's mitt, and miracle of miracles, he holds onto it! I raise my right hand and say, "Strike." The catcher returns the ball to the pitcher. It's about that time I become aware of the first base coach yelling at his runner on second, telling him he has to return to first since it was a foul ball. The kid on second is looking dejected that he did not get credit for a stolen base, and begins ambling slowly back to first. Then it hit the pitcher what was going on. He calmly came off the mound and WALKED toward the runner returning to first, touched him with the ball, and I called him out! It did not come to an ejection, but the next five minutes were taken up by me explaining that a "foul tip" is NOT a "foul ball," and the ball remains live.

I keep seeing the word "warning" used in relation to coaches and ejections, and I have to say I was never a big fan of the warning. Oh, maybe the ball/strike situation where you tell he guy to stop it once, but other than that, the warning has already been given....in the rule book! When an umpire ejects anyone it has to be based on a rule somewhere, the breaking of which carries the penalty of ejection. We have to read the book and know the rules, and coaches are also responsible for that, no matter the level. I remember coaching at the lowest levels of baseball when my son was young, and the first thing I got when I volunteered was a rule book! And I could not agree more with the comments that the action (or inaction) of one umpire affects every other umpire in the association. We may not always like it, but the umpiring corps has to present a united front at all times. After all, have we not all heard, "All we ask of the umpire is consistency."? Well, that should also apply to ejections. But in the words of the comedian Dennis Miller, that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

Maybe I'm just a smart-ass, but yes, I have used what I felt were some pretty clever comments for an ejection. I have also ejected players and/or coaches when they had to ask if I had ejected them, it was that low key. I think it all depends on the situation, the level of play, and how abusive a player or coach's conduct is that warranted the ejection. Sometimes we just have to make a point, and what better way than a clever comment to go along with the ejection? It's like ice cream on your pie! But my favorite "ejection" was actually a non-ejection, and I've had the pleasure of having two in my checkered past. My true favorite was a Legion game where I completely kicked a call at second. For God's sake, the runner was lying on the bag when the tag came down, but I had a brain freeze and called him out! His coach appeared to have been launched by catapult from the dugout, steam coming from his ears as he ran toward me. As we came together I quietly said, "Hold on, Stan. I kicked it and we all know it. I don't know why, but I kicked, and we're gonna have to live with the call because if I change it the guy from the other dugout is gonna get tossed, and I don't want that." Stan stares at me and asks," What do I do now? I was ready for a good argument!" I suggest he yell at me to keep my head in the game and go sit down. Thank God, he took my advice.

It is and always has been my contention that getting the reputation of being one who will not take a load of crap (not the red ass, but a no-nonesense umpire) makes ones career go a lot smoother in the end. Once you establish yourself as being an umpire who will not hesitate to pull the trigger if the line is crossed (and they already know where those line are, or should!), it has been my experience that most are unwilling to test you. This is along the same lines as my theory of "call more strikes, call more outs." I feel that if you call the close pitches (even maybe a bit off the plate, or low) a strike, you set your tone for the game, the hitters are more willing to swing, the game becomes shorter, and usually goes pretty smoothly. Being the one who administers that kind of nebulous thing we call a strike zone, it's up to you to set the standards for each game. Call the close ones strikes and see if it doesn't make for a better game all around. As for outs over safes (unless the runner is obviously safe, of course) it's a matter of expectations. Batter hits a smash to third that is snagged, quickly juggled, then the ball zooms across the infield for what appears to be a "tie." I know, there are no ties, right? Uh-huh, right. Call the batter-runner out! It was close, and what is everyone in the park expecting on a fielded ball to third? Right, a groundout, so why not oblige them? You will catch far less grief on a close out call than you will on a close safe call!

