UmpDC

I'm not at all sure these changes address what is really wrong. The trouble is people playing "three result" baseball, meaning they're going to walk, strike out or hit a home run. None of these changes addresses this at all. Metrics will still say stealing bases isn't cost effective baseball. People will still be at the plate trying to yank every pitch out of the yard and there will still be five minutes of commercial breaks between half innings. Now without a shift there is little to no incentive for that to change. None of this will speed up the major league game appreciably. Every form of live entertainment is designed to take three hours because before television people had three hours to kill between the time they finished supper (7 PM) to when they went to bed (10 PM). So everything from plays to baseball to football etc was designed to take three hours per ticket purchased. Look at the start windows for NFL games. 1 PM and 4 PM. The football games all take 3 hours all told and there is far less "action time" in a football game then there is in a baseball game. It's the same with a movie(standard is two hours plus previews plus built in "concession time" and travel), a Broadway show or what have you. Live entertainment is based on that time bloc. So baseball isn't "too slow". It's just that the metrics of the game have dictated that "three result" baseball is the most "winning efficient" baseball to be played at the major league level. Three result baseball makes for a lot of standing around while hitters wait for pitches they believe they can drive out of the park. These rules changes can't and don't address that. As far as the shift goes, my playing days are long over, but when I played the most insulting thing you could do to a hitter is call the outfield in close to the infield. That was telling the hitter "we don't think you can hit it over our heads". That was a shift and the solution was to hit it over their heads a couple of times. Otherwise the hitter had to figure out how to hit it where the defense wasn't. If someone shifts all the defense to one side of the field, they're telling the hitter the exact same thing. The solution would be to learn to hit the ball the other way, like people did for about a hundred years before now. Instead of adjusting their approach, hitters whined for a rules change. It's weak. They might as well draw small chalk circles in the field and tell the fielders they can't leave those circles to make a play. They should widen the zone to get people swinging and force hitters to stop waiting for a cookie they can hit out of the park. That would speed up the game and stimulate offense. Every good umpire knows the key to moving a game is "Strike One". If you can get it consistently the game pace will pick up. Seems MLB has forgotten that. YMMV

Just as an example of how I work my style, I'll tell one on myself. I was doing the back half of a double header in an American Legion game last year. It was a very hot day and the games were as long and sluggish as the afternoon sun. I wasn't having a brilliant day behind the plate, but I was working hard to stay as consistent as possible and move the game a bit. One coach, as he walked to the third base coaching box, carped a little to me about the strike zone. Nothing inflammatory. He just quietly mentioned he didn't like one or two of the calls at the top of my zone. I shrugged and he left it at that. During the inning a player on his team struck out looking on a boarder line high pitch. I thought it caught the top of the zone (the ball or any part thereof), so I called it a strike. Neither the coach or the player said anything. Honestly I think at that point most people just wanted to go home. After the third out the coach comes walking back to the dugout. I was wiping the sweat off my mask pads and he strolled up and said in a quiet voice, "You know called that same pitch a ball a couple of times earlier in the game." I looked at him and winked and said, "Well then that means at least at some point I got it right." He burst out laughing and slapped me on the back. I've never had another issue with that coach ever since.

JonnyCat, I understand your approach and I have used it. I'm not citing myself as an example for behavior so much as pointing out a humorous lack of knowledge on the part of some people who should probably know better. That said, personally I didn't find that approach worked for me and as I watched other umpires I admired and that had the respect of coaches and players, at least in my observation, it was the umpires that were willing to listen and engage a little in "banter". I believe in controlling the tone of the interaction (cool, calm and approachable), especially with coaches I don't know and I find that a quick display of wit or knowledge defuses things 99% of the time. Most of the time they're not really mad at me so much as their mad at the situation and they've got no where else to go with it. It's my style which I developed over years and it works for me. My approach has a lot to do with what I do for a living. (I'm a small business man and customer service is Job One. I can't just shut people down and keep their business. I let them blow a little, then talk to them in a calm and friendly tone and that fixes 99% of all the problems I encounter with clients. Your millage may vary.) I'm always cool and collected when I speak to clients and I always let them have their say. Then I address their issue directly and, when warranted, have a wink and a smile with them). It's just who I am and I can't really be any other way without looking like a phony. No one else has to do it my way. The only thing you said that I take any slight exception to is that my approach one of the main reasons for the baseball officals shortage. That's a multi-faceted problem and there are many causes. It hasn't been my experience that handling things with a wink, a smile and a couple of calm, cool and collected moments of detente has been a catalyst for trouble. That said, I was hoping others would have some "head scratch-er" stories to tell.

