Southern Umpires Camp Day 4

[Umpire in Chief]

Final day (Sunday)

We had a brief classroom session covering check swings to start the day.

Next, we headed back to the field. Again we were divided into 3 groups. I started the day in the bull pen with Ed Rapuano. This time instead of watching our tracking of the ball and timing we were working on situations with the batter. Rapuano would set up as a batter and fully swing, check swing, be hit by the pitch (sponge balls were being shot out of the machine), hit while out of the box, attempt to hit while out of the box, call time, call time to late, have CI, have unintentional batter-catcher contact, even the batter charging the mound. You had no clue what he was going to throw out at you.

In my time the first pitch Rapuano jumped from the righty box to the lefty box once the pitcher became set. Tried (unsuccessfully) to be hit by the pitch, the only one I butchered was he ran way out of the box to try and bunt but made no contact and I called him out. -- Bonehead.

Next I went over to Paul Nauert. Same drill different techniques. Nauert would backtalk on pitches, a lot of check swings, be HBP, lollygag getting back in the box. With him twice I would point at him on a check swing then say "Yes he did! -- Strike!" obviously if you're calling him on the swing you don't need to say strike.

After that we had a lunch break and then went to the field to discuss balks and plays at the plate with Tripp Gibson & Steve Manders. This was pretty textbook kind of stuff, but they made it interesting. We didn't do any actual drills it was more an on the field lecture with Tripp simulating pitching stances, balks, what is/isn't considered gaining distance and direction.

Then we went to the plate area to discuss plate work but more along the lines of clearing the catcher on a passed ball, positioning for fly balls fielded by the catcher, plays at the plate, clearing the bat.

We went back to the hotel for our final wrap up, and some awards were given out. My partner from the fungo drills won the "Best Field Work Award" which was well deserved, especially when his partner gave him so many opportunities to look good. ;)