First game - learned a lot

[cbiesecker]

Had my first game last night, and I learned a lot. It was a 12u Cal Ripken game. I worked the plate with a BU, and the UIC was there to watch. After the game, both said that I did an excellent job and in fact I'm working my first solo game tonight. There were a couple things that I focused on and I think I did pretty well at them. There were also many things that I need to work on.

Things to work on

- My zone was a little low, I need to bring it up.

- Forgot to take my mask off for about a quarter of the plays, though after a few steps I did remember to remove it.

- While I did move out into the grass after a hit ball, I'm going to need to hustle a bit more when working solo.

- Pregame meeting, I had the whole thing worked out in my head before the game, but when the time came I couldn't remember any of it, though somehow I managed to stumble my way through it.

Things I did well

- Never lost the count

- Heard a parent say "he's been calling that (low pitch) a strike, but at least he's been consistent". That made me smile.

- A parent mentioned that it was the first time she could hear the count from the bleachers.

- A few people remarked that I looked the part.

- My timing was good.

- I didn't make any glaring mistakes or booted calls.

I do have one question about passed balls, and there were a lot of them being that it was 12u ball. I would wait until the ball was in the mitt before making my call, but on a passed ball the catcher was usually moving before I could verbalize or signal the call. How do you handle that? Do you make your call and then move and risk being in the way, or do you move and then verbalize the call once you're out of the way?

Oh, one last thing, I did take a foul ball straight back to my mask. I never moved and no one said a thing. The catcher just picked up the ball and threw it back to the pitcher. I was proud of that.

[Thunderheads]

:clap:

it'll only get better from there!!!!!!!!

[Umpire in Chief]

Good Job.

A passed ball is always a ball even if it is a cockshot.- A lot of people will say. And I agree to some extent, in rec ball I need strikes desperately so I will get what I can if it is obviously a strike, but the borderline pitches will still be balls. And thus don't need anything more than a verbal.

As for mechanics, read the catcher and open up to which ever way he's going.

Here's a tip.. With nobody on base immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves. This will save you a ton of time and keep the game moving.

[Mike Prince]

Things to work on

- My zone was a little low, I need to bring it up.

Watch the pitch all the way to the mitt and make sure you are positioned to actually see the mitt. To me this is the hardest pitch to call and the easiest one to miss. I asked about this at a clinic a few years ago and was told I was losing focus/concentration which initially I was defensive about but after working on this I now can agree with the statement.

Things I did well

- Heard a parent say "he's been calling that (low pitch) a strike, but at least he's been consistent". That made me smile.

As it should. If the worst thing you were called was consistent that's a good thing. As advice don't pay much attention to what you hear outside the fence. An umpire mentor once told me that if I was going to listen to people when they told me I was good, I also have to listen to them when they tell me I suck.

- A parent mentioned that it was the first time she could hear the count from the bleachers.

Good job, you are an umpire and should be heard. Too many people are wallflowers when they start - makes them look less than confident (although being TOO bold can have the same effect)

- A few people remarked that I looked the part.

- My timing was good.

Great. Keep working on your timing, poor timing = laziness.

- I didn't make any glaring mistakes or booted calls.

But you will. When it happens learn from the mistake.

I do have one question about passed balls, and there were a lot of them being that it was 12u ball. I would wait until the ball was in the mitt before making my call, but on a passed ball the catcher was usually moving before I could verbalize or signal the call. How do you handle that? Do you make your call and then move and risk being in the way, or do you move and then verbalize the call once you're out of the way?

Clear the catcher first, you can make the ball/strike call later

.

[mstaylor]

Did you get a post game with your UIC to get his feedback?

[cbiesecker]

Did you get a post game with your UIC to get his feedback?

I tried. I walked back to my truck with the BU and UIC, and I said "That was fun, what do I need to work on?" They both just said that I did well, and then the UIC asked if I was available to work the game tonight. That was about it. I wanted more, so I brought up a couple situations that I thought I could have done better, and I asked them for input, but again all I got was that I did fine. Based on what I've been reading on U-E, I don't think I got much of a post game. I didn't get much of a pregame either. The BU didn't show up until 5 minutes before game time. I tried to do a pregame with him, but he didn't seem too interested.

Since it doesn't appear that I'm going to get much feedback from the local group, I'm going to bring my questions here instead.

[kylejt]

I always ask my umpires three questions, after a game. What did you do right? What did you do wrong? How will you correct it? Sounds like you're doing your own three questions, and that's good.

Too bad your UIC didn't have any thing for you. If asked, I'll find something for anyone.

On a pass ball, everybody in the park is assuming it's a ball. If the batter swung at it, that's obvious, too. Check swing strikes, and balls down the middle are tricky. Open the gate, to let the catcher by, then give a point to call the strike as the action takes place back at the fence. If it's strike three, you'll need to announce it, too, as the BR might have some options.

Let the catcher help you in the low ones. On fastballs, if caught below the shinguard's knee cap, everyone is expecting that to be called a ball, especially if he turns his glove over. Like others have said, track it all the way to the mitt, see how it's caught, and use all the evidence together.

