SeeingEyeDog

Yup...and you know the fun part of drop dead? The score reverts to the score of the last completed inning. So, when you have a lead change followed by a drop dead? It's always good times... Of course, none of this is the umpires' purview. I don't even tell them that the score reverts back. If they ask I simply state, "You'll have to check with your league leadership or commissioner for the final score of the game..." The irritating coaches who are on the wrong side of a lead change in an inning where we hit the drop dead will try and turn it into a negotiation..."No! There's two minutes left! No! This is a great game here! I cannot believe you are just walking off the field!" Yup, just good vibes all around...nevermind we again mentioned the drop dead rule at the plate meeting and we alerted you at 30 minutes and 5 minutes remaining... ~Dawg

Sure I do. And so do you. And so does every other umpire. You know why? Because at the plate meeting we ask, "We're under NFHS rules. What local modifications do we need to be aware of to adjudicate this game?" And the coaches will tell us, "Yeah, no new inning (insert hours and minutes here)..." As I stated in my OP (presuming no local mods)... I have no problem if we step to the plate meeting and the coaches say, "Yeah, we're allowed to use an EH..." They didn't say that. Not sure why this is unclear... ~Dawg

JV game and...I get it...NFHS is all about inclusionary practices, policies and procedures and getting more student athletes involved with their school teams and in the game. And I fully support that. I know many non-scholastic youth leagues feature an EH. It's a good rule. As with many things that we discuss as umpires in the NFHS game, if the NFHS wants this in their game, write it into the rulebook...please. Failing that, we have to enforce what is written. ~Dawg

Please, brothers...please. Again, without a local mod...and if you have that local mod well...your league is doing it wrong. Without a local mod, teams may NOT use an "extra hitter". NFHS has a designated hitter (DH) rule. How is the extra hitter rule different? The extra hitter allows for unrestricted defensive substitutions. The DH rule does not. Please...if a coach hands you a lineup with an EH (presuming no local mod), please tell them, "Coach, there is no extra hitter rule in NFHS baseball. You may either list that player as a DH or you can list them as a substitute." And do NOT accept the lineup and go forward with the plate meeting until that is corrected. It doesn't matter if it was allowed yesterday, last week, last year, etc. Right here, right now...we are playing NFHS rules and there is no EH in NFHS rules. And then monitor that coach and his substitutions closely. Do not allow him to operate his DH as an EH either! ~Dawg

Brothers, I'm not sure of your local protocols but, if you hear it or see it...you simply must address it. What we permit, we promote. If a coach wants to ask for time, wait for you to grant time and calmly come out and discuss a balk/no balk, I will have a brief discussion. A balk/no balk is judgement so, there's not much to talk about really. I'm trying to give him an opportunity to calmly understand what I am seeing/not seeing and why I am calling/not calling what I am calling/not calling. Some people you just can't reach; which is the way they want it. A coach simply launching invectives from the dugout or coaches box? We have to shut that down and put progressive discipline on it as needed. I don't work NCAA so, I don't know their discipline/ejection protocols. Stop sign, warn and eject seems reasonable here. We simply cannot allow coaches to grind us like this prolongingly. And @The Man in Blue, this is by no means a judgement on you in any way shape or form. I am an admirer of your work and a proud subscriber of your newsletter. I am merely addressing what you posted here... ~Dawg

So, in other words...no one, including the authorized personnel knew one way or another due to the umpire's sub-optimal timing whether it was fair or foul. Still easy...don't touch the ball until the umpire signals foul. If he doesn't signal anything, if they have sub-optimal timing and signal it late or if they have optimal timing and signal it fair...don't touch the ball. Did you ever see "Apocalypse Now"? "Never get out of the boat. Absolutely God damn right...unless you are going all the way." Same, same...don't touch the damn ball. ~Dawg

How hard is it to tell your authorized personnel...LOOK AT THE UMPIRES. This is what a fair signal looks like. This is what a foul signal looks like. DO NOT touch a fair ball. If you are uncertain if it is fair or foul DO NOT touch the ball. ~Dawg

Sure, if that's how it was presented but, I'm too short on time in this world to have to process someone taking themselves way too seriously AND giving bad information to then acknowledge that's how not to do it... ~Dawg

I have yet to see an "umpire influencer" offer anything of value... ~Dawg

In our association, we are told to be "coachable". Listen to your chief during and after the game and make note of their feedback. Yes, sometimes you will receive incorrect feedback. If you aren't sure about feedback you receive, run it by your mentors. If you don't have a mentor, run your feedback by ANY member of the Board. As described, your partner made a mistake...three times. As described, you gave accurate direction AND...you were diplomatic and professional about it and not personal. He decided to take it personal. You can't control what he does so, you're answering your own question here. I don't work with people like this U1. I just don't. If I have to be on the field with someone for 2-3 hours working a game, I want a professional and respectable vibe. We don't have to like each other. We do have to respect each other. Block him in Arbiter and be done with this hump... ~Dawg

In practice, I think these kinds of surveys are a fantastic idea. If I were running NFHS, I would publish the survey results and then talk about how we are going to work the nationwide feedback into our rules. Some of those questions should simply NOT be asked...Why would you ask a question about whether a coach in the coach's box should be allowed to have an electronic device there on the field for "scoring purposes"? Sure, I get it...small school and they don't have the resources to have a parent or other volunteer keeping score. But, exactly how are the umpires supposed to effectively police that to make sure the coach is ONLY using it for "scoring purposes". I don't care if you are taking a survey for presidential candidates...or the national rules of high school baseball. If you take a survey and then don't publish the results and allow those results to guide your review process, it's simply a exercise to pretend to your customers or members that you "care what they think". ~Dawg

I have that on my to-do list. Thank you for this excellent and exclusive opportunity. As soon as the as yet unnamed Nigerian prince wires me back my investment plus dividend, I will contact you immediately... ~Dawg

Yeah, having those batteries go out during a game is a real problem... Recently, I decided to forego batteries altogether and have two bolts installed in my neck. I have also installed a rack for a 500' spool of 10-gauge high voltage cable in the bed of my truck which is then plugged in at the field and then there are alligator clips that clip to the bolts in my neck. And now, I have all the unlimited power I need to power all of those pesky devices...sure makes rotations tough, though... ~Dawg

@MadMax, apologies...yes, this was similar to a basketball "draw charge" kind of play. He released the ball UNHINDERED AND UNIMPEDED as he was moving from the outside of the bag to the inside of the bag. The contact happened AFTER the release but, of course, all the defensive coaches WANT to see (because they don't understand the rule) is contact. This was also similar to a college play from last year where R3 had a clear lane to run to the plate but veered INTO the pitcher fielding a bunt. Plate ruled obstruction on the fielder and awarded R3 home when, due to the veering, it should have been ruled interference by the runner, in my opinion. @834k3r, this business of the 2-man mechanic with R1 and a ball in the infield is a curious case. There seems to be a lot of national discussion on this to include my association. U1 is taking the turn of the DP and can absolutely call FPSR if he sees it. Sometimes U1 doesn't see the FPSR. My association mechanic is for plate to come up on 3B side of the mound (to the best of their ability) and look at the play at 2B, assisting U1. This also provides an opportunity if the play is busted at 2B, typically on a throw from the left side of the field which sends the ball deep into the right side of the field, to get an umpire to 3B to cover a play there. Even the most athletic U1 is starting this in B and will struggle to get a good look at a play into 3B. If plate has come up like they should, he's in a better position. On this play, I saw the play. I was not flatlined but, there could absolutely be instances where plate could be flatlined there on the 3B side of the mound. Coming up on 1B side of the mound would get plate a better view and leave a play into 3B vulnerable to sub-optimal coverage from the crew. 2-man...there's compromises all over the place. We know this. Another thing to consider is, pulled foot/swipe tag support when the play goes into 1B. So, I've heard another version of this that says, there are more close plays at 1B in this situation then there are busted plays that then go into 3B. (I would like some statistics, please...) so, some groups want their plate coming up the 1B line as we would in other situations to potentially get RLI, pulled foot, swipe tag, etc. ~Dawg

So, the above quote was shouted by an assistant coach on a play he felt defensively he should have gotten an FPSR call on. 2-man, my partner and I discussed it and both of us had the runner to the inside of the bag veering further inside and the fielder outside the bag taking the throw, getting the force out and with a clear throwing lane to 1B, inexplicably he crosses over to the inside of the bag deliberately initiating contact to draw an FPSR violation. I was plate coming up on the 3B base side of the mound. I saw the veering. I saw the crossing over and I gave a safe sign and said, "That's nothing..." to try and preventatively umpire it but, I have my back to the 3B dugout. I'm sure they didn't hear me or see my safe sign. I don't really want to discuss the merits of the play... After we got together and discussed it, we confirmed the call. That's when the assistant coach yelled the above quote in the subject line loud enough for all to hear. I warned the head coach immediately. He was clearly embarrassed and turned around and told his assistant to knock it off. I have difficulty sometimes separating my Dad/Parenting judgement from my umpire judgement. If that had been my kid that coach was threatening, I would have not been pleased. Whether my kid was doing what he was supposed to be doing on that play or not...a grown man making a threat like that is sub-optimal. The warning held and we had no issues for the rest of the night. It's still nagging me....he was an assistant...the bar is lower... Brothers, should I have just dumped him? Did I miss an ejection here? ~Dawg

We're splitting hairs and quite frankly so is Brother Tschida... Kindly notice he did NOT say, THE BEST or THE MOST SKILLED umpires are the guys who work for free...no. He simply said those "most deserving of the highest RESPECT in the profession". Frankly, I agree. I love umpiring. I still get a charge on game day as I am packing up and heading out the door and driving to the ballpark. I'm also not here strictly for the cash. But, I don't work for free. Someday, very soon, LL's model of not paying ALL of its umpires a game fee from local to the LLWS is going to end. Either that or LL is going to end... ~Dawg

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, of course...I'm sorry you're tired of seeing his quote. I saw him speak a few years ago and that was his opening remark. Admittedly, when you take one sentence of a 30 minute speech out of context...something is lost. His point was...if you are being paid to do a job...umpiring a baseball game, delivering papers, baby-sitting children, etc...then your approach to that job should be to give your very best each and every time. Because that's what it means to be a professional. And particularly for young people, learning how to be a professional at whatever you undertake is a life skill. The earlier it can be learned, the more potential for success and the amount of success achieved is increased. Take pride in all that you do. Give your very best effort you are capable of giving on that day, in that moment. How is this an undesirable or sub-optimal take? For what it's worth, he closed this portion of the speech by saying that he thinks the umpires most deserving of the highest respect in the profession are those that work for free because their only motivation is to serve The Game. ~Dawg

This is just totally mindboggling to me...do we think players are doing this: A) Because they see MLB players doing this and have no clue B) Because they see MLB players doing this AND have a clue C) They think they are being "sneaky-passive-aggressive-not-really-sneaky-more-like-active-aggressive" D) They legit think ALL OF THE BASEBALL UNIVERSE now has ABS E) Their buddy dared them to do it F) The village bicycle dared them to do it with the promise of a ride with her later Absent direction from my association, assignors and or the state athletic association, I am doing the following: Calling the batter and their coach together near the dirt circle and giving the kid the benefit of the doubt and simply asking him, "Why are you tapping your helmet after the pitch?" and seeing where that leads me. If they say, "Yeah, I disagreed with your call...", then I am issuing a warning and giving it to the coach from there. Pretty much anything else I'm saying, "Ok, let's not do that again, please. If it continues, you will be ejected." I want to learn their motivations so I understand the situation better so I can understand if this is something to be concerned about...or simply a punk child who wasn't raised right and or has sub-optimal baseball IQ and life skills. I also am not there to conduct a rules and etiquette clinic and want to get home at a decent hour. ~Dawg

As with a lot of these sensitive issues, I'm not sure our beloved forum is the right place to sounding board. Your culture may not be @The Man in Blue's... Honestly, BlueDude, I would recommend speaking with a local mentor. Do NOT mention your partner's name...simply discuss what happened. Just the facts. Propose courses of actions you are considering and ask your local mentor what they recommend. In order to protect the innocent and the chain of custody, you do not need to feel compelled to tell your local mentor what you did or will decide to do on the matter in question, of course... I have been off social media entirely since 2012 and I have never looked back or felt bad about the people I left behind. I had an immensely diverse group of social media friends and acquaintances which was both interesting and created a lot of problems as issues of politics, religion, etc. caused a great deal of friction. Highly recommended...the people who really matter in your life will respect your decision and find other ways to stay in touch with you...or not, in which case, they weren't important. ~Dawg

We have been having lots of discussions on this in my market as I'm sure a lot of you have. Sadly, like a lot of NFHS rule changes, I think their hearts were in the right place (pace of play, let's keep it moving! Yes!) but, I knew when I saw these changes coming that there would be foreseen circumstances by umpires that were unseen by everyone else, including the NFHS. Our local interpretations that we've discussed are...players coming together following warmup pitches and F2 throwing it down? Not a PTP meeting, unless it's prolonged. Typically, I will brush the plate following F2 throwing it down. If I come up and the batter is ready, I am ready and my partner is ready and the defense is not? That's a meeting. Relief pitcher comes in, throws his warmup pitches and F2 goes out to discuss signs? This is a safety issue that concerns the batter, F2 and the plate umpire. We will allow this. A team has already had their PTP meeting and now F2 and F1 are crossed up and they want to have a meeting to discuss signs? Again, this is a safety issue however in this case, plate will follow F2 out to the mound and get close enough to hear the conversation. As long as it's signs related, that's ok. As soon as it veers from signs...break up the meeting and resume the game. @834k3r, in the case you presented, I would not have banged a meeting there. Me taking my book out and recording the details of when that meeting took place in the game are more of an impact to pace of play then the short meeting the players did that you described. ~Dawg

So, yeah...all of the above. We have a few guys in my association with some back and bending issues and we seen a little bit of all of this. The most popular option is the telescoping handled plate brush. (I like this option because it communicates that the umpire is having mobility issues. Some might draw negative assumptions about an umpire who wipes the plate with their shoe...) And yes, I have seen 3 guys use a blower device. A little but clunky but, if your desire is to clear the plate and you can't bend over...it gives the best results, hands down. I have a good friend who works for UnderArmour. Despite being an international company now with annual revenue exceeding $5.0B, they still very much have maintained an environment like that of founder Kevin Plank working out of his mother's house and the trunk of his car in the early days, fostering that entrepreneurial and innovative spirit. They openly encourage and welcome all innovative ideas openly. Most of course, never make it to market...like the plate shoe with integrated plate brush. Yes, as mentioned above, Ump-Attire parodied this in an April Fool's post but, my buddy said someone presented a mock up of one at UnderArmour but, they passed... ~Dawg

What do you guys think about reviewing whatever experiences you've had with either coach or sharing things you're aware of about a coach? Looking at it conversely...I want to know what I'm walking into. Oh...the last time you had this coach you ejected him for repeated balls and strikes issues? Whatever it is, I think it's important to know if there's a history there. Anybody have anything else here? ~Dawg

Plate meeting? If I'm running it, I will typically add something like, "Congratulations and welcome to the [insert year] [insert state name here] [insert district, regional, state] playoffs." and then proceed with the usual plate meeting (legally and properly equipped, lineups, the field, sportsmanship, etc.), making special note of any playoff specific rules changes. One that newer coaches get confused about is whether our usual 10 after 5 run rule applies. It does and I will remind them of that. Pre-game meeting with my partners? It's the playoffs. We don't need an overwrought pre-game where you have a power point presentation on an overhead screen there in the parking lot going over coverages but, you do want to have a THOROUGH pre-game. Fair/foul responsibilities, catch/no-catch responsibilities, plays with the ball and plays without the ball and rotational coverages. Discuss dugout coverages. Discuss crew consults (the ENTIRE crew gets together, even if someone doesn't have something to contribute on what happened on the play, if there is a rule application, it helps to have everyone there in case there's confusion about final adjudication. Our custom is the crew chief delivers the final ruling, regardless of whether they made the initial call or not. Your crew may do something different.) In my opinion, this is not time for association gossip, plays from last week or social time. If you don't have something relevant to pre-gaming, keep it professional. ~Dawg

Every time I go to a camp or a cage session, it seems this mechanic and verbal changes... My current arsenal is: Called U3K: point the strike and announce the strike, come out in front of the plate, and make what I call a half-safe signal (left arm remains at my side, right hand is palm down with right index finger against chest which then swings straight out to the side of my body extended...I do this motion twice) while also saying loudly, "NO CATCH! NO CATCH!" and then remain arm extended briefly Swinging U3K: point the strike with NO verbal...and move on to everything else above Stay tuned for another update on this later in the year, I'm sure... ~Dawg

If you are ever unsure in a catch/no-catch situation...find your partner and lock eyes. One of you should tap your chest to indicate you are taking it. ~Dawg