Several years ago I had a cousin with a 10-year-old playing ball down in Virginia, and during a family visit we were discussing that topic when he told me it was a community league, and they used only volunteer umpires. You know, the guys who have had no training, little experience, and would not know a uniform outside of the army. My cousin said it would be "so cool" if I could come visit some weekend, bring my "real umpire stuff" and do a game for the team. Silly me....I agreed. So I drive down for a visit on a Friday night preceeding the big game on Saturday, hauling gear and uniform. The next morning we're getting ready to head for the field and my cousin tells me, "Oh, we got you a partner to do the bases. He's been around a long time." I tell that's not really necessary, but he insists it's "to help you out." I feel it coming, but I guess I am just too trusting to stand up for myself. As my cousin and his son head for the field, I begin to get ready in the parking lot (read that "umpire dressing room"), putting on my gear, making sure my shoes are glistening, pants pressed and creased, and everything in order. About 10 minutes before game time I head for the field, still looking for this elusive partner, but he's nowhere to be seen. So I go on the field and all the players and coaches and fans are properly wowed by my professional appearance and demeanor. I ask about my mysterious partner, and am told, "Oh, he'll be here. He's almost never late." Okay, now I know I'm gonna get zapped by this game, but still I smile and go on with it. As the pitcher is warming up, onto the field comes my partner, laughing and joking with everyone he sees, stopping in the home team's dugout to put his arm around the coach and whisper something, followed by a huge guffaw. He is wearing shorts, an old AC/DC tee shirt, a red cap that had seen better days, and sneakers with no socks. I say to myself, "Uh-huh, this is going to be a LOT of fun!" I head in that direction to introduce myself and do some quick discussion about coverages, but the guy says a quick hello as we exchange names, and waves me off, telling me "Aw, we know what we're doing. Besides, you're a real umpire!" Oh yea, this is really going to be great! As the game begins all goes pretty smoothly, but I see my partner has horrible mechanics, bad positioning, and spends much of his time exchanging jokes with fans behind the fence and playing grab-ass with the players he knows! In fact, about the second inning he really kicks a call at first because he was busy watching a hawk circling lazily over the field as it happened, then jerked his head around and yelled, "He's out!" when the runner had beaten the throw. There is not a lot of static, so I keep my mouth shut. But an inning later it happens. A batter laced a rope to right center with a man on first. I watch the ball as it falls fair, watch the batter-runner hit first, then automatically fall into the mechanics I had used for years, calling to my partner, "I've got third," and moving up the line as the man from first tears for that bag with the throw not far behind him. The kids make a fantastic play, but the running slides in a fraction of a second before the tag and I emphatically call him safe. That's when I heard it. My partner, who had not moved all game long, was running across the middle of the diamond, right fist in the air, yelling, "He's out! He's out!" See, it was coming right for my nose and I never flinched. I just let it hit me full in the face! I call time and move to my partner, whose fist is STILL in the air like he's damning some aircraft flying over, and I quietly tell him I was on the play and the runner was safe. It's my call. I informed him I had it. His response is that he is the base umpire and he makes all the calls on the bases. I said, "Yes, but in this situation it's easier and faster for me to go to third for that call. It's umpiring 101." I'm doing my best to maintain a low key, but my partner is getting louder by the second, as well as angrier. I finally told him, "Look, the safe call stands, now let's get on with the game." But no, that's WAY too easy! The guy explodes in my direction, telling me so all could hear that I didn't have a clue about that call, and that he refused to work with me any longer! He walked off the field! But as a parting shot from the dugout he yells, "And you call yourself a real umpire! Hah!"

I have not worked there in 10 years, and I'm not sure how it's done there now, but when I was in Anne Arundel County Maryland back in the late 90s, our association, which handled all the county school games, decided to do something different. Since we had a large association and a lot of qualified umpires wanting to do varsity games, we went to a 3-man crew for each game. This gave more umpires a chance to do varsity, not to mention providing better officiating. We worked on 3-man mechanics till we had it down cold, and presented it to the league. Now the schools only paid two fees per varsity game, but we told them no problem, our crews would simply split the fees 3 ways. Money was not the objective. It was fantastic! Not only was the umpiring better and more consistent, it gave us the opportunity to form real crews -- 3 guys who always worked together. You got to know your partners, know their moves, their tendencies, and there was never a call to be made without an umpire's nose stuck in the middle of it. The players loved it, the managers and coaches loved it, and most of all the umpires loved it. As I said, money was not the objective, but doing the best job possible. I'm just wondering how it is done now in various areas. How many umpires does your group use in a crew? How many of you have worked in a 3-man crew, or a 4-man crew. If you haven't I'll tell you it's a whole different world, and if done right, a whole lot better world. For me there is nothing more interesting than sitting high in the stands and watching that athletic ballet performed by an umpiring crew that knows its stuff! Comments?