The 10 Commandments

[BrianC14]

The 10 Commandments of Umpiring

by Ford C. Frick, 1949

1. Keep your eye on the ball.

2. Keep all your personalities out of your work. Forget and forgive.

3. Avoid sarcasm. Don't insist on the last word.

4. Never charge a player and, above all, no pointing your finger or yelling.

5. Hear only the things you should hear - be deaf to others.

6. Keep your temper. A decision made in anger is never sound.

7. Watch your language.

8. Take pride in your work at all times. Remember, respect for an umpire is created off the field as well as on.

9. Review your work. You will find, if you are honest, that 90% of the trouble is traceable to loafing.

10. No matter what your opinion of another umpire, never make an adverse comment regarding him. To do so is despicable and ungentlemanly.

[mstaylor]

There is a lot of truth even now. I take a little issue with 9 but it is true to an extent.

[Stan W.]

I like it.........maybe "loss of focus" is a better term than loafing...

[BrianC14]

I like it.........maybe "loss of focus" is a better term than loafing...

I think that losing your focus in a game is just another form of loafing... mental loafing.

The term, "move with a purpose" comes to mind.... an umpire runs to a spot... but running to that spot is useless if he's not considering WHY he's going there.

Guys, I appreciate the Nominations, but this OP should be exempted, as it's not my list...

Thank you, Ford Frick.

[Umpire in Chief]

Brian,

You brought it to our attention and I for one appreciated it.

[PeteBooth]

The 10 Commandments of Umpiring

by Ford C. Frick, 1949

Number one on the list should be

1. Keep an eye out for GLM's

ok back to your OP

One thing which IMO should be on the list is this.

Do not let a bad call get you down and keep you from focusing. I beleive we have all "kicked" our share of calls. Just like when we played we were told not to dwell on an error we committed or K'ing on a bad pitch. We were told to keep our head in the game and get'm next time.

When we umpire no one is going to tell us "that was ok blue get the next call right" For the most part we will take a little heat for a blown call but then we have to forget about it and get ready for the next pitch or call on the bases.

Early in my career I used to dwell on the bad calls I made and inevitably my entire game there after would suffer.

In summary: Do not dwell on bad call. let it go and get ready for the next one.

Pete Booth

[BrianC14]

Number one on the list should be

1. Keep an eye out for GLM's

ok back to your OP

One thing which IMO should be on the list is this.

Do not let a bad call get you down and keep you from focusing. I beleive we have all "kicked" our share of calls. Just like when we played we were told not to dwell on an error we committed or K'ing on a bad pitch. We were told to keep our head in the game and get'm next time.

When we umpire no one is going to tell us "that was ok blue get the next call right" For the most part we will take a little heat for a blown call but then we have to forget about it and get ready for the next pitch or call on the bases.

Early in my career I used to dwell on the bad calls I made and inevitably my entire game there after would suffer.

In summary: Do not dwell on bad call. let it go and get ready for the next one.

Pete Booth

That's sound advice, Pete.

Though I think that Nos. 2 and 6 cover that pretty well. I don't believe that those two are exclusively meant in reference to others; if you make a mistake, you have to forget it, AND forgive yourself. You also have to keep your temper (I get pretty angry at myself for kicking a call) - but don't let that anger allow you to misjudge the next call. :shakehead:

[carolinablue]

Number one on the list should be

1. Keep an eye out for GLM's

ok back to your OP

One thing which IMO should be on the list is this.

Do not let a bad call get you down and keep you from focusing. I beleive we have all "kicked" our share of calls. Just like when we played we were told not to dwell on an error we committed or K'ing on a bad pitch. We were told to keep our head in the game and get'm next time.

When we umpire no one is going to tell us "that was ok blue get the next call right" For the most part we will take a little heat for a blown call but then we have to forget about it and get ready for the next pitch or call on the bases.

Early in my career I used to dwell on the bad calls I made and inevitably my entire game there after would suffer.

In summary: Do not dwell on bad call. let it go and get ready for the next one.

Pete Booth

Good advice, and easier said than done. I would say probably one of the marks of a mature, experienced, and confident umpire.

How do you veterans handle the ensuing, inevitable coach confrontation when you know you just kicked a call.? Do you ever admit you kicked it. ?

[Mr Umpire]

Good advice, and easier said than done. I would say probably one of the marks of a mature, experienced, and confident umpire.

How do you veterans handle the ensuing, inevitable coach confrontation when you know you just kicked a call.? Do you ever admit you kicked it. ?

I won't. Simply b/c I don't know how the coach will take it. Some will just say "Oh well". Others will act like Bobby Cox when the umpire admitted he screwed up and signaled strike when he said and meant for Ball Four. Bobby wouldn't let it go even after the umpire seemed to admit that he screwed up. Bobby eventually got tossed b/c he wouldn't just let it go.

So, I won't admit it if I did or not. As far as they know, I saw it my way and called it that way. And, as far as they know, I got it right based on what I saw.

[Ump Rube]

Good advice, and easier said than done. I would say probably one of the marks of a mature, experienced, and confident umpire.

How do you veterans handle the ensuing, inevitable coach confrontation when you know you just kicked a call.? Do you ever admit you kicked it. ?

Not really a vet, but I would like to answer anyways. Never admit to it on the field. Never. It doesn't help anything in anyway. Occasionally, if I have known the coach for years, or is a fellow ump in another league, after the game I might admit it.

Most recent time I blew one, it was a 3-4 game in the 5th, F1 has been lights out this inning. 1-2 count pitch right down the middle. I had been jumpy all night and was really working this inning on sticking in there, and got too focused on that to notice the pitch was a strike.

Everyone starts yelling, the pitcher is about ready to charge me, and all I hear from the coach in the dugout is, "Get over it! You know you have it. Now throw another one, and get the hell in here!"

THANK YOU COACH!

[mstaylor]

Some coaches get it and some don't, same thing for players. As far as admiting a mistake on the field it generally isn't done particularly if you are new or young. As an old geezer I can do a lot of things that younger or newer guys can't get away from. I have admited to managers that I missed a call but very infequently. what I have done when questioned on a judgment call, I will tell a coach that from his angle he saw it different than me but from my angle the play is X and is staying there. It lets him know that while I am sure with what I saw, I am alllowing that he probabbly saw it differently.

[Finnblue]

As I told before, I have admitted making a wrong call. That's because everyone saw my blunder. The DC came to ask me why I changed if, I told him I blew it and he walked away. After the game he came to me to tell that there's no umpire in Germany who would have admitted making a blunder.

MS

[Umpire in Chief]

I have told a coach I've kicked a call, and I've even told a coach that I kicked one and I wasn't going to be able to change it. In that case you have to be ready to let the coach have his say I'll give him a little leeway until he gets too personal.

[PeteBooth]

How do you veterans handle the ensuing, inevitable coach confrontation when you know you just kicked a call.? Do you ever admit you kicked it. ?

That is the 64 thousand dollar question and we could start a new thread on this subject matter. IMO there is no clear-cut answer.

For the most part the first thing a coach wants the umpire who "kicked" the call to do is get help. That is ANOTHER subject all it's own so when you ask the question How do you handle a situation in which you kicked a call will also bring in the topic of asking for help. IMO, the 2 are inter-twined.

Most of us who have attened a PRO clinic specifically the Evans clinic KNOW that the PROS frown on asking for help in a 2 person system, HOWEVER, if you watch enough MLB baseball, it seems that the umpires huddle more then they used to and contrary to what is taught do seek help in certain situations. The Mets / Braves game a few years back comes to mind when the umpire "kicked" a catch / no catch call.

It all boils down to the coach. Do you know him? What type of league is it? etc. etc. Also, in some respects you have to be careful when admitting certain mistakes otherwise it can bite you in the you know what?

Example: You miss a balk call. The OM requests and is granted TIME. He says "hey Pete didn't F1 balk" I say "skip I missed it" as opposed to "Skip I MAY HAVE missed it but I will watch next time"

In the former the coach could Protest a rule misapplication claiming that the umpire admitted he "blew the call" and did NOTHING to correct it. In the latter, I acknowledged the coaches concern but DID NOT violate a rule.

Therefore, depending upon the teams / coaches and circumstances will dictate whether you can admit you kicked it, however, when you do admit you "kicked it" be prepared for the coach to ask you to get help which in a way you are now forced to do (by admitting you have no clue) UNLESS your partner was in no position to aid you.

In general I would NOT admit to a coach that I kicked it. I would say something along the lines of "skip I had him on the bag" (using the pulled foot scenario) etc. We all make mistakes it's just that umpire mistakes seem to be armagedon sometimes.

Pete Booth

[mstaylor]

In Pete's balk scenario I would say the coach has no grounds for a protest. Both statements are about judgment not a rule. If he said that he had a no stop but that's not a balk then certainly that's protestable. What I generally tell a coach about balks is I didn't see any violation but ask what is he seeing that he thinks is a balk. If he has a valid question I will tell nim I will watch for it. If he doesn't then I will explain why it isn't.

Saturday I was working a Pony fall ball game where they weren't calling balks until Monday. You had two experienced travel ball teams playing and I had a LH pitcher come straight down the hill and throw to first. I come up with the balk call, he overthrows first and the runner makes third. I had to kill it, explain the balk and return the runner to first. One manager thought I was completely wrong about the balk and the other was mad because I returned the runner. Precisely why you shouldn't warn on balks. Long story short I had to explain to one coach that a balk is not an option play, it's either a balk or he result of the play and that the play itself determines which way it goes.

[noumpere]

I had a LH pitcher come straight down the hill and throw to first. I come up with the balk call, he overthrows first and the runner makes third. I had to kill it, explain the balk and return the runner to first. One manager thought I was completely wrong about the balk and the other was mad because I returned the runner.

PONY plays by OBR, so "the other" manager was right to be mad. You should have left the runner at third.

[Aging_Arbiter]

Number one on the list should be

1. Keep an eye out for GLM's

ok back to your OP

One thing which IMO should be on the list is this.

Do not let a bad call get you down and keep you from focusing. I beleive we have all "kicked" our share of calls. Just like when we played we were told not to dwell on an error we committed or K'ing on a bad pitch. We were told to keep our head in the game and get'm next time.

When we umpire no one is going to tell us "that was ok blue get the next call right" For the most part we will take a little heat for a blown call but then we have to forget about it and get ready for the next pitch or call on the bases.

Early in my career I used to dwell on the bad calls I made and inevitably my entire game there after would suffer.

In summary: Do not dwell on bad call. let it go and get ready for the next one.

Pete Booth

Pete,

While I sincerely appreciate all of your wisdom that you bring, I think I need to differ with you on one point. Who knows, maybe it was just verbiage. Where you say that "we have to forget about it and get ready for the next pitch".......I think forgetting about it might be incorrect as interpreted. If you forget about it, you won't realize & learn from your mistakes. If we are all striving to do our best, learning & growing must be continual. However, if you put that moment behind you until the game is over, you may even be more receptive of any solicited constructive criticism in your post game. Just a thought.

[mstaylor]

PONY plays by OBR, so "the other" manager was right to be mad. You should have left the runner at third.

OBR doesn't warn on balks either but that was exactly what they told me to do. Call the balk, kill it and return the runner. Since I think this is a BS thing to do, i always make it a point to make everybody mad about it whenever I can. The DA coaches are the ones that passed the rule so I piss them off about it whenever possible. :angel4:

[noumpere]

OBR doesn't warn on balks either but that was exactly what they told me to do. Call the balk, kill it and return the runner. Since I think this is a BS thing to do, i always make it a point to make everybody mad about it whenever I can. The DA coaches are the ones that passed the rule so I piss them off about it whenever possible.

My mistakes (yes, plural). I didn't get the "warning" part and I misread that you returned the runner to second (giving one base on the balk instead of two on the play).

[mstaylor]

No, he went back to first. They doidn't want the balk enforced, just warned and negate any play made during the balk call. I'm sure that they meant to negate any out but that isn't what they said.