[Mike Prince]

Keep pressing for pregame and postgame. You will make the other umpires better as a result. Eventually you will get a situation in a game that a pregame would have prevented and you can prove to your fellow umpires that there is value in the pregame. In my experience with rec ball most folks are looking to leave ASAP when a game is over so postgame can be a challenge, but if there's something that needs to be discussed you need to make sure the discussion happens.

[cbiesecker]

Let the catcher help you in the low ones. On fastballs, if caught below the shinguard's knee cap, everyone is expecting that to be called a ball, especially if he turns his glove over. Like others have said, track it all the way to the mitt, see how it's caught, and use all the evidence together.

One thing I read about and experienced first hand last night is how far the young catchers setup behind the plate. If I asked the catcher to move up once, I asked a dozen times. I understand what you're saying and will work on that. Fortunately, with a game tonight, I'll get to practice it right away.

[Mike Prince]

I do a lot of Cal Ripken minors and inexperienced catchers is the norm. I tell them if they are too far back the strike at the bottom of the zone becomes harder to call and if they are too far up they risk interfering with the batter. If they don't get it on their own work with the coach - usually they will ask where the pitcher is missing and if it is low, I will make it clear that the catcher is not helping. If he's too far back that 35 mph fastball at the knees has a good chance of hitting the ground before it gets into the mitt. That's a tough strike to call but if you are tracking the ball properly you will see and call it as a strike and learn to ignore the moaning and groaning from the parents in the bleachers.

I believe in letting the coaches do their job and them letting us do ours, but at this level doing a bit of work with the catcher can benefit everyone.

[cbiesecker]

I do a lot of Cal Ripken minors and inexperienced catchers is the norm. I tell them if they are too far back the strike at the bottom of the zone becomes harder to call and if they are too far up they risk interfering with the batter. If they don't get it on their own work with the coach - usually they will ask where the pitcher is missing and if it is low, I will make it clear that the catcher is not helping. If he's too far back that 35 mph fastball at the knees has a good chance of hitting the ground before it gets into the mitt. That's a tough strike to call but if you are tracking the ball properly you will see and call it as a strike and learn to ignore the moaning and groaning from the parents in the bleachers.

I believe in letting the coaches do their job and them letting us do ours, but at this level doing a bit of work with the catcher can benefit everyone.

You hit the nail on the head. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one dealing with this challenge. And thanks for the advice on how to try and make it better.

[sdix00]

Calling the strike on a ball that hit the dirt and dealing with absolutely ignorant coaches are the two hardest things about LL/Youth ball, in my experience.

At the 10u level, I talk to the catcher and help him get that strike. I have ZERO issues with that. Else I am just wasting my time calling dirt balls or groaning dirt strikes for 2 hours. That's no fun. It's more fun to work with the catcher. And it really does help. You can see improvement in just one game.

I won't coach anyone above 10 years old, but I will still let older players know that they are making it tough to call strikes.

Just make sure no one can hear your conversation. If no one can hear it, then it never happened. Probably depends on the league, climate, etc.

[mstaylor]

If you have catcher sitting too far back, set up first and force him forward some. Do a little at a time and let him get used to it. My son was the opposite. He was so close umpires would come to me concerned he was too close. I told them when he got hit he would know he was too close. It took until he was 14 before he got clipped.

[LMSANS]

When I started catching at 10, my uncle, cousin & brother were the umpires. This is at the time of the balloon CP. If I was too far back (very often cause I was afraid my first year), all of a sudden, I would feel the balloon pushing my butt forward. It took them a while, but I got the message. :smachhead:

[Kevin Finnerty]

Here's a tip.. With nobody on base immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves. This will save you a ton of time and keep the game moving.

This should always read: ... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves."

[BT_Blue]

Here's a tip.. With nobody on base immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves. This will save you a ton of time and keep the game moving.

This should always read: ... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves."

Should read... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the on-deck hitter hand you the ball he retrieves." :wave:

[Welpe]

Here's a tip.. With nobody on base immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves. This will save you a ton of time and keep the game moving.

This should always read: ... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves."

Should read... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the on-deck hitter hand you the ball he retrieves."

Yup. Unless it is LL where there is no on-deck batter then.

[cbiesecker]

Here's a tip.. With nobody on base immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves. This will save you a ton of time and keep the game moving.

This should always read: ... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the catcher hand you the ball he retrieves."

Should read... "With nobody on base and unless you throw like a girl, immediately throw a ball back to the pitcher and have the on-deck hitter hand you the ball he retrieves."

Yup. Unless it is LL where there is no on-deck batter then.

I understand what you're saying, but the fields where I work have enclosed backstops that are tight to the plate. I'm guessing there is less than 20' from the plate to the back of backstop. The tight quarters make it very difficult to get out of the way of the catcher on passed balls. Every so often the ball will bounce around and still end up under my feet. I've learned to always go to my left on a passed ball. Even if the catcher gets the ball quickly, he won't be able to make a throw to third as the backstop is blocking his throwing lane.

[Mike Prince]

The backstop Is in the way of making a throw? That's quite a unique field...

[cbiesecker]

The backstop Is in the way of making a throw? That's quite a unique field...

I know. Stealing third on a passed ball is a very easy thing to do. Most of the time the catcher can't even get his throw off due to backstop interference. :smachhead: