Well, I sucked yesterday

[Mr Umpire]

I don't know what was wrong yesterday. The low strike was definitely not my friend. I called things one way then questioned it. I wasn't seeing the bottom of my zone for some reason at all. Catchers didn't help much by snatching and pushing pitches. But, I just wasn't seeing it very well.

Then, when I couldn't seem to fix it, it affected my timing on the low ones and things just got worse. It was a bad day and hopefully, my only one. Plus, when some idiot accused me of cheating, it didn't help my frustration level any. I got more pi$$ed off when that comment was made as I kept questioning some of my low calls.

Overall, I sucked but did fine in all other areas of the game. What is left for the PU to be good at.

[Thunderheads]

Were you too low ??

[mstaylor]

Did you ask your partner what he thought about your zone. Sometimes he can see things that you are missing. Your whole zone may have may been off but you were only thinking the bottom. Bad catchers can make these things really tough.

[sdix00]

Lately I have been having conversations with my catchers from 10U all the way to JV. I let them know to freeze the pitch where they catch it for one beat (and one beat only) before they get rid of it. If they move the glove after they catch it, they probably won't help me much. If they don't freeze where they catch it for a beat, I probably can't see the strike. I even told them that they might have stolen a strike from their pitcher.

Every catcher improved at some point during each game. In one of my JV games, the visiting catcher was practically calling the balls and strikes for me toward the end of the game. It was pretty cool. He would just get rid of the ball on the bad pitches and freeze the good ones and close ones, and he got all the strikes. Twice, when he froze pitches off the plate, I said "BALL! JUST outside!". But I was definitely able to give him more strikes. Nobody complained and it was probably my smoothest game all year.

Also, ever since trying out the GD stance (about 10 games now), I have had a very consistent zone. Maybe getting two questionable comments per game.

Anyway, I understand being out of sorts. I am not advocating coaching catchers, but it helped me when things just weren't going quite right.

[Texarkana]

Did you really suck or did you just have someone squawking because you would not call the low strike? I watch guys call low pitches strikes over and over again and know that they are setting the pitcher up for a bad game and a good umpire who knows how to call a strike some heartburn by calling them. If that was the case, do not change your zone. It is up to the other umpires to learn what a strike is.

I had a very good catcher yesterday, big 14 year old kid that was trying to drag em in. I also told him to let them alone he had a better chance by just sticking them, because they were that close. Little did I know "PAPA" was in the dugout who happened to coach a solid D-1 program and junior relays it back to him. As I was walking out, Gramps grabs me to tell me I call a solid game and talk a little ball. Tell ya the truth, I am glad that I did not know gramps was in the dugout till after the game was over. I was calling in a different area and state than I usually call so did not know the coaches, players etc. Sometimes better that way. Sometimes we can get to cute for our own good.

[Mr Umpire]

I asked my partner after the game and he just thought they were low and I was calling them. He didn't mention anything about height and had no other suggestions than maybe my timing was too quick. I don't think I was too low as I set up the same being at the TOP of the F2 helmet which is about at the TOP(editor did this, I did not mean Time Of Pitch in this case) of the zone.

And, I definitely am pretty sure I sucked behind the plate. I felt I was too inconsistent with it but nothing was clicking for me in the game.

I did fine Saturday. Maybe I was just having a bad day. I don't know. We'll see since it was my first 2 days of 2 plates each day after 2 weeks away from it. If not, then I definitely have some evaluating to do. Just going to have to brush it off this time and see how things go the next time.

[Umpire in Chief]

Mr. Umpire, It's going to happen. I believe the important thing is you recognized it and attempted to adjust.

Okay the adjustments didn't fix the problem, but knowing there was a problem is a huge first step. In working with guys I HATE when people won't own up to obvious problems when I am trying to help them.

We're all going to have time when were in a slump. Players have them so do umpires. Although it doesn't help every time, when I feel I'm in a funk, I try to concentrate on each individual pitch and judge myself on the call, location, timing, catcher presentation and think what I need to fix for the next pitch and take it one pitch at a time.

I give myself a little pep talk, and when I have a good one I'll pat myself on the back, and if it is a bad one think about what went wrong.

Another trick is to just reset at some point in the game. Between half innings I'll just step back and say, "Okay, Warren you're better than this. Let's start over and do it right."

[carolinablue]

If you weren't a good umpire you would not have even realized you sucked ( your words ) that day. Shake it off.

[Mr Umpire]

The worse part about it was it was during a tournament's bracket play with single elimination. I certainly didn't want it to happen at a time like that.

I can go 2 or 3 years without having one even close to as bad as this one. I will have to leave it behind and move on tonight.

[crazyaboutcoues]

^{I had the same problem at my first varsity game this year, It seemed like I was in a bubble and couldn't see beyond what was immediately in front of me. I called a few high strikes that were questionable and started questioning my strike zone especially when the crowd started groaning. Made it thru the game but I chalked it down as a bad game for me. My partner told me to shake it off, it happens...}

[noumpere]

I asked my partner after the game and he just thought they were low and I was calling them.

Almost all the time this happens its because you are not watching the ball all the way into the glove and you are freezing your eyes out in front of the plate. This is confirmed a little by the fact that your partner thought your timing was too quick. Go do the sock drill at home to help train your eyes and get you used to watching it all the way and then remember its see it decide it call it and those are three separate steps.

[AJtheUMP]

Go do the sock drill at home.....

What is the sock drill? I am always looking for ways to get better at this!

[JaxRolo]

Go do the sock drill at home.....

What is the sock drill? I am always looking for ways to get better at this!

Lay on your back.

Take a pair of balled up socks.

Toss them in the air (while on your back)

Follow them all the way down using your eyes only. (try to catch them)

[mstaylor]

It's what he guys in school for hours in their hotel rooms.

[yawetag]

Follow them all the way down using your eyes only. (try to catch them)

I stopped trying to catch them, opting to have it hit me. I found I was still bailing on the socks once I decided where it was going to land. I attribute it to years of juggling, where you keep your eyes focused on the balls as they're falling -- not as they're going into your hands.

I found it much easier to track balls after removing the "catch" from the toss. In addition, once I found this to be the possible reason I gave up on pitches too early, I found myself tracking the ball much better. It may not have been the true reason, but it put that aspect of watching the ball on my mind enough to stop doing it.