he's ssaaaaooouuutttt.......???

[dleavitt39]

Well, I managed to do it yesterday...very close play at first, could have gone either way.

I get into position, he's sssaaaaaoouuutttt...with my left arm out like safe, and my right up like out.....so close I crossed up my entire body...ended up calling the out on the premise the runner must beat the throw, and this is as close as I've ever seen to a "tie" at the base.

Thought I'd share.

DL

[Umpire in Chief]

I've done both the saaaooout and the mis match verbal /signal, but I cant say I've had my right arm giving an out and left a safe. oh well

[yawetag]

The most important thing: What did you learn?

[kcfan102]

I came as close as I've ever come to doing this last weekend.

9u AA State. I havn't umpired in about two weeks because of rain. I had a little mid-season rust. R2 is stealing third. Close play. The throw beat him there and I almost jumped the gun. I was about 30% through my out routine when I realized that I needed to sell a safe call as the tag was never applied, he just held his glove about the runner's legs.

Arm was cocked and everything ready to go. I quickly and emphatically sold the safe call and much to my relief, nobody said a word.

I made sure my timing was where it should be after that.

As for you, did you get in a bucket of horsesh!t?

Edited June 22, 2010 by kcfan102

[Stan W.]

I think if you have umpired for any length of time you are going to run into one of those calls....

But to help save me from the miss matched signals, I had to come up with the following....

Just as I come to a stop (never make a call on the move), I deliberatly go into a slight crouch (almost HOK)........and press both elbows to my sides........this keeps my hands down and I dont telegraph or inadvertendly give a quick or false signal....

helps with my timing, helps with avoiding embarassing mis-signals and gives me that split second to "take the picture" to use a clinic term.....then make the right call.........

[Big Red]

Good advice Stan...will definitely remember that.

While were in confessional, have something to 'fess up myself that's still on my mind a few weeks after the fact, though it wasn't a safe/out call, but a strike/ball call.

My normal strike call is a "strii-eeeet" and I verbalize balls (no location) w/ a low "ball." Worked a 16U Pony baseball game. F1 threw 3 straight balls to the batter, and I'm talking sailing it to the backstop or short-hopping them. Well, made the cardinal sin of anticipating another ball, then the other cardinal sin of not taking my time on the call.

Pitch comes right down Main & Central. Brain had already sent the ball signal to my mouth, then trys to override w/ an urgent strike signal, but didn't quite make it....

"Bike!"

Gave the strike signal, but criminy, I felt 2 inches tall and sure enough, I hear one of the coaches in the dugout ask the other, "What the f__k was that?" Tried to make an act of clearing my throat like I inhaled dust or something, but geez, how embarassing.

And yes, this grasshoppa did learn...NEVER anticipate the call and take.....your......time......see the pitch, call the pitch! :bang:

[JaxRolo]

"Bike!"

Funny I did the same exact thing a couple days ago,

[maninblack69]

Brain had already sent the ball signal to my mouth, then trys to override w/ an urgent strike signal, but didn't quite make it....

"Bike!"

That would have been quite entertaining to see :o

[yawetag]

NEVER anticipate the call and take.....your......time......

We have a winner! :o

[dumbdumb]

I've done both the saaaooout and the mis match verbal /signal, but I cant say I've had my right arm giving an out and left a safe. oh well

Annnnnd, how many stee/ball calls have you done? Remember, even just a flinch counts, just like a flinch for a balk. Oh yes, I've done it too. This is a timing issue. Just remember, nobody's (ESPN1-infinity, Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, or whoever has the contract) going anywhere till you call it.

Edited June 27, 2010 by dumbdumb

[butle030]

One out, R1 and a sharp ground ball to F3's right. I anticipated F3 would throw to second to get the lead runner. Instead he fields and steps on first and I yell "Out at two!" and then immediately "out at one, out at one". F3 throws to F6 for the tag play and I ruled R1 safe at second. Luckily nobody seemed to notice (or maybe just didn't care) as I'd gotten both obvious calls correct at the end of the day but I felt some shame anyway.

[txump81]

Pulled the old STRIKE THREE and chainsaw on a girl last night when it was only strike two. "That's only two, that's only two."

The pitch was right down broadway and in that game, if you didn't swing at a strike, you should have been removed.

[DirtyDawg]

I remember at the ripe old age of 16 (first year of umpiring) I got my first Stri------ball call. That was the first time I ever saw a curveball (both playing and umpiring wise). Come to think of it, I think it was more of a Striii....ball, ball, ball call!

[DirtyDawg]

9u AA State. I havn't umpired in about two weeks because of rain.

Send that crap down here, we're as dry as can be!!