I blew a call last night!

[JaxRolo]

So I am one of the biggest ones to Harp about timing to our Umpires and here on UE.

Had a DH yesterday. I had the plate on the Second game.

Long boring game. Lost focus. I'm not making excuses.

R1 and R3 no outs.

F1 starts his motion to pitch and never comes set. He just blows right through it. Immediately I yell "Time" "That's a Balk"

As i'm yelling it see him do the Third to First move. Immediately I yell "That's NOT a Balk"

I was way to quick thinking he was going to come home.

My partner starts laughing out loud!

I just shook my head in embarrassment. Except for my partner laughing at me the whole park was silent staring at me. No one said a word to me I said "Play" and moved on.

TIMING

TIMING

TIMING :bang:

[Welpe]

Well at least you won't make that mistake again any time soon!

I nearly had the same thing last night in my second game. R1, R3 also. Pitcher brings his hands together and an instant later kicks his leg. I almost balked him right there but a voice in my head yelled "WAIT!" and sure enough, he steppped and threw over to third.

[Kevin Finnerty]

I say, let's just not call balks, and this will never come up.

[cbiesecker]

I say, let's just not call balks, and this will never come up.

As a new umpire, I agree with Kevin.

[mstaylor]

I did it a number of years ago. I am very aware of not doing it again.

[Replacematt]

Calling balks are like getting married. You do it, and you hate yourself immediately. You do it more than once, and other people hate you.

[johnnyg08]

I got lucky today, but my timing saved me.

I was ready to bang a guy out at 2B as he was stretching for a double and I was waiting for F4 to lift his glove and show me and I see him in disgust throw the ball into his glove and he says "damn" to himself basically telling me that the ball was on the ground so I signaled safe and the game continued along. There's no way I could have seen the ball on the ground there...except for maybe sliding to the left after I had mentally made my call...or...maybe I just got lucky today. :-) I will chalk getting it right to proper timing, proper use of eyes, with the majority being luck.

I'll take luck any day.

[semper_fi_72]

Wish I could say some thing other than, Yep, been there and done that :smachhead:

[Kevin Finnerty]

Hunter Wendelstedt, wired for sound at the 2011 All-Star Game calling a play at second, in which the runner was not finished sliding: "Safe! No, he's out."

[etignor11]

Timing seems to be one of those big things that distinguishes the rookies from the vets. Wait too long and people think you are not sure, bang it too quick and you miss things like in the above. I've been told to take a breath. Any other suggestions?

[Mike Prince]

I say the call in my head before I signal or verbalize it. So behind the plate I wait for it to hit the mitt, say to myself "that was a ball" or "that was a strike", then comes the call. Same on the bases - i process what I saw, say the call to myself, then make it.

At least that's how I plan it...

[mstaylor]

Watch it hit the glove, then decide if it crossed the plate at the right height, then call it.

[conbo61]

I say the call in my head before I signal or verbalize it. So behind the plate I wait for it to hit the mitt, say to myself "that was a ball" or "that was a strike", then comes the call. Same on the bases - i process what I saw, say the call to myself, then make it.

At least that's how I plan it...

"Everybody has a plan until they get hit." - Mike Tyson.

[SanDiegoSteve]

So I am one of the biggest ones to Harp about timing to our Umpires and here on UE.

Had a DH yesterday. I had the plate on the Second game.

Long boring game. Lost focus. I'm not making excuses.

R1 and R3 no outs.

F1 starts his motion to pitch and never comes set. He just blows right through it. Immediately I yell "Time" "That's a Balk"

As i'm yelling it see him do the Third to First move. Immediately I yell "That's NOT a Balk"

I was way to quick thinking he was going to come home.

My partner starts laughing out loud!

I just shook my head in embarrassment. Except for my partner laughing at me the whole park was silent staring at me. No one said a word to me I said "Play" and moved on.

TIMING

TIMING

TIMING

What rules set was the game being played under? I am getting the sense that it was an OBR-based game, since it was a double-header. Only in FED would you call Time on the balk call anyway, even with good timing.

[JaxRolo]

So I am one of the biggest ones to Harp about timing to our Umpires and here on <acronym title='Umpire-Empire'>UE</acronym>.

Had a DH yesterday. I had the plate on the Second game.

Long boring game. Lost focus. I'm not making excuses.

<acronym title='Base runner at 1B'>R1</acronym> and <acronym title='Base runner at 3B '>R3</acronym> no outs.

<acronym title='Pitcher'>F1</acronym> starts his motion to pitch and never comes set. He just blows right through it. Immediately I yell "Time" "That's a Balk"

As i'm yelling it see him do the Third to First move. Immediately I yell "That's NOT a Balk"

I was way to quick thinking he was going to come home.

My partner starts laughing out loud!

I just shook my head in embarrassment. Except for my partner laughing at me the whole park was silent staring at me. No one said a word to me I said "Play" and moved on.

TIMING

TIMING

TIMING

What rules set was the game being played under? I am getting the sense that it was an <acronym title='Official Baseball Rules'>OBR</acronym>-based game, since it was a double-header. Only in <acronym title='Federation Rules (High School)'>FED</acronym> would you call Time on the balk call anyway, even with good timing.

It was FED

[Minnz]

Do most people even say TIME in FED before calling a balk? I know it is "supposed" to happen but just yelling "BALK" seems to be what most do these days. Curious...

[mstaylor]

I say balk and if they don't stop I follow with time. That way I don't get screwed up in OBR games. I work way more of them than FED.

[Vegas]

Timing seems to be one of those big things that distinguishes the rookies from the vets. Wait too long and people think you are not sure, bang it too quick and you miss things like in the above. I've been told to take a breath. Any other suggestions?

I tap the outside of my left thigh with a closed left hand - it's almost like a timer, I guess.

[BT_Blue]

Timing seems to be one of those big things that distinguishes the rookies from the vets. Wait too long and people think you are not sure, bang it too quick and you miss things like in the above. I've been told to take a breath. Any other suggestions?

I tap the outside of my left thigh with a closed left hand - it's almost like a timer, I guess.

If I am to quick I will silently clap my hands once or twice to remind myself to slow down.

[treydawgmt]

Calling balks are like getting married. You do it, and you hate yourself immediately. You do it more than once, and other people hate you.

I have no problems calling balks, and usually don't get complaints. Except the other day when my partner balked a freshman kid for taking signs off the rubber. Coaches on both sides went "Well, it's technically a balk, but I've NEVER seen it called in a freshman game." The one coach had been doing this a LOOOOONG time...

I should add its not a balk either, but my partner claims after the game that he was gaining an advantage/quick pitching I think. Didn't really see that, but since neither coach complained, I went with it. And no one took signs from off the rubber from there out.

[Dragon29]

Timing seems to be one of those big things that distinguishes the rookies from the vets. Wait too long and people think you are not sure, bang it too quick and you miss things like in the above. I've been told to take a breath. Any other suggestions?

I tap the outside of my left thigh with a closed left hand - it's almost like a timer, I guess.

If I am to quick I will silently clap my hands once or twice to remind myself to slow down.

Gentlemen,

I know I'm coming into this a bit late . . . sorry.

I would respectfully suggest you discontinue the use of all of these timing mechanisms and go with what mstaylor advised, or something very similar.

Artificial timing mechanisms are just that - artificial. They don't help you make decisions, they just slow you down a little bit which seems good, but really has no positive affect on your game.

As has been said here, and on other boards, many, many times: Timing is the correct use of your eyes

There are different ways to describe this, and none of them are perfect but I would recommend watching the play, briefly reviewing the play in your head to ensure a correct decision, and then make the call. Don't let the delay between the play and your call become a vacuum - use that time.

JMHO

[mstaylor]

I agree with Dragon, don't use an artificial slowing method unless it is used to allow you to time to replay the pitch and call it. Slow for the sake of slow is not proper timing. Slow to evaluate the pitch is good timing. Many teach the little slow down mechanics in clinics to get you used to working slower, but then you have to learn to use that extra time.