SeeingEyeDog

Max, I don't know, man...I just don't know...yes, I have seen the wristbands improperly warn. The other night was the first night I had a coach giving the pitch via code. It was new to me. It was irregular to me. It was unfamiliar to me. I thought the purpose of this forum was for umpires to post content and have discussions especially about things they were unfamiliar with? You know...on the off chance that...I dunno...maybe someone has experience with and could offer some advice and assistance with? You know...kind of like how siblings do for each other? Maybe that's just my family and my market... I'm sorry I haven't seen everything on a baseball field and feel compelled to ask more veteran umpires about things... Of course...that's just like my opinion...I could be wrong, man... ~Dawg

Thanks, Murray...somehow, I knew you come through on this... ~Dawg

Wait...we're supposed to have batteries? ~Dawg

I had a coach recently giving a 3 digit "sign" verbally from the dugout to his pitcher and catcher. Presumably, this was the pitch call as well as defensive coverage information. I don't see anything in the rule book on this so, I allowed it while my partner and I monitored its execution to insure there were no undue delays and there weren't. If we saw a quick pitch, we would have grabbed that but, again we didn't have that either. 6-1-1A says "...the pitcher shall take or simulate taking the sign from the catcher with the pivot foot in contact with the pitcher's plate." So, if he takes the verbal sign while off the rubber, he must simulate taking the sign once his pivot foot contacts the rubber and before he starts his delivery or we have an illegal pitch or quick pitch. If he straddles the rubber (no contact) while taking the verbal sign again, as long as he simulates taking the sign once his pivot foot contacts the rubber and before he starts his delivery, the runners are not being deceived and we do not have an illegal or quick pitch. Anything else to watch or be aware of in this situation under these rules? ~Dawg

Thank you for sharing this, Jay...this is exactly how umpires and our associations should be using social media for purposes of recruiting. Finding and retaining umpires is like launching a rocket...the earlier in the launch cycle you are, the harder it is to have a successful launch/keep that umpire. ~Dawg

Only in the game of baseball could batting gloves in the back pocket mean one thing in one situation...and mean something else in another situation... Can you imagine talking with a coach where the sequence is HBP in the batting glove in the back pocket with a base award...followed by the same player getting picked off at 1B before the next pitch of the game on a tag to the same batting glove in the same back pocket..."Coach, we got it correct. Yes, the two plays look very similar. No, they are not the same. No, I will not go to my partner on that." ~Dawg

@The Man in Blue, was it this one? (Disturbing how many clips there are of this happening...) ~Dawg

If a BATTING GLOVE is in the batter's back pocket...and the glove only is HBP, is the batter legally and properly equipped? Asking for a friend... ~Dawg

Citation, please? ~Dawg

I know a lot of people are going to come in here and say, "If you had interference, why didn't you call it? Why did you wait until after the play to say you had interference?"...and so on. I get it. That's NOT technically plate's call but...if you saw it when it happened? You're an umpire. Call it. 1) I have interference. 2) It's U1's call. You got together and decided to call interference. The proper procedure is for the umpire whose call that was, (U1 here) to go to the "impacted" coach first. (The coach of the team the call is going against.) Was this an NFHS rule game? If so, the ball is dead on the interference so, R2 would be out and the BR is awarded 1B. "Coach, after conferring with my partner, we have interference. Your runner from second base is out on the interference call and the batter runner is awarded first base." Then U1 should go over to the other coach and inform him of the final ruling. Oh...and make sure you send the coach back to his dugout BEFORE you get together with your partner. 5-1-1e is your NFHS citation. 3) Yes, your partner had his opinion..."that's nothing" and you can have something different. You had interference? Call interference. Then you can get together and talk about it. Please make sure you are 100% sure of that in real time. 4) Correct...see above. 5) That is entirely your judgement. As described, I have interference and I am enforcing it as indicated above. ~Dawg

Timing...such a great topic. The element of timing within the ball/strike-verse that I find so fascinating is...the consistency of an umpire's timing. To include my own of course. As last year wound to a close, I had some college guys tell me, "Your strike timing is great. Your ball call is too quick." And I started to hear this repeatedly so, I spent some time addressing it. Then one night it hit me... We are all trained to stay DOWN on our ball calls, call the pitch a ball...and then stand up to reset for the next pitch. And for a strike call we are all trained to come UP on our strike call, call the pitch a strike married to a mechanic...and then reset for the next pitch. Ok, nothing revolutionary there...wait for it... In order to mirror our timing so the interval is the same whether ball or strike...we must make room in the sequence on the ball call FOR THE STANDING UP part of the strike call which we don't do on a ball call! When we SLOW DOWN the ball call, just a beat or two...that beat or two is the space filled between when we process the strike call and when we stand up. As soon as I added that beat or two to my ball call, it brought both calls beautifully together. If you were to close your eyes and just listen for the pop of the mitt, the pause and then the ball or strike call...you would hear little change to the timing of either call. ~Dawg

Marble, let's not have any more of that, please. If you continue, you will be ejected...and we will all still love you. ~Dawg

Alex/Ken, I'd like LL 4.06 and or LL 9.01 prohibiting coaches and players from making a mockery of the game...for $100, please? ~Dawg

@Richvee, I am seeing this in my market as well. It used to be poor losers crying and complaining about the umpiring and now we're seeing "poor winners" who didn't even need umpires on their game as they beat their opponents by 15, 20 or 25 runs...it really is bizarre. What's ironic is when I talk to guys who were umpiring in the 2000s and 1990s they tell me it was worse in those days. As for the walk from the field back to the cars...think about your route out as you are walking IN. Is there an outfield gate or a foul territory gate past either dugout that you could use on the way out? Nobody likes a long walk back and forth from cars to the field but, are you parking as out of the way as possible? Away from where the team buses might be and the bulk of fan parking? Conduct your post-game as efficiently as possible and depart the facility as efficiently as possible. I think the saddest part of this entire situation is...NOBODY, nobody thinks they are the problem. No coach, parent or player thinks they have ever said anything inappropriate or abusive towards an official. It's not golf...I get it. Officials are always going to hear something negative about their work from fans whose team the calls go against but, there's room for improvement and nobody is interested in improving the culture except the officials. And I'm sure coaches, parents would say, we don't have to respect the officials...that's what the money's for. One thing's for sure...nobody loves sports like the officials. Why else would we put up with it decade after decade? And even if we did blow the call and your kid lost the Intergalactic Champeenchip Of Duh World? So what...it's a god damn game. They're kids. They will experience far WORSE disappointments as adults then anything that will ever happen to them on a baseball field as a kid. ~Dawg

Have skill will travel... ~Dawg