That's a little habit of mine. I tell every coach at the plate meeting that if they want to talk to me ore my partner they should ask for time before they come onto the field. I make them do it even if there is a dead ball or time is out because I find it stops a lot of coaches from charging out of the dugout in a white heat. It almost forces them to slow down and take a breath. Technically it's not necessary, but I make them do it so their approach to me and my partner is kind of regulated. Plus I can assert a bit of control at the beginning of the conversation by saying something like, "Coach, did you call time out? Remember I asked you guys at the plate meeting to call time out before you come talk to us?" Almost every time I'll see them pause, take a breath and then say, "Time please, Blue" and the whole situation de-escalates a bit. It's a small tone setter. I always make it clear I'll listen to anything so long as its in a civil tone and face to face. I've let coaches call time, walk up to me and, in a civil tone, swear at me for missing a call and I'll let it run because they stayed calm and followed the procedure. They feel better because they got their say and I don't have to raise my voice or write up ejection paperwork after the game. I don't like to eject people and will go out of my way not to and this was a trick a wise old umpire taught me. One of the things I'm proudest of with the above examples is no one got ejected as a result. Your milage may vary, but it works for me.

I umpire varsity baseball and travel ball like a lot of other umpires here. Where I umpire there is a facility that hosts a lot of Travel Ball tournaments. The last five to ten years has seen an explosion in the number of travel ball teams out there. Mostly the coaches in varsity baseball and travel ball are good, but every once in a while I see or hear something from one of them that makes me go "What did you say?" Here are my top four 2022 examples. Perhaps other umps will add their favorites in this thread. Number 1 - 18U travel ball game. I am behind the plate and my partner is in the B position. R1 is on first and the Batter Runner has a two ball count. The pitcher throws a pitch and the BR pops it up in foul ground between the plate and first. The first baseman drifts into foul territory and reaches up for the ball. The ball clanks out of his glove, drops directly down to the ground in foul territory and then rolls into fair territory. The first basemen yells, "Crud, I dropped it", so there is no mystery about him clanking the play. I call it "Foul" and do the foul ball mechanic. As the players are returning to position, the Coach of the Offensive team (in the first base dugout so this all happened right in front of him) calls time out and hustles up to me and proclaims, "That's a fair ball!". I explain that it's foul because it touched the Firstbaseman's mitt in foul territory. He continues his argument with an example of a bunt that rolls foul and then goes fair at the last minute. I agree with that but tell him that's not the case if the ball hits something while it is foul. He turns from me to my partner and yells, "Tell your partner that ball is fair." My partner shakes his head and says, "No coach, that is foul". He continues to get upset, so I finally mollify him and get him back in the dugout (without having to eject him) by telling him that there is a rule that states that as soon as an umpire yells "foul" the ball is foul no matter where it is. As he heads back for the dugout he looks over his shoulder and says, "Just so long as you know you got it wrong." Number 2 - 16U travel ball game. I am in the B position and there is a runner on first with no outs. The pitcher toes the rubber and R1 takes a lead. The pitcher comes set and then tucks his chin down against his front shoulder to peek at the runner. Then he lifts his head up to look at his target. Then he lowers his chin to peek at the runner. Then he looks up to the target and pitches. My partner calls a strike. The first base coach calls time out and tells me "He balked". I asked for his argument. The coach tells me "He's deceiving the runner by nodding his head up and down like that.". I tell the coach, "A pitcher can't balk with his head." The coach says, "The rule gives you the discretion to call that a balk and he's balking by deceiving the runner by nodding his head like that". I ask the coach, "Then how is the pitcher supposed to check the runner on first?" The coach says, "As soon as he comes set he can't look back." I think for a minute and then just to move the game along and not argue anymore, I say to him with a smile, "Coach, you said it's in my judgment right? Well then in my judgment that's not a balk." 21 ways to balk in the game. I'm not familiar with any that involve nodding. Number 3 - Varsity baseball. R1 on first and R2 on second with one out and the pitcher is in the stretch. I'm in the C position. The pitcher comes set and then clearly steps back off the rubber and attempts to pick to first. He throws it over the first baseman's head and directly into dead ball territory. I call "Time" and say, "The pitcher stepped back before he through, so that's two bases to the runners" and I score R2 and place R1 on third. The coach, from the dugout screams at me, "Your timing sucks! You need to let the play develop before you make a call!" I said, "Coach since you' chose to yell across the diamond I'm going to ask you this question so everyone can hear it. That ball was out of play as soon as it crossed the white "out of play" line. By that I mean "out of play" as in the play is over and nothing else can happen. Perhaps you can explain to the rest of the class exactly what other occurrence should I wait for before I make the call "Out of Play?" The coach pauses, opens his mouth and then sits down on the bench quiet. Game resumes with no more argument and no need for an ejection. Number 4 - 18U travel ball game. R1 is on first and the pitcher is left handed. I'm in the B position. The pitcher comes set and then lifts his front leg. R1 is going on the first move and attempts to steal second. The pitcher alertly picks to first and the first baseman throws to the shortstop at second base. A run down ensues. The shortstop runs R1 back towards first and then throws to the Firstbaseman. The SS halts in the exact spot in the baseline from where he threw the ball. The firstbaseman starts to chase R1 toward second and R1 collides with the SS while the Firstbaseman is still holding the ball. I call time, point with my left hand and call "Obstruction" and place R1 on second base. The defensive coach charges onto the field without calling time out and yells, "That's not obstruction, Blue. You don't know the rule! You don't even know that it's not 'obstruction'! It's interference! Get it straight before you make a call!" I turn to the coach and say, "First off, I'm going to do you a favor. 'Time out'! Now we can talk. Coach that's textbook obstruction. The short stop is in the baseline without the ball and he's not in the immediate act of catching the ball. The baserunner collided with him and that's 'Obstruction'. You obstruct runners and you interfer with the defense." He looks confused and then shouts, "Well you have to give the shortstop time to make a baseball move." I took my sunglasses off and said, "Coach, I'm familiar with five rule sets; Little League, NHSF, Babe Ruth, American Legion and the Official Rules of Baseball. If you can pull out your phone, google that term and find a place in any one of them the phrase 'baseball move', I'll put R1 wherever you want him." He opens his mouth to argue, when his own Shortstop taps him on his shoulder and says, "Coach, the Blue is right." Now I'm not claiming to be perfect, but maybe at that level some of these coaches should had some of this stuff straight by now.

I raised three catchers before I became an umpire. We always discussed how it was their job to make the pitch look good (optics) and to help the umpire see the strikes. I always preached a few simple things. 1. Don't make the umpire's job harder. If you try to "frame" or "steal" pitches, you make yourself an adversary rather than an ally. So if it isn't a strike, catch it and throw it back. 2. If you move your hand after you catch a pitch, you're, in essence, telling the umpire you didn't think that pitch was a strike. Why move your hand if it's a strike? The only reason to move your hand is to "fool" the umpire into thinking the pitch was a strike. Better that you just don't do it. 3. Reach out, get your thumb under the ball, stop the pitch cold and freeze for strikes. A good catcher will reach out and stop that pitch right when it's a strike. Don't let it travel or try to pull it back into the zone. When a ball goes "pop" against the pocket of the mitt it SOUNDS like a strike to the whole world. Pushing directly against the ball's momentum will cause that "pop" in the mitt and, more importantly, the momentum of the pitch doesn't push the glove out of the strike zone. 4. Frame with your body, not your glove. Try to catch the pitch as close to the center line of your body as possible. Move your whole body to the location where you want the pitch and keep your glove along the center line of your body. Sway your hips slightly left or right to keep the glove right in the middle of your body. If you reach side to side for the ball it looks bad (bad optics) to everyone in the park, so use your body to show you are not reaching side to side. This one is a huge pet peeve of mine as an umpire now that everyone is down on their knee/butt instead of in a crouch. (My kids all crouched full time). The current popular pose behind the plate (on a knee) fixes the catcher in place so they have to reach instead of having a little latitude to sway their body. A pitch off the outside black caught with a firm hand and a big "pop" in the mitt near the middle of a catcher's body looks more like a strike than a pitch in the white that a catcher has to reach across their body to catch. 5. Do your level best to make sure the umpire doesn't get hit with the ball. Block everything you possibly can stop, even if there isn't anyone on base. It's hard enough to call balls and strikes, but if the umpire behind the plate is dodging pitches it's even harder. Show the umpire that they can stay locked in their stance because you will do your level best to make sure they don't get hit. 6. Stick up for the umpire when they get it right. If someone on your team questions a pitch and you know it wasn't a strike, then say so. I personally find it gratifying when a catcher does this for me. I work hard on my zone and I try to be very consistent. It's nice when a coach questions a pitch in the fifth inning and I hear a catcher say something to the effect of, "Ump's right. He's been there all day, Coach". It's about building a rapport and that is done through establishing credibility. I try very hard to listen when I umpire to people that I believe have credibility. People who bark all the time just become background noise. When someone who has established their credibility with me takes a quiet moment to have a word, I always listen to them. That's what a catcher should strive to be.

I've been umpiring for five years now. I've heard all kinds of arguments about what is "wrong" with baseball. Personally I'm of the opinion that nothing is wrong with baseball. I've heard a lot about "Robo-ump" lately. You know, those automated strike zones that are being tested in some leagues. And everyone has seen the "K-Zone" on baseball broadcasts that allegedly show what a miserable job we umpires do when we call balls and strikes. It always seemed odd to me that umpire inaccuracy is bemoaned with one breath of the announcers, and yet in the next breath they are trumpeting the catcher's ability to "frame" and "steal" strikes by making close pitches appear to be strikes with their magical receiving skills. However that is beside the point. What is the point is the push to get the "human element" out of calling balls and strikes, meaning get an automated system to call balls and strikes and leave the umpire there as a place holder to announce the decision of the flawless machine. After thinking about it for a long time I've decided that, while I am biased, it's not really the umpires that are the problem when it comes to balls and strikes. The problem is not just that umpires are human and therefore make some mistakes. The problem with baseball is not only is it umpired by humans, but it also played by humans. With that as a given, the true weak link in the chain of desired perfection when it comes to balls and strikes, is the pitcher. That's right. I said it. We need to do away with the pitcher. Pitchers are notoriously inaccurate. Not only are they prone to missing the strike zone, but sometimes they miss the catcher, the umpire and even the backstop. Pitchers are also notoriously high maintenance. They take times outs and slow the game down with their constant preening and rituals. Pitchers are also notoriously mercurial. It takes a phalanx of other people to keep them on an even keel and they even require their very own coach, known as a "pitching coach". A pitcher's mood swings wildly with each pitch. They're prone fits of rage over the smallest perceived slight. And when provoked they're prone to throwing the baseball at other players on purpose. Pitchers are notorious for taking up a lot of time between pitches and are liable to step off the rubber at any moment. Pitchers are also notoriously prone to many other faults such as balks, overthrown pickoff attempts, fielding errors and missed signs that cross up the catchers. Pitchers also have a nasty habit of getting tired, requiring more time to substitute in another one. They get finicky about the weather and they require a lot of time to warm up. They are prone to injury and sometimes they just aren't concentrating or just don't "have it". Sometimes they break the rules and load up or doctor the baseballs, but they also have the temerity to get petulant with anyone who questions them about these practices. Sometimes they simply cannot throw certain pitches at all, least of all for a strike. And frankly pitchers are just a little on the disgusting side with their constant spiting and picking at their wedgies. It's plain to see that the source of all the problems with baseball can ultimately be traced back to the fact that we have humans pitching in baseball. So my proposal is a really simple one. If we want to remove the uncertainty from the decision of "ball or strike" then we simply need to do away with the pitchers. Put a pitching machine out there on the mound and have it laser sighted to hit a tiny reflective surface mounted in the catcher's mitt. That would eliminate all of the problems listed above, speed the game up and, ultimately, remove the uncertainty from the decision of "ball" or "strike". It's obvious that a pitching machine is vastly superior to an actual person throwing the ball from the mound. I think it's an idea who's time has come. So the next time someone tells you that what we need is a robo-ump, just simply explain to them what the true problem with the game is. I mean, if we're removing the human element from the art of calling balls and strikes (which we all know is the thing that actually makes the game move in the end) then why not simply rid ourselves of the human element that is so prevalent on the pitching mound. Now obviously this was satire, but I'm not entirely kidding. The game is designed to be played AND umpired by humans. Humans have flaws and make mistakes and that is the thing that makes the games we play great. The biggest lie in sports is that games are decided by a call. They are NOT decided by one call and they never were. They are decided by a matrix of decisions and actions that begin to spin out as soon as the first pitch is thrown. For every "missed" call I can point someone to three or four "swing and misses" etc. Each pitch is a play and those plays all add up to the result of the game and if a team needs a call from an umpire to get a win, they didn't take care of their business in the game very effectively. That's just my opinion. So if we're going to get rid of the umpires because they might make a mistake every so often, then the pitchers are simply next in line. If we wanted perfection, we wouldn't include humans in the game after all. Your milage may vary.

Hiya! I just completed my first year as an Umpire. I did all levels from Little League up to High School Varsity. I'm a member of the Greater New Haven Baseball Umpire's Association in New Haven, CT. My children are all through High School and I was looking for a way to stay involved in baseball, so I decided to get into umpiring. The players were great and the coaches were pretty good. The parents in the crowd could be a little rugged at times, however, I really enjoyed my first year and I'm looking forward to making all brand new mistakes in my second year. I think I'm in for the long haul. I found this site when I was looking for information on a rule (High School substitutions) and decided to